Subject: [Tweeters] future of the Bird Box
Date: Oct 29 15:38:05 2007
From: Eugene and Nancy Hunn - enhunn323 at comcast.net


Tweets,

On behalf of the board of the Washington Ornithological Society (WOS) I would like to solicit your opinions with regard to the Bird Box telephonic rare bird sightings reporting system (206-281-9172). The system uses a special phone line and recording device that allows observers to call in sightings and to listen to recent postings. It replaced an earlier hotline system (such as is still in use in Vancouver and Victoria, BC, and Portland, Oregon). The advantage of the Bird Box was that birders could get instantaneous reports rather than waiting for the operator of the hotline to post a summary (daily or weekly). Currently Rachel Lawson has the machine in her house but she wants to pass it on.

The machine is now somewhat out of date and should probably be replaced, and a new phone line would have to be established in the home of a volunteer willing to take it on. However, it is apparent that the Bird Box gets very little use. Often a week or more will pass without a report being recorded. Thus it no longer functions effectively in providing cutting edge information. Tweeters has by default taken on that role in most cases. Of course, to post to tweeters and to check recent postings requires that one have a computer handy. Most of us don't carry one with us on every birding outing, so information about sightings is sometimes a bit delayed. On the other hand, it may be that in a year or so we will all have instantaneous hand-held portable units that will allow tweeters to provide the service originally envisioned for the Bird Box.

In any case, the WOS board has to decide whether to invest the money and effort to upgrade and relocate the Bird Box at this time or to relegate it to "the dust bin of history," to coin a phrase.

Please express your opinions OFFLINE to me at enhunn323 at comcast.net. Thanks.

Gene Hunn
WOS Vice-President