Hi all, I'm a grad student (studying birds), freelance nature writer, and Ohio native. I have successfully pitched a story to BirdWatcher's Digest (based in Marietta, OH), concerning the use of electronics and technology for birding and whether they detract from or add to the experience of birding. I would like to do a large-scale survey of birders to find out the range of opinions on this topic, what sort of technology people use, and whether different groups of people (men vs. women, older vs. younger, etc.) have different practices. If you are interested in helping me out, you can send a reply directly to me ([log in to unmask], specialagentCK@aol, [log in to unmask]). Feel free to include (or exclude) any of the following information: 1. Name 2. Age 3. How long you've been birding 4. How often you go birding 5. Whether/how often you have used the following: electronic bird song devices (birdsong CD's, iPod birdsong programs, hand-held song tutoring programs), birding programs (e.g. Thayer birding software, electronic birding journals, etc.), internet resources (listservs--I think we've got that covered!, websites such as those provided by Cornell or the USGS for identification or background, websites with birding-related information, such as maps, birdhouse plans, suet recipes, etc.), navigation systems (in the car or handheld, for locating birding sites), anything else I haven't thought of 6. Your opinions about the use of technology--does it add to your experience? does it detract from being out in nature? is it better in some situations than in others? does it make birding less pure? Thanks in advance for everyone who participates. I won't be mentioning any actual names in the article, but I will definitely give credit to all groups/organizations that contribute to my piece. I would be happy to send a final copy of my article to anyone who's interested, and to follow up with publication information once I know more details. I look forward to hearing from you! Caitlin Kight Department of Applied Science College of William and Mary ______________________________________________________________________ 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]