Thank you Kenn! I felt the same way but felt I am not in a position to voice my feelings. I hope everyone on the list reads your email and will consider your points. We all should be better lister-friends. I, too, reread his posts which if you read the first post said "Hello Bird-Friendly People"!!!!! I did not see any comments that would require a need for him to be shunned. An a "picture-taker" I was looking forward to seeing some of his photos and perhaps learning from his sharing some tips from his 50 YEARS experience with long lens photography!. Mr Slater, please return! ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kenn Kaufman" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Sunday, November 05, 2006 10:04 PM Subject: Re: [Ohio-birds] Apology and departure >I was away from the computer most of the weekend. By the time I saw the > first post from Mr. Tom Slater, he had already sent what he said was his > last, which read in part -- > >> >> I have been informed off-list, very politely, that I have committed a >> terrible breach of list etiquette. I have posted to the list something >> other than an observing report. .... (snip) ... I have over 50 years >> of >> extreme long lens photography experience and build my own remote triggers >> and monitors. I wanted to discuss some things that >> my photography experience could support. ... (snip) ... >> I will try to locate a birding discussion list that can help me. I will >> unsub at the end of this transmission. >> > > So the list has lost the contributions of someone who sounded intelligent > and articulate, with valuable knowledge and with admirable enthusiasm for > birds. Am I the only one who is bothered by this sequence of events? I > don't know who wrote to Mr. Slater off-list with critical comments, but > even > if they were polite about it, I don't see any justification for > discouraging > his participation. > > I read back through Mr. Slater's earlier couple of posts, and saw that he > has kept a 22-acre woodlot in good condition for birds, with standing > snags > that support nesting Red-headed Woodpeckers. Sounds to me like this is a > man who has excellent understanding of birds. Did somebody give him a > hard > time because he accidentally sent one empty message? We've all done > things > like that. Did somebody slap him down because he posted a question about > feeding birds? If so, that's really unfortunate. He asked one specific > question. If you're not interested, you can always use the delete key. I > would like to think that birders are welcoming and accepting types in > general and I suggest that the self-appointed listserve police try to give > people more slack. We need more enthusiastic participants on the list, > not > fewer. > > I won't talk about anyone behind their back so I'm copying this message > to > Tom Slater, with my personal invitation to you, sir, to re-subscribe and > give us a second chance to be good online neighbors. > > Kenn Kaufman > Rocky Ridge, Ohio > > ______________________________________________________________________ > > Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. > Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. > > 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] > > ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. 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]