[mou] Listserv Musings

[Dennis/Barbara Martin]

We have taken the liberty of cutting and pasting the following message from
the Iowa Listserv.  This message is completely applicable to this MOU
listserv.  Everywhere you read the word Iowa please insert the word
Minnesota.  How many people went to Mountain Lake today to look at a 5th
state record Green-tailed Towhee and only one mentioned in passing that the
bird was seen but no information was posted as to the times of day, etc?
What else have birders been seeing this winter?  We know of at least one
active birder who regularily reads this list and uses the information but
has posted to the list only once this year.

Dennis and Barbara Martin
dbmartin@skypoint.com

Birders-

As some of you have noticed, the three of us recently took a break from
regularly posting to IA-Bird.  This was for several reasons, which we
highlight below.  To begin the New Year, we'd like to share our views on
this listserv, offer a few suggestions for how it can better meet the needs
of its wide audience, and try (once again) to convince the non-believers
that IA-Bird will only work if you CONTRIBUTE INFORMATION.

The reasons:


1. A misunderstanding by some about the purpose of this list.  Some believe
that this list should only be for rare birds - we couldn't disagree more!
We enjoy reading reports about rare birds, just like many of you do, but are
as or more interested in reading reports of less rare species.  For example,
we find daily counts of warblers at site A or of shorebirds at site B
extremely interesting.  Such reports paint a broader picture of the birdlife
of Iowa, and offer an important context in which we enjoy searching for
rarities.
2. A general lack of posting by some birders.  This is certainly
apparent here in central Iowa, where we routinely encounter other birders
but seldom read their posts on IA-Bird.  Sadly, the motivation for many of
these birders was provided by our posts!
3. Failing to post the results of a chase.  We frequently encounter
other birders who are following up on reports of rarities gleaned from
IA-Bird.  Many chasers are courteous and promptly post the results of their
chase to this list, regardless of the result.  We appreciate such reports!
Others, however, simply glean the information for their own use and don't
bother to share their results with the rest of us.  We believe such actions
are discourteous.  If you have the time to read a post about an unusual bird
that you later chase, then you should have (or make!) time to later post the
results to the list.

We are fully aware that no one is perfect, and we certainly don't expect
everyone to change.  But if you enjoy reading and using the information you
glean from this list, then we believe you have a responsibility to
reciprocate.  We know that many of you enjoyed reading our regular reports
from Saylorville early last fall.  Why, then, would you think that others
wouldn't enjoy reading similar regular reports from your favorite birding
spot?  In summary, we believe that reciprocation should come in the form of
1) regular posts of common birds, 2) timely reports of rarities, and 3)
updates on birds that you chase as a result of being
a member of IA-Bird.  Some birders are already doing a great job while
others need to step up.  And we all need to realize that the life of this
list depends on information about birds in Iowa, so please - contribute!

To start the year on a positive note, we offer this report.  Last night we
checked the gull roost at Saylorville (~13,000 birds) and found 2+ Thayer's,
4 Lesser Black-backed (1 of each age class!), 1 juvenile Glaucous, and the
previously reported juvenile Black-legged Kittiwake. The 4 Killdeer are
still present at the Polk City W.A. (this is pretty remarkable for central
Iowa in January) and there was a smattering of other waterfowl species mixed
in with the Mallard and Common Merganser flocks at Saylorville.

Steve Dinsmore
Aaron Brees
Jay Gilliam


Stephen J. Dinsmore
Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
339 Science II, Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011
515-294-1348 (office)
cootjr AT iastate.edu
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~cootjr/