The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Is this a forum for discussing important topics on birding or not?,ive submitted two aspects on birdwatching,Ie, the lack of bird sightings in spring,of terns ,waders etc particualy at Msq,and are Pied Flycatchers extending their breeding range further eastwards??,but no discussions from it?
regards rog..

Morning Roger,
I think John Goy may have a probable answer to this. It would seem a lot of the major contributors have their own blogs/websites or urge you to follow them on twitter. I suspect all of these come before the Forum so they do not duplicate their views on it. I cannot comment on lack of migrants as I have been unable to do any birding/ringing for over a month. Spring and autumn Pied Flycatchers have traditionally been passage migrants and I know of no evidence to suggest their breeding range is extending as far east as Lincolnshire

Roger

I cant give you much of a response about spring pied flys without trawling through the records but they are barely annual at Gib these days - check out your 1953 Gib report that you got recently - I expect there were many more in the 50's

Kev

Hi,,In 1953,,
A male in late april,
one august,
up to six on most days in september,one october,,thanks for the reply kev,
Regards Rog.looks like you are correct..

Looks like i will be having to bookmark all the local Blogs, due to the lack of reports on the site!!

James

I for one one never look at Blog Sites,,,the nearest i come to it is facebook,i have my own page there -Roger Hebb,but it covers all kinds of subjects not just birdin..
regards rog,

I get 95% of my birding information from Twitter and Facebook and the other 5% from The forum. We are now in a society controlled by social networking. I can get notifications on my phone that tells me about any bird of note is reported in the country, including good details of the birds location something you have to pay for in birdguides. Who needs a pager, when you have a service like that for free.

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http://anthonybentleywildlifephotography.blogspot.com/

UK life list 310 (Harlequin Duck)
Lincolnshire List 246 (Puffin)
Village (Brigsley) list 99 (Shelduck)

Thanks Anthony

Anthony,
What a difference a generation (or two!!) makes. The Society in which I live is definitely not controlled by social networking - this is the only Forum I contribute to and know nothing about Facebook/Twitter/Blogs etc. The saddest part of your post was the first line. I get 95% of my birding information by going out into the field and looking and listening for it - the remaining 5% is passed on by long standing associates. I think it is a sad indictment that birders like yourself are relying on social networking for their information. Who needs a pager when you can go out and look for birds.

I vary rarely look at Blogs either Roger, but don't share the same thoughts as you about being ego trips.

I suppose that if i had the time i suppose i could do a Cleethorpes Country Park Blog. Hmmm that's an

I too have Twitter Anthony and receive bird sightings on it but with most of them there is not a cat in hell's chance of me getting to see them.

I. and am sure the record keepers too, would still prefer to see far more reports on here. Not just the mega rarities but also the mundane, nothing special reports too.

James

ps i agree with what you say Stuart. Apart from birds seen whilst travelling or at work all my records are from my patch. I derive a lot of pleasure from my own findings and don't think i have done too badly with species seen.

This is an interesting subject as technology has made such a difference to birdwatching during my life. I remember being huddled inside a steamy telephone box at Flamborough Head feeding the phone our valuable money to get rare bird information. If you had asked us then if we would like information available so easily, like today, we would have jumped at the chance.

Here we are today with total saturation of available information about anything at all and my opinion is different to what it would have been back then. I guess in those days what we have now would be classed as sci fi. Who would have thought.

What has rewarded me the most over the years? when you actually stop and think it is not so easy to detail. Discovery, wonder, adventure and learning spring to mind.

Discovery - Going out into places and finding things out for yourself. Feel, see, listen, touch and even smell the habitat. What is that bird, that birdsong, behaviour etc.

Wonder - One of the best parts of life. How and why is that that? This is what lead me more into my conservation work as birdwatching wasn't enough.

Adventure - The above experiences lead you into journeys far and wide.

Learning - Solid understanding of what you find along your pathway.

Having so much information, right now, right here is very exciting. It is like being everywhere at once, the ultimate ideal. Is information an intellectual short cut? Has the modern hi-tech way made things so fast and so easy that we are in danger of being spoon fed. If you took away the information highway what would we do, what could we do? On the other hand, what is the point of holding all this old style knowledge within when you can have it at your finger tips?

If you are going to see a bird this weekend then consider this - you know what it is, where it is, how long it has been there, how well it is showing, how old it is. You may have seen photographs of it from every angle possible. Do you actually really need to go and see it? If you do manage to see it after your drive then what have you added onto your discovery, wonder, adventure and learning personal account?

It is a fascinating topic and a window into how the whole world is changing.

]If you are going to see a bird this weekend then consider this - you know what it is, where it is, how long it has been there, how well it is showing, how old it is. You may have seen photographs of it from every angle possible. Do you actually really need to go and see it? If you do manage to see it after your drive then what have you added onto your discovery, wonder, adventure and learning personal account?
[/quote]. well said that man.

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Regards, DJB. http://bradderscleebirding.blogspot.co.uk/

I thought going to see and enjoy seeing a rare bird in the wild was what its all about communing with nature...and all that?/
I may be wrong....

Here is my two pence worth:

I don't belong Facebook etc and never been on that one. I do look at Twitter occasionally but only to find out how Arron and Faye are doing (from BB2011).

I rarely look at blogs but sometimes do if I'm visiting their patch, even then there are only two north Lincs ones I view.

I belong three bird forums. Although I don't come on every day I certainly enjoy what features each one is offering.

For more years than I care to remember I've always had an interest in birds/wildlife and have done the GBW for twenty plus years. My getting back into regular watching was all down to the BTO because I contacted them about doing a survey (with many more to come) I must admit it was frightening having never done one before but I not only did it successfully but also got my first article published on the subject in the Lincolnshire Life, this was the turning point so thanks again to the BTO. Then for a number of years did the WeBS which at times was extremely cold and I often wondered what the hell I was doing sitting in an hide for four plus hours, but I really enjoyed it.

Gone off subject a bit neh mind.

Although I am not a twitcher I have at times read on the forum/s or Bird Guide ( free one) of a rare bird and if I've been well enough I've gone to see it. The birds in question that I remember are the American Robin at Pyewipe think I was nearly last member to see it, The Steppe Shrike at Grainthorpe , WT Sea Eagle at Ruskington or somewhere and the Phalarope at Chowder are ones that come to mind. If I hadn't read on the forum/s of them being here I would have missed them like a very well known birder missed the Albatross at MSQ a few years ago couldn't resist that .

So all in all whether we like it or not we should embrace modern technology if it helps us to enjoy our fantastic hobby!

Kind regards

John aka Max

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GETTING OLD HAS IT'S ADVANTAGES BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE lol

I kind of disagree with this, Roger.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not adverse to the odd twitch now and again (the Subalpine Warbler at Gib recently, for instance), I'll visit reserves or spots that pique my interest whilst reading these forums and I inevitably keep lists of birds that I have seen and birds that I want to see.

However

I get as much pleasure wandering around my local patch on a rain-sodden February afternoon and coming up with a great view of a reed bunting or something as common as a Robin. It's not all about rareties but just getting out and about and appreciating everything around you. I can sit alone on the seabank at Frampton for hours just breathing in the marsh air, scanning the horizon and come home happy having seen nothing more than Redshank and Black-headed Gulls. The rare birds are nothing but the bonus. The real joy of birdwatching is in the almost meditative nature of the watching itself.

Similarly, for all of the talk of pagers and social media, I find the best way to share information is still to talk to people! Nothing beats local knowledge and actually engaging in conversation will always give more colour than a two-line tweet or an alert on a mobile phone. Most of the birders that I have met on my travails around Lincolnshire have been nothing less than courteous, enthusastic and willing to share their stories and sightings and opinions. Conversely, being able to chat to visitors and offer what local knowledge I possess is one of the great joys of my volunteering as well.

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"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue."

Patch YTD: 155

Daniel,

You've obviously not been to Blacktoft Unless it's altered.

Regards

Max

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GETTING OLD HAS IT'S ADVANTAGES BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE lol