Ohio Birders:
At the risk of incurring a financial penalty (considering Bill Whan's recent post - which BTW was not really unreasonable, just strange perceptively), I want to reply.
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REPLY: Steve - I am wondering if the truck tire had a white spot on it?
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Now having used precious bandwidth as a trite reply to begin the present communication, I need to note a few things:
1) I am a Michigander - strike one!
2) I tend to "ramble" sometimes on the Michigan list - strike two!
3) I am not an experienced birder - strike three!
I offer:
1) I doubt I will ever have much to add to Ohio bird sightings. I just am not "out and about" in Ohio. I am more of a parasite on your list.
2) Yes, it would make me think twice before putting anything on the Ohio list - especially my "rambles". It is not a bad idea to charge me for that! Maybe.
Yet ... I tend to think that occasional expressions of weird enthusiasm help motivate others to participate in a discussion forum (like a listserv). I certainly like to see more than just "I saw it there". Maybe as I need to add birds to my life list, I will not want to be bothered with any common birds, but for now, I guess it is interesting to me to see other people reporting hummers this week. I also want to be able to express my own excitement about having seen "my own" hummers and orioles this week and having someone care. From my own perspective, I know where the Delete button lives. No, I did not put my sightings on the Ohio list, but I did on the Michigan list. Hey, it was good for me as a fairly new birder! I certainly would never have bothered a year or so ago to announce a FOY! Big deal - we always have hummers in summers. Yes. But someone on the Michigan list is tracking first/last sightings of hummers for the state! It encourages me to report one of the few birds I recognize well!
3) I have far more questions than answers! I am trying to learn my birds. I have been working at it for about two years now and continually discover birds that do not look like the book pics, or birds that are not well enough seen to find. However I have learned that my partial descriptions tend to almost always narrow the field when posed to the listserv - and amazingly, they are usually "right on" with options! Maybe if I had to pay to get feedback I would try harder myself. At present I only use four field guides now - maybe the new Crossley guide will do it?
My main reason for being on the Ohio list is to learn about anything of interest seen in northwest Ohio - an area to which I might reasonably drive in a day. I generally delete most of the messages except during this time of year when I want to see Ottawa/Magee reports, but knowing that I can get there on a day trip always keeps me watchful for other opportunities and I save descriptions of other good birding locations in a file for later reference.
I posted a couple of blogs last year about our trips to Ohio:
http://drbobsbirdblog.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html
http://drbobsbirdblog.blogspot.com/2010_05_01_archive.html
Yet in light of my present need to post a quick reply to Steve tonight, I offer an additional comment:
You just gotta have more fun with your birding! Like - it ain't a job! The more fun we have, the more we want to interact and learn! The more we feel accepted, the more likely we are to participate and interact! And even "newbies" like me have something to offer!
And I know well from comments I receive that many on the Michigan listserv really appreciate personal experience with even common birds ("rambles" if you will) as well as sightings of unusual birds.
I also know that allowing a fully open discussion does not work! Like just how many comments do we need about someone driving over ducklings at a MacDonald's (if any!)? The internet has a great many places for this! Be sure the list Admin makes it clear that these are totally unacceptable!
As an educator, I realize the need for funding, and applaud Miami University Ohio for putting up a state resource for birding!
On the other hand, I have a friend who offered to put up a website for me on his server. He is far from wealthy! The technology is cheap! Oh come on, Ohio!
Also, I suggest that if the cost is a factor, consideration must to given to the dollars spent when we (i.e. tourism dollars) come to Ohio. And, certainly during the Biggest Week in America Birding, the financial impact is quite great locally. I would suspect that MU-O could get grants to at least boost the measly capacity during this critical period! If not, take a few "cans" around to the local merchants! (BTW - we always pick up some birders cards at Magee, and pass them out at each establishment we visit during our trip!).
Bottom line:
A proposal is on the table to charge for postings to the Ohio listserv. This will certainly inhibit interaction with all but the most dedicated birders, and will certainly reduce enthusiasm for even becoming a "birder".
What the heck is going on with Miami University and why is there a lack of support from your state agencies???
Hey, guys, lighten up! Technology is cheap! And, no I do not want to be bothered by stuff that better belongs on Facebook, but please do allow enthusiasm without demanding credentials!
I am just offering my four bits (50 cents against my account - right?).
And since I might be billed anyway, I repeat my trite question:
Steve - I am wondering if the truck tire had a white spot on it?
Whew! (Steve - come back off-line for free!)
"Dr. Bob" Setzer
Streamwood Estates, Rochester Hills (Crooks & Hamlin), Oakland County
"Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day." Teaching a man to "bird" is much harder!
Blog: http://drbobsbirdblog.blogspot.com/
-----Original Message-----
From: Ohio birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Steve
Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2011 6:11 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [Ohio-birds] Now that was weird...
While not noteworthy, it was certainly weird to the wife and I. We were pulling into a parking spot at the Kenton Wal-Mart...well away from all but a small puddle of a pond that is fenced off... We..well En saw a Coot huddled behind a truck tire. I got some doc. shots. When we came out it was gone. Weird. :-D
Steve J.
(Aka sjlarue)
sjlarue.smugmug.com
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______________________________________________________________________
Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.
You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]
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