Hi Angela and Tweets,

I would disagree with the person who said you should have sent your message off-list.
If it was simply a personal beef between the two of you that would be one thing, but your
message had value for the whole list in that you were expressing your concern/doubt
about the sightings he reports in his blog which he himself pointed Tweets to.

I had a similar reaction to Angela's upon reading the blog. If nobody expresses their doubt
about the info presented then many birders, especially those just learning what to
expect in their area, will gain false impressions about the occurence of Goshawks and the
difficulties of accipiter ID.

Do I know the sightings on his blog to be wrong? No, of course I don't. But his sightings
seem way out of the ordinary for the western Washington lowlands, a fairly thoroughly
birded area these days, and one frequented by many experienced birders. The blogger's
attitude "I don't care about your opinion" makes me wonder why he wants us to visit his blog.

Birding isn't science, but bird distribution is a part of the science of ornithology and we
as birders should get used to having sightings questioned and not take it so personally.
A thick skin comes in useful sometimes, especially in the rough and tumble world
of the internet.

--
Jim Flynn
merlinmania at comcast.net
Seattle, WA