Manifesto

CaliforniaBirding.net was created as an alternative to e-mail based communication between birders in California.

CalBirds has done our community a long and faithful public service. I am in no way advocating for the replacement of CalBirds or any other group. I am advocating for this site to supplement what's currently available.

The first e-mail was sent in 1965. Why are we only using 1965 technology in 2009?

I believe strongly that the forum approach is a better way to network. For example, I recently made a map for Shasta County. It took me 15 minutes, and now someone who sees a bird report from Leopard Lane or Lema Ranch knows how to get there. The map can be edited by anyone, so if a new birding area is discovered or an old birding area no longer becomes available, then the map can be changed to reflect that. I am hoping that local birders will make maps for ALL the counties, so that sites like the mouth of the Santa Ynez in Santa Barbara County or Meiss Lake in Siskiyou County can be enjoyed by all, and not just people "in the know." I'm also hoping that details such as wheelchair/disabled access can be added to the maps for our less mobile brothers and sisters.

Additionally, as far as RFI's go, every birder coming to California wants to see the same species. We're blessed with a lot of endemism in the state. Instead of a brave out-of-state birder posting an RFI on.... where? not CalBirds... and getting 20 different personal responses (that would probably be useful to a shy out-of-state birder who wasn't brave enough to post), I'm hoping this site can serve as a resource for other people with the same questions, and not just about where to find birds, but about trip logistics, field guides, birdfinding guides, locals interested in a day of birding, and so forth. (I've been shocked at the number of overseas visitors we have had. We've had visitors from every continent except Asia and Antarctica visit in the last week!)

Similarly, recruiting young and beginning birders and getting them happily integrated into the community without discouraging them is a challenge our community has faced for years. Where can a high school student or other beginning birder near you who is interested in birds go to learn without feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information or feeling foolish for asking a simple question? Bird walks are a good start, but sometimes new birders aren't even aware of that resource.

One person's chaff is another person's wheat. We all know that some birders are interested in the best brand of birdseed for attracting House Finches, and other birders are interested in arguing the finer points of Xantus' racial differentiation. Again, the advantage of a forum is that people who don't care about birdseed can avoid the Backyard Birding board, and the people who get violently seasick at even the thought of the sea can stay out of the Pelagic Birding board.

I personally get enough e-mail in my inbox already. I don't care to subscribe to 20 different groups. But since I am not subscribed to these groups, I don't report birds of regional interest that I see when I'm birding out of town. Furthermore, there are large, birdy areas of the state that are not served by any existing groups.

Also, I'm hoping to create a space where folks can announce interesting trips, events, and speakers. I never check the Audubon Society websites away from my home region, and maybe the next Society over has something cool planned. For example, I think the SCVAS Birdathon sounds like a good time, but if Dotty hadn't brought it to my attention by posting about it on CalBirds, I never would have known about it.

If everyone waits for critical mass to develop for this site, then critical mass will never develop. PLEASE feel free to post things. Your backyard bird list, stories of former birding trips, itineraries of upcoming birding trips, links to your blog or business, links to environmental reports or articles, bird-related poems, gossip, rumors, superstitions, recipes, premonitions, jokes, songs, interpretive dance routines... It's all good.

I am not a telemarketer. I'm just a birder. I'm currently applying for jobs, so I'm a little shy about putting my name out there in case a potential employer decides to hold my 2 AM typos against me, or considers my crushing ignorance of gulls to be a deal-breaker.

Anyone who wants to use a fake e-mail address to register for this site or who wants to pick "TheGhostofRogerToryPeterson" for a nom de guerre is perfectly welcome to. I really don't plan on EVER sending people e-mails from this site, and if you value your privacy, as I do, you can be as anonymous as you want.

Also, if there are any features you would like to see, please send me a message.

I'm really happy with this site, and I sincerely hope you all will be too.