So I guess we shouldn't keep the penguins in Blaine to ourselves, right?

At 10:25 AM 3/6/02 -0800, you wrote:
>I'd like the opportunity to chime in with my two cents on this dialogue...
>
>Having been birding in this area for over 30 years, I remember the days of
>the "inner circle" of birders who were in on all the good birds. However,
>I would maintain that much of that was due to "communication
>opportunities," NOT on exclusivity.
>
>Back then, if you saw something rare, you would simply call those birders
>you knew to share your excitement and information. You would also report it
>to the rare bird hotline. This hotline, for those of you who don't remember,
>was a taped message that the manager of the hotline recorded every few days;
>it was rarely updated daily, and often only weekly. Nowadays we can post
>on the Internet, or call the Birdbox on our cell phone while still
>observing the bird!
>
>I'm not saying that there aren't a few elitist birders out there, but in
>my experience, I think the vast majority of our birding community is very
>open, willing and eager to share birding information. If you consider how
>competitive many birders are, this is even more commendable!
>
>And by the way, I'm not in anyone's "inner circle." I get my information
>on the Internet and Birdbox like everyone else.
>
>Mike Donahue
>Seattle

Jack Kintner <kintner at nas.com> Blaine, WA