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james smith wrote:

What's next? Katherine's comments

For me, birdwatching is more than lists and the like - it is about the whole experience of getting out there and absorbing the sights, smells, sounds of the birding environment you're in and engaging in conversation with birdwatchers who I am sure know a hell of a lot more about birds than I do! I want them to pass on their knowledge so I can go off a better birdwatcher and develop fieldcraft skills such as identifying birds.

I like to provide readers with something more than just a dry, plain list of species seen. That approach is, to me baffling. I get no sense of atmosphere, I get no impression of your mood that day, I get no idea of what the weather was like and how it affected the species of birds you see. I would like to read more animated tales of your exploits. When I read these extra details in books, it's brilliant, and Bill Oddie is a great exponent of that.

He doesn't leave you guessing. He's a character and I admire that in someone, even if it comes across as annoying to others. You get soul, you get dry wit, you get scepticism and then some. And it's excellent to see that enthusiasm come across in Spring/Autumnwatch. It brings banter and light-heartedness to a hobby that still suffers from a negative press opinion.

If banter, light-hearted mickey-taking and the like helps make birdwatching a more human, mainstream hobby rather than one perceived to be full of grumpy mugwumps freezing cold, staring sternly into the last mugful of tea in his Thermos, grumbling sourly about 'dipping out' on Red-flanked Bluetail, being gripped off about an Ortolan in the Scillies without remembering all the good times when he WAS lucky, then I'm all for it.

Author:	James Smith [ Wed Nov 07, 2007 11:49 pm ]
Post subject:	Humourless Admin
Am I the only one to resent the mean spirited attitude of the Admin on here? Is it right to banish part or whole topics to other forums purely because of a little banter or opinions being expressed, which aren't exclusively sightings? Are the 'serious' contributors so apalled by these off topic conversations that it spoils their reading pleasure? What's next? Katherine's comments and use of smilies or Birddogs inability to put proper spacings in his postings or Unimyostic because some of his comments are offensive? I know this should be on another forum but who will see it there?

Author:	Katherine Birkett [ Thu Nov 08, 2007 1:14 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Humourless Admin
james smith wrote: What's next? Katherine's comments For me, birdwatching is more than lists and the like - it is about the whole experience of getting out there and absorbing the sights, smells, sounds of the birding environment you're in and engaging in conversation with birdwatchers who I am sure know a hell of a lot more about birds than I do! I want them to pass on their knowledge so I can go off a better birdwatcher and develop fieldcraft skills such as identifying birds. I like to provide readers with something more than just a dry, plain list of species seen. That approach is, to me baffling. I get no sense of atmosphere, I get no impression of your mood that day, I get no idea of what the weather was like and how it affected the species of birds you see. I would like to read more animated tales of your exploits. When I read these extra details in books, it's brilliant, and Bill Oddie is a great exponent of that. He doesn't leave you guessing. He's a character and I admire that in someone, even if it comes across as annoying to others. You get soul, you get dry wit, you get scepticism and then some. And it's excellent to see that enthusiasm come across in Spring/Autumnwatch. It brings banter and light-heartedness to a hobby that still suffers from a negative press opinion. If banter, light-hearted mickey-taking and the like helps make birdwatching a more human, mainstream hobby rather than one perceived to be full of grumpy mugwumps freezing cold, staring sternly into the last mugful of tea in his Thermos, grumbling sourly about 'dipping out' on Red-flanked Bluetail, being gripped off about an Ortolan in the Scillies without remembering all the good times when he WAS lucky, then I'm all for it.

Author:	Roger Hebb [ Thu Nov 08, 2007 1:28 am ]
Post subject:
Well done these two contributions,ive replied in the lincs bird reporting and not chat colunm to what i percieve to be a law for certain peoples opinions,and censorship for others,like i say--katherine,we might all get carted off to the russian front!!well done Katherine-a brilliant submission,Katherine everything you said there was fantastic,by god in my opinion its the best submission ever submitted to this forum and i greatly applaud you for it-i could never have put down all this like that-and im not being patronising either,its a masterpiece in its own right which many people will agree with, Regards, Rog.

Author:	Katherine Birkett [ Thu Nov 08, 2007 1:56 am ]
Post subject:
birddog wrote: Well done these two contributions,ive replied in the lincs bird reporting and not chat colunm to what i percieve to be a law for certain peoples opinions,and censorship for others,like i say--katherine,we might all get carted off to the russian front!!well done Katherine-a brilliant submission,Katherine everything you said there was fantastic,by god in my opinion its the best submission ever submitted to this forum and i greatly applaud you for it-i could never have put down all this like that-and im not being patronising either,its a masterpiece in its own right which many people will agree with, Regards, Rog. Shucks - you're making me blush!

Author:	Brian Eke [ Thu Nov 08, 2007 2:27 am ]
Post subject:	The Joy of non cynical Birding?/
Katherine. Thank you, for trying to get sanity back to the ordinary people about birding. It isn't about list's or what we have seen or have'nt. We all enjoy (Love) Birds!! So let us all agree to Disagree and enjoy them, claim personally what we want and submit and seriously discuss our birding claims/records(which we all submit to the county recorder!!!) however how outrageous? Thank you Stuart for setting up the chat forum, hopefully it will develop both way's. Can we not be as quick please to pigeonhole submisions to one section or other without it being given a deecnt run. Cheer's Brian.

The Lincolnshire Bird Club http://lbcarchive.co.uk/forum/

Humourless Admin http://lbcarchive.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=6644	Page 1 of 2

Author:	Libby Hood-Phipps [ Thu Nov 08, 2007 11:37 am ]
Post subject:
Well said all of you!! I have long thought that a lot of birders are too serious. A hobby is something to enjoy and be happy about. I often walk through Brumby Woods with a daft grin on my face because I've heard a robin singing in the middle of Winter. It's not a competition and we should all help each other out as Katherine has already said. Whinge over, I'm going to sit and smile at the collared doves in my apple tree!!! Libby.

Author:	John Hinkley [ Thu Nov 08, 2007 9:01 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Humourless Admin
Katherine Birkett wrote: james smith wrote: What's next? Katherine's comments For me, birdwatching is more than lists and the like - it is about the whole experience of getting out there and absorbing the sights, smells, sounds of the birding environment you're in and engaging in conversation with birdwatchers who I am sure know a hell of a lot more about birds than I do! I want them to pass on their knowledge so I can go off a better birdwatcher and develop fieldcraft skills such as identifying birds. I like to provide readers with something more than just a dry, plain list of species seen. That approach is, to me baffling. I get no sense of atmosphere, I get no impression of your mood that day, I get no idea of what the weather was like and how it affected the species of birds you see. I would like to read more animated tales of your exploits. When I read these extra details in books, it's brilliant, and Bill Oddie is a great exponent of that. He doesn't leave you guessing. He's a character and I admire that in someone, even if it comes across as annoying to others. You get soul, you get dry wit, you get scepticism and then some. And it's excellent to see that enthusiasm come across in Spring/Autumnwatch. It brings banter and light-heartedness to a hobby that still suffers from a negative press opinion. If banter, light-hearted mickey-taking and the like helps make birdwatching a more human, mainstream hobby rather than one perceived to be full of grumpy mugwumps freezing cold, staring sternly into the last mugful of tea in his Thermos, grumbling sourly about 'dipping out' on Red-flanked Bluetail, being gripped off about an Ortolan in the Scillies without remembering all the good times when he WAS lucky, then I'm all for it. Well said that lady

Author:	Terence Whalin [ Thu Nov 08, 2007 9:53 pm ]
Post subject:	admin
I agree with everything Katherine has stated so eloquently you have got to have a laugh in life, as i have said before you are a long time dead, ENJOY your time here. Having said that my sympathies go to the administrators it is hard to draw a line and things could quickly degenerate into anarchy and a free for all. A bit more humour would not go a miss and the banter and general Bear baiting is all a giggle. As for me i am stupid, i drive my daughters mad because sometimes i am hard to have a sensible conversation with, i twist and turn everything into light hearted banter, with no offence mean't but they always return home with tummy ache through laughing. The english language is marvellous for that sort of thing, just a comma or pause in a different place alters the whole meaning of the sentence. I will try to improve, sorry boys and girls but at 62 i dont think i will improve now. I am going to have an hour on the naughty step and reflect on this. Terry Whalin

Author:	Steve Botham [ Thu Nov 08, 2007 11:59 pm ]
Post subject:
Its not just a Hobby though to some of us its our Life.

Author:	John T Goy [ Fri Nov 09, 2007 12:09 am ]
Post subject:
You do realise that if we didn't go off the subject matter and inject laughter in to a thread, the ADMIN team wouldn't have anything to do In answer to James, both Uniomystic, Birddog and myself have had threads put in the sin bin never to be seen again, because we got heated up about what other members were saying. A birder friend of mine once told me, there is more to life than birds, as of yet I haven't found out what it is CUE, this thread is about to be transported to the Chat Section, unless all the Admin team are on holiday

Author:	Mark Martin [ Fri Nov 09, 2007 12:26 am ]
Post subject:	At last, a good hearty thread!
Katherine, Max, Birddog(Rog), Libby - I love to read your rantings and observations regardless of which category they appear in - well done to you all for adding a bit of spice and zest to the forum.

Author:	Stuart Britton [ Fri Nov 09, 2007 12:06 pm ]
Post subject:
I, too, congratulate Katherine on and excellent item. However, please remember that "The Jennings" have to sift through the "Sightings" section to extract the County Records. As I suggested at the AGM, it makes their task much easier if other, equally enjoyable contributions, are "pigeon holed in the right section. I don't think, James, that it is "banishment". I read every section with equal enjoyment but I think that it is only fair to those that have to disseminate the volume of sightings that they don't have to read through pages of comments just to find them. However I am equally guilty as this post should be in the "Chat" Section!!!!!

Author:	Roger Hebb [ Fri Nov 09, 2007 12:09 pm ]
Post subject:
Thanks Mark,But i do agree With Roy Harveys comments..beer and getting heatied up at midnight do send me over the top,althou im told on here and in private my funnier ones are really pretty funny-Even Roy laughed at the Lithuanian story_,but no more late night rantings,im retiring from that.i can still be witty without the monty python taking over after sam smiths intake!!!!!. Roger.

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