Jeez Burt, you sound like my mom when I bring up the idea that she should get a computer fer crissakes! Please don't get me wrong, I respect you and your birding abilities and I am glad that you are part of our community. You make some great posts. But it is not "intellectual pretension" or anything else. It is just birding shorthand. I would much prefer to write ANHU than Anna's Hummingbird any day of the week.

I will say though that the idea you put down is one that I often use, knowing there are people like you out there who seem to refuse to take on a new idea: I write the name once, followed by the code in parantheses, and then use the code for the remainder of the e-mail.

That said, I think that those of us who do use the codes need to be careful. For example, RNPH. Many people use this code for Red-necked Pheasant (which goes by RPHE), forgetting that the same code could be used for Red-necked Phalarope (which goes by RPHA). Sure, things can get confusing with the codes, but it's still far easier to write 4 letters than some long-drawn out name, repeatedly and ad infinitum (had to use some of my intellectual pretension on ya - LOL!).

Brett A. Wolfe
Seattle, WA (in San Joaquin Valley for summer 2005)
m_lincolnii at yahoo.com


"Guttman, Burt" <GuttmanB at evergreen.edu> wrote:
Several nice people have given me sources that list all the four-letter codes, so I can learn them. They miss the point: It is not worth my time to learn them! I hate the damned things. If they are useful to you personally, for your journal writing or for banding, go ahead and use them, but please don't impose them on me or on others who have no use for them. They strike me as a bit of intellectual pretension and flumgummery, as being the secret password needed to become part of some exclusive, superior little clique. "Tonight, mes amis, let us only speak French, with Parisian accents."

Several people have suggested the compromise that a user should write out the name of the bird in normal English first. That would probably be the criterion for getting along on this issue. Fine. Just so I don't have to think more than a millisecond before understanding what you're talking about.


Burt Guttman
The Evergreen State College
Olympia, WA 98505 guttmanb at evergreen.edu
Home: 7334 Holmes Island Road S. E., Olympia, 98503



---------------------------------
From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu on behalf of Joemeche at aol.com
Sent: Mon 7/11/2005 5:27 PM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Tweeters] Re: Four-letter codes


Oh no! Here we go again with the mind-boggling four-letter code issue!
Gadzooks, Batman, can't we all just get along?

Cheers,
Joe Meche (aka JOME)
Bellingham

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