Hi --

Rick Sussman wonders about the lack of response to the Bird Listing Format
topic -- and I also am wondering where everyone is...not just on this
subject, but on the central one for this list -- birds! Relatively few
people seem to post their sightings and a small minority of subscribers
(total up around 500, according to Norm) generate the majority of sightings
reports.

Several times this autumn Barry and I would go to Rock Creek (having missed
a few days) and someone would come up and say, "where were you yesterday, we
had a ------!!" and I'd say, wow, did anyone post that to MdOsprey and the
answer would be, "oh I never post, I just read it (or "lurk")". Come on
folks, how we find out about birds -- both rarities and the peak times for
the more common species -- is by sharing our sightings. No one is going to
harass you if you post a bird sighting, they are going to be grateful.

True, the last few days have been dismal for birding and I can see why few
folks have been out, but...after a brilliant fall day, still only a handful
of postings. Are a lot of osprey subscribers just sitting home? Sometimes we
wonder...

Just a little whine,

Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper

>
> I am constantly surprised at how few messages are generated here on what I
> consider topics of concern. It is certainly nothing like "the good old days"
> of
> The Ospreys Nest bulletin board, when a topic like Bird Listing Format would
> have generated a long stream of responses on both sides of the arguement.
> Must  be a lot of lurkers out there with thoughts on this subject?
>
> Rick Sussman
> Ashton,MD
> 
>