Marshall, et al. - You might want to let Fran Saunders chime in on this ... she is the official MOS webmaster and it might be that she would be willing to add a feature to the MOS web site to accommodate this great suggestion. Perhaps messages on shorebird conditions at specific sites could be picked off of MDO and linked/added to web pages for easy reference (???). Phil At 01:24 AM 07/19/1999 -0400, Marshall Iliff wrote: >In the course of our birding this weekend, Greg Miller mentioned to me that >folks in Ohio have a shorebird webpage where people log in and make regular >postings not just on shorebird sightings in the state, but on the condition >of shorebird hotspots around the state (i.e. water levels at such-and-such >seem good or so-and-so's pond is completely dry and is now worthless or at >the intersection of whosiwhatsit Lane and Rte. godknowswhat there is a rain >puddle that seems good). Well, I think we need this in Maryland! We >Marylanders have a hard enough time with shorebirds given that the best spots >are hard to access (i.e. Hart-Miller Island, Assateague Island) and that we >have an inferiority complex being sandwiched between Bombay Hook and >Chincoteague). I have most of my free summers in MD since I was 16 driving >around to various shorebird spots checking the conditions. But it is far >easier for all us internet connected folks to share our observations so that >we can hit the spots that are good and skip the ones that aren't. Conditions >often change yearly, monthly, or even weekly (depending on rain or lack >thereof) and this kind of network would be a real boon to the MD birding >community I think, especially those of us that like shorebirds. Plus, Greg, >Todd, and I wouldn't have missed Pectoral, Western and Ruff on our July Big >Day if we had known how good Easton STP was! > >Now...I didn't quite get Greg to volunteer to maintain such a site...but >maybe if we all begged in unison. ================================================ Phil Davis home: PDavis@ix.netcom.com Davidsonville, Maryland USA work: PDavis@OAO.com Greenbelt, Maryland USA ================================================