Nicely put, Rex!
It is probably timely to remind readers of our mailing list guidelines:
Messages sent to birding-aus should NOT
* be of a purely commercial nature
* contain offensive or inappropriate language
* contain personal attacks - argue about the message, not the messenger
* contain attachments of any sort
* exceed 20Kb in size
* include all of the original message if replying (use only what's needed for
clarity)
* stray too far from our main topics: Australian birds, their habitat &
conservation
Our readership includes many of the lucky birders who have seen over 700
species in Australia, and some who have seen well above that number in total;
it includes a few professional guides and a number of scientists, some of whom
specialise in areas of interest to our readers. The bulk of our membership is
made up of an assortment of twitchers, nature-lovers, keen hobbyists and
"weekend" birders. There are people who have seen Grasswrens, and others who
have not (sadly, I'm one of them) - and probably quite a number who have seen
ALL the Grasswrens. What I like about the Birding-Aus members I've met,
especially out in the field, is that nobody has ever put me down because of my
lack of Grasswrens. Some have told me where to look, and others have helped me
understand a little more about Grasswren behaviour: this has added a lot to
the pleasure I get from birding. It hasn't found me a Grasswren yet, but it
has certainly found me friends, as well as generous experts I can
ask for advice.
This is what I'd always hoped Birding-Aus would be: a means of birders helping
other birders, and a place to talk about birds. I'm thrilled that it usually is.
So remember, please, that Birding-Aus is only as good as the people who
contribute to it, and that it can be a great place to talk about what you've
seen, or about what you think about birding issues.
Celebrate what you've achieved, by all means, but please don't put down those
who have seen less or know less.
Good luck to all those other poor Grasswren-challenged birders!
Russell Woodford
Birding-Aus List "incubator"
"Rex & Jan Fisher" <> on Thu, 13 Jul 2006 18:06:24 +1000
wrote:
> Not only has Chris shared his immense knowledge but his manner indicates to
> me that he is a very decent, helping person.
>
> However I noted a striking contrast in another recent posting responding to
> someone's speculation. I immediately thought of recent discussions about
> people not posting to birding-aus because of the tone of the response they
> may get. Surely common decency and respect for others will enhance
> participation and the consequent value of this great facility which I assume
> is not meant for (or benefited by) the expression of egos. Perhaps, to
> paraphrase Bill Watson, if our "immersion in birds (and not only birds!)is
> entirely driven by fascination and curiosity" we may make the greater
> contribution.
>
> Regards Rex Fisher
>
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