Stewart,

Point well taken. I try to remember, whenever I write on tweeters, to write
out the full name the first time with the code in parenthesis following that
name, and then I feel free to use the four letter code throughout the rest of
THAT email.

Those that band birds, or make lots of bird related notes, have worked hard to
learn the codes (and the exceptions), and so often use them from habit.

It is not meant to exclude anyone.

Basic rule of thumb is that the codes use the first two letters of the first
word and the first two letters of the last word; for example American Robin is
AMRO.

If it is a three-word name, e.g. Red-breasted Nuthatch, then the first letter
of each of the first two words, followed by the first two letters of the third
word; therefore, Red-breasted Nuthatch = RBNU

Anyone who would like to see or have a copy of the the North American
Hemosphere bird codes can go to: www.birdpop.org/pages/birdSpeciesCodes.php


I apologize if I have used the letters without including the real name--I know
I never do that in the title since, as you stated, many people skim the titles.

I do agree with creating a new subject line, or an RE:xxx for continuity,
since I often don't have time to read all the tweets.

That's my two-cents worth,

Christine Southwick
N Seattle/Shoreline
clsouthwick at q.com

and On Tue, 30 Aug 2016, Stewart Wechsler wrote:

> Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2016 07:20:22 -0700
> From: Stewart Wechsler <ecostewart at gmail.com>
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: [Tweeters] some say yes NOWA, but I would prefer they say no NOWA
>
> I've been birding since 1968.? I know all of the birds' names (at least those
> that the AOU hasn't changed in 20 years), but I don't know the 4 letter
> codes. ?4 letter codes are for field notes, they don't work so
> well when communicating with others.? It seems like an insiders' secret
> code.? I am also a botanist and sometimes use 4 letter codes for botany field
> notes, but never use them to communicate to other botanists.? A
> high percentage, of even the most knowledgeable local botanists, wouldn't
> know what plant I am talking about.
> Also I intermittently check in to Tweeters, I don't follow all of the
> dialogues.? If you write as if everyone reading, had read the news from an
> earlier day of a bird being seen somewhere, you will lose part of your
> audience.? I would prefer that if people start a new thread with a new
> subject line that they write so that those that didn't read earlier posts
> from earlier days would know what you are talking about.? Not everyone
> who reads a post about a Northern Waterthrush having been seen in a given
> site will know that it had been seen there earlier.
>
> -Stewart Wechsler
> stewardshipadventures.com
>