I totally agree with Jamie Acker's "plea for ebird".? It has made?birding more enjoyable since there reporting site is colorful, educational, and can be useful if one is planning a birding trip somewhere.? It can also?make one more observant, with my lousy memory forces me to make?a list of birds after every stop.? You are essentially sharing info with others who are with eBird and contributing to the ornithological record.? And besides, it's free!? That alone should at least?get some people's?interest.? Check it out at Jamie's link,
????????????????????????????????? Cheers, Doug Watkins
????????????????????????????????????????????? Bainbridge Is


-----Original Message-----
From: J. Acker <owler at sounddsl.com>
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Cc: eBird at cornell.edu; 'Charlie Wright' <c.wright7 at comcast.net>
Sent: Sun, Jul 26, 2009 5:30 pm
Subject: [Tweeters] eBird: a plea




There is a saying: You don?t know what you?ve got ?til it?s gone?

?

I was a tad bit dismayed to discover that there was only ONE documented eBird report for the Ocean Shores STP King (Queen) Eider when I went to enter in my observations today.? Judging by the postings on Tweeters, this bird has been
regularly followed for weeks. Some of you undoubtedly ticked it off as a lifer.

?

So, how would you feel if that area was slated for condos next year?? Could you mount a defense for protecting it?? Well, maybe the Ocean Shores STP is not the best case to present, but one of your favorite local birding locations could possibly be targeted.

?

Ebird allows us, the birding community, to document our observations. Over time, similar, but much deeper and better detailed than the Christmas Bird Counts that many of us participate in, trends develop.? The individual observations become a collective group, a history, and a much more powerful defense. The credibility of the individual fades and is no longer on trial with the mass of data from numerous sources.

?

So, a plea to get an eBird account, and to submit data.? It?s almost as good as a tax deduction, or a donation to your favorite conservation group, because it quietly helps add to the data base for the future. And it is painless.

?

Not that I believe that eBird is perfect (I don?t ? there are species that have information provided to the public that I don?t believe the public should have), but it does that vital function of DOCUMENTATION.? As most of us with life experiences know, without documentation, it doesn?t matter. Your individual life lists and records won?t be worth a tinker?s dam to anyone but you if they are not put to use in some forum
.? I encourage you to use eBird.? eBird is making great progress in making a program that is easy to enter data into and user friendly.? I have hopes that eventually there will be an easy reconciliation menu that will allow users of Birder?s Diary, Avis Systems or other birding programs to easily add their historic data to the pot.

?

Here is the link: http:// www.ebird.org

?

Enough.

?

J. Acker

Bainbridge Island, WA

Owler at sounddsl.com

?

A voice unspoken (or unwritten) is a voice unheard.

Be heard!

?




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