Maine Birders Network Launched

I am proud to announce that the Maine Birders Network (MBN) was officially launched this afternoon. It is ready to go, and those who would like to use the discussion board may register now. 

There are no posts at this time, but with member usage, it should grow by leaps and bounds. Those who are from outside of Maine and will be visiting the state in the future, can interact with the members to get info on birding in Maine.

I will be working on the site over the next week to add features such as gallery software, which will allow members to have a photo album. I may add blogging software so members may have their own blog.

Future enhancements may include contests, a yearly MBN member get together and possibly MBN member bird walks.

We will see with time if this will become a hit or not.

Happy birding!

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Maine Birders Network

Recently, I offered a question on the Maine-BirdList: Who would be interested in a Maine birders discussion board? I would be the one to set up and maintain such a board if the responses favored such an endeavor. The overwhelming response was for such a discussion forum.

I am happy to report that on Sunday October 26th, 2008, the Maine Birders Network will be open to all Maine birders and others who wish to participate. I am testing and setting up the discussion board software and may give a sneak peak a few days before the launch date.

This type of forum for birders in Maine has been tried before in the years past and has failed due to the lack of participation. I am willing to take the risk of failure on the board that I will create. From the responses that I received from the mail list, I think we can make this work as long as birders participate in the discussions.

What is a discussion board?

A discussion board is a virtual tool that allows groups with the same interests to communicate online. A person can either reply to existing messages or post new messages. This is web-based, not an email enviroment. Discussions on a wide range of topics are possible. Members can even post images.

Anything related to birding and wild birds is appropriate on the forum. Topics that are particularly about Maine birds and birding are probably more appropriate on the mailing list (www.mainebirdlist.net/), but you can also post them on the discussion board if you like.

Why must I sign up for a membership?

There are people out there who like to ruin things. If an open forum without membership were to be found by any of these characters, all sorts of foul play would befall the board. Posting of spam, pornography and other illegal activity would make it an unpleasant place to be.

With a membership that requires logging in, we have control over such activity. Any instigators can be banned from ever participating again, they will not have access to the site.

When you register, you will be prompted for a user-name, password and email address. Please know that your email will never be given or sold to anyone. This information will be safely encrypted in the board database, retrievable only by the member who it belongs to.

Other benefits include the ability to post pictures, private messaging and emails, receive board notices and newsletters and to have your own photo gallery.

What can I do to help?

Moderators will be needed to help with activities on the discussion board. Now is the time to let me know if you’d like to volunteer to be a forum moderator. Here are the details.

What does moderation involve?

Basically you check the forums daily or every other day and use the built-in moderation functions to handle any problems that come up. You’ll automatically receive an email whenever a forum member reports a problem, so in many cases you’ll be alerted to problems before you even visit the site.

Your privileges will include the ability to delete, close/re-open, and move threads and posts. You’ll also be able to send private messages to members. The forums will require registration with an image-based verification process for all members, so you shouldn’t have to worry about automated spam attacks. Before the forums officially go live, I’ll personally work with the moderators to hammer out a list of forum etiquette rules, so basically your job will be to ensure that the community members follow those rules. Most of this will be pretty obvious — no spam, no sexual content, no harassing people, and so on. But written rules will ensure that all moderators are on the same page and the community has a fairly consistent moderation style throughout.

Depending on how many qualified people apply to be moderators and how popular the forums become, we could have multiple moderators per forum or multiple forums per moderator. I’ll aim to maintain a good ratio that keeps the moderation duties fairly light. On most days moderators shouldn’t have any problems to address at all. If you decide you no longer wish to moderate, you can quit at any time.

Why become a moderator?

Anyone who’s moderated a forum already knows how rewarding it can be. If your goal is to fill an ego-based need like status or popularity, you probably won’t make a good moderator. A good reason to become a moderator is that you love helping people and are looking for an outlet to contribute. Great moderators are active in their forums, and they love seeing their communities blossom.  An active moderator has tremendous influence over the type of community that evolves. If there’s anything you’ll get out of being a moderator, it’s that you’ll build stronger communication and leadership skills.

How to apply

If you’re interested in becoming a moderator, please E-mail me.

I’ve no idea how many people will apply, so I don’t know how selective I’ll have to be, but once all the moderators have been selected, I’ll train them in using the boards moderation features as needed (it’s fairly straightforward and easy to learn). And whenever everyone is ready, we will open the board and begin the discussions.  

I expect these forums will become very successful, not because of the particular topics but because of the people they’ll attract – people who are committed to learning about birds and birding. I’ve gotten to know many of you from the mail list, those who commented on this site and out in the field, and now I’m delighted that you’ll finally have the chance to meet new people and share the passion of Maine birding.

Any other questions about the discussion board may be submitted by commenting on this article.

Happy birding!

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Name that Sparrow

 We hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend. There will not be many more like this before winter sets in. Looking at the long-range forecasts, the first flakes of snow may fall next weekend even along coastal areas.

Sharon and I made a trip to the Green Point WMA in Dresden, Maine this morning. Clear, calm and frosty with a very light fog greeted us as we walked down the trail to the weedy fields looking for fall migrating Sparrows and anything else that may be present.

Above map is scrollable and zoom able

Once the sun burnt off the fog, Sparrows were everywhere. Warblers flitted about and a single Merlin flew across the fields looking for breakfast. A flock of Red-Breasted Mergansers flew over, heading for the Kennebec River, as did Canada Geese.

Our tally from this morning:

Location:     Green Point Farm WMA
Observation date:     10/12/08
Observers:   John & Sharon Briggs
Notes:     Clear / Light Fog. Temp 38 F. with light frost. Winds calm
Number of species:     25

Canada Goose     12
Red-breasted Merganser     5
Merlin     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker     1
Downy Woodpecker     1
Pileated Woodpecker     1
Blue Jay     4
American Crow     16
Black-capped Chickadee     5
White-breasted Nuthatch     1
Golden-crowned Kinglet     2
American Robin     4
Brown Thrasher     1
Cedar Waxwing     4
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)     3
Palm Warbler     1
Eastern Towhee     1
Chipping Sparrow     10
Clay-colored Sparrow     3
Savannah Sparrow     6
Song Sparrow     10
Lincoln’s Sparrow     3
White-throated Sparrow     3
White-crowned Sparrow     2
Dark-eyed Junco     6

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2

I thought we could have a little fun with the pictures that I am posting of the Sparrows that we saw this morning. Each picture is identified 1 through 8. Guess which Sparrow is in each picture and reply by submitting a comment on this article. Remember to reference the number for each guess! Click a thumbnail for a larger view.

 

Happy birding!

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Bird Feathers #7

The seventh in a series of occassional rundowns of what’s happening in the world of birds, birding and bird blogging.

Bird News

 A beak is a mysterious and incredible tool | A bird’s beak may be a rather curious object, but it remains a vitally important appendage.

Eagles “Cannibalizing” Other Birds as Otters Disappear | Some bald eagles in Alaska have switched to eating mainly other bird species, a new study says.

Hundreds of Birds Killed by School’s Artificial Lights | Hundreds of yellow warblers and other migratory birds died this week when they flew into a lighted school building that sits on a hill in Hambleton, W. Va.

 

Sea birds’ DNA may hold keys to aging and cancer, researcher says | Leach’s storm-petrels should die young but live a long life and break the conventional rules. First of all, they’re small, and there tends to be a relationship between body size and life span.

Beaches once thick with birds quiet thanks to Ike | One of North America’s renowned bird migration and bird watching areas is strangely silent. Blame Hurricane Ike.

The long march of the penguins | Exhausted birds are washing up on Brazil’s tropical beaches, thrown off course by changing currents.

Belfast Birds Found Covered In Grease | Something in the city of Belfast, Maine is making birds sick, and police are working with biologists to figure what it is.

Birding Blogs

Offshore Wind Power Comes to New Jersey | New Jersey has approved its first offshore wind farm, following the lead of similar projects in Delaware and Rhode Island. A DC Birding Blog

Segway Birding | In my almost four decades of seeking birds, I’ve been birding in many different ways, using many different modes of transport. Then, last week, I added a new mode of birding transport to my “life-experience list”: The Segway. Bill of the Birds

And for those who like jigsawpuzzles, try out this Bald Eagle puzzle.

Thanks to Audobon Birdscapes for the link to the puzzle site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy birding!

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