Subject: Re: What are the objectives of an RBA?
Date: Jan 20 09:14:06 1998
From: Bob Mauritsen - rhm at ms.washington.edu


If too many people find the presence of detailed directions on the
tape to be a problem, then perhaps the system could be organized more
like a voicemail system, and callers could press "2" to obtain
directions after listening to a report. That's probably too
complex for the situation, but it's an idea.

Bob Mauritsen
rhm at ms.washington.edu


On Tue, 20 Jan 1998, Kas Dumroese wrote:

> Tweets, as Michael Price mentioned, the RBA becomes an interesting
> beast when you're the one updating the tape. Surely the tape becomes
> a reflection of the compiler, and individual tastes, attitudes, and
> objectives come into play. As the compiler of one of these things,
> here's my two cents worth...
>
> > What are the goals of an RBA?
>
> Advise folks of unusual (not necessarily rare) sightings.
>
> > If you phone an RBA (local or out-of-town), how detailed do you want the
> > directions to a location to be?
>
> I take the point of view that if you just stepped off a plane in
> Spokane on a two-day business trip, and you call the RBA, it should
> give you enough information that you can go find the bird, without
> stopping at a convenience store for a map, waiting until that evening
> to call for directions, spending hours trying to find some little
> town on a highway map, etc.
>
> > Should the RBA operator proactively phone birders for unreported sightings?
>
> I do. And beware, I prowl Tweeterdome for sightings, too! Often,
> folks don't think their sighting is "rare" enough, but for somebody
> new to birding, or new to the area, it might be a great bird.
>
> > What would you describe as an acceptable minimum level of service?
>
> My benchmark for acceptable service is telling you what was seen,
> when it was seen, who saw it, precisely how to get to it, and if
> applicable, a follow-up name or number for more information. On the
> eastern WA, northern ID RBA, I'll give you some DeLorme coordinates
> to help you in your search as well.
>
> > What is the RBA operator's role in screening/accepting reported
> rarities? Should the tape and script report the observers name?
>
> I agree with the thread that's it's not really my job to screen
> reports, but I still do it occasionally. If it's really far-fetched (9
> Yellow-crowned Night-herons at Medicine Lake),I'll give the observer
> a call. I put the observer(s) name(s) in the RBA for two reasons: 1)
> it passes the buck, so to speak, and 2) if it's a really rare
> sighting, reported by a very credible birder, that lends support to
> the validity of the sighting. You may argue that conversely, a
> mega-rarity reported by a novice could be ignored due to lack of
> credibility; perhaps, but you miss out if they're right! As for
> spooking off the novices, I don't really think it's a problem.
>
> Further, if you're an out-of-region birder, carrying your trusty ABA
> membership directory, you have a could chance of finding those
> observers if you really want to chat with them.
>
> If the whole idea of a RBA is getting folks to a particular spot to
> see a particular bird, then I think the RBA should cram as much
> detailed information as possible into the text, while keeping the
> entire play-back time managable.
>
> Kas Dumroese
> Moscow, Idaho
>