It's seems to me that offense has been taken where none was intended. The
people who mentioned they felt few birders were in the field did so because
of their awareness that this is absolutely prime time for shorebird
rarities. Sometimes when you know that great birds are in the offing you
expect to see more birders out and about, and sometimes they are... just
not where you are. In fairness to the posters it must be pointed out that
the daily reports have indicated relatively few reports are being sent in
as of late, which could easily be interpreted as fewer people taking to the
field. I have total confidence that Roy meant nothing disparaging in last
nights daily report. That simply is not something Roy would do. I have the
privilege of knowing Roy personally as well as a great many of the other
birders who have contributed to this forum. I realize why some of us felt
stung by the posts but I am absolutely confident that there is no reason
for anyone to take umbrage. Simply a misunderstanding among good people. As
a point of fact I have been on the sidelines myself as a result of a
difficult divorce and having to parent my 9 year old (gladly) during most
of my free time. I used to be in the field as much or more than anyone and
when I read last nights post I knew exactly what Roy and the others
intended to mean by their comments. They are excited and full of hopeful
expectations which they just wanted to express as a call to the troops so
to speak. And the fact is this is indeed high season for
shorebird/shoreline rarities. Also Roy is absolutely right, it does feel
better to find a rarity yourself, I was lucky enough to do it quite a bit
in the past and hope to get back to doing it again soon.

I for one highly value the existence of this forum and also highly
appreciate those who make it possible. I would hope that anyone who feels
slighted by something that was posted would contact the poster directly to
discuss it rather than do so in an open forum. The chances are pretty good
the comments were not intended to be disparaging. I have put my own foot in
my mouth so  often in life I can tell my shoes apart by taste. There are
very few groups of people in the world with more in common than birders. We
should recognize the importance and advantages of that fact and stay
focused on the positive aspects of our shared interests. As I said, I think
this is just a misunderstanding among good people.

Dave

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I would be out there, too, if I had the time.  I think this is just a busy time for most people.  A lot of people have families and are away, and younger folks are travelling, etc.  The simple answer:  not many people are around.  I myself wanted to get out and shorebird this past weekend, but my fiance' injured her back, which disrupted our whole weekend.

No offense here was taken by the comments of our young members, but it's important to remember that not everyone has the luxury of being able to spend all of their time in the field.  Instead, it's great to have the forum as a reminder of what's out there, and I hope people will continue to use it to post good sightings.  Other lists that have been around much longer, only a few states away, do not come up with such good sightings, and I think it's because of the dedication, knowledge, and activeness of the CT birding community.

Thanks to Roy for adminstering such a successful list.

Ross

David.F.Provencher@dom.com wrote:

It's seems to me that offense has been taken where none was intended. The
people who mentioned they felt few birders were in the field did so because
of their awareness that this is absolutely prime time for shorebird
rarities. Sometimes when you know that great birds are in the offing you
expect to see more birders out and about, and sometimes they are... just
not where you are. In fairness to the posters it must be pointed out that
the daily reports have indicated relatively few reports are being sent in
as of late, which could easily be interpreted as fewer people taking to the
field. I have total confidence that Roy meant nothing disparaging in last
nights daily report. That simply is not something Roy would do. I have the
privilege of knowing Roy personally as well as a great many of the other
birders who have contributed to this forum. I realize why some of us felt
stung by the posts but I am absolutely confident that there is no reason
for anyone to take umbrage. Simply a misunderstanding among good people. As
a point of fact I have been on the sidelines myself as a result of a
difficult divorce and having to parent my 9 year old (gladly) during most
of my free time. I used to be in the field as much or more than anyone and
when I read last nights post I knew exactly what Roy and the others
intended to mean by their comments. They are excited and full of hopeful
expectations which they just wanted to express as a call to the troops so
to speak. And the fact is this is indeed high season for
shorebird/shoreline rarities. Also Roy is absolutely right, it does feel
better to find a rarity yourself, I was lucky enough to do it quite a bit
in the past and hope to get back to doing it again soon.

I for one highly value the existence of this forum and also highly
appreciate those who make it possible. I would hope that anyone who feels
slighted by something that was posted would contact the poster directly to
discuss it rather than do so in an open forum. The chances are pretty good
the comments were not intended to be disparaging. I have put my own foot in
my mouth so often in life I can tell my shoes apart by taste. There are
very few groups of people in the world with more in common than birders. We
should recognize the importance and advantages of that fact and stay
focused on the positive aspects of our shared interests. As I said, I think
this is just a misunderstanding among good people.

Dave

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This electronic message contains
information which may be legally confidential and/or privileged and
does not in any case represent a firm ENERGY COMMODITY bid or offer
relating thereto which binds the sender without an additional
express written confirmation to that effect. The information is
intended solely for the individual or entity named above and access
by anyone else is unauthorized. If you are not the intended
recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution, or use of the
contents of this information is prohibited and may be unlawful. If
you have received this electronic transmission in error, please
reply immediately to the sender that you have received the message
in error, and delete it. Thank you.

This list is provided by the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA) for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut.
For subscription information visit http://lists.ctbirding.org/mailman/listinfo/ctbirds_lists.ctbirding.org

Ross Geredien
Good Migrations Photography
www.goodmigrationsphoto.com
1-610-850-5035

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