> This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible.
--MS_Mac_OE_3189149856_945108_MIME_Part Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit I agree with Mark one thousand percent! Those abbreviations serve the purpose for bird banders, but many of the rest of us have to stop and fill in the words each time we see something like GGOW, or whatever. Let's use birds' names, all of us know birds by their names. And it can't be too time-consuming to write them out: use the full name in the first reference, then some generic (such as 'the owl') from there on out. It's a matter of better communication, Regards, Val Cunningham St. Paul, Minn. on 1/21/05 9:46 AM, MARTELL, Mark at [email protected] wrote: What if we stopped using codes all together. I know it makes things a bit easier for the person writing the email, but for those of us (most of us?) who face large numbers of emails each day and need to use triage, guessing what a code in the subject line means is not only a hassle, but interferes with the message you are tying to convey. thanks Mark Martell Director of Bird Conservation Audubon Minnesota 2357 Ventura Drive #106 St. Paul, MN 55125 651-739-9332 651-731-1330 (FAX) -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]on Behalf Of James Mattsson Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2005 6:21 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [mou] Alpha Codes website FYI: Like so many others that use bird species 4-letter alpha codes in listserver postings, I sometimes make a guess at a code and too often get it wrong. So do lots of others, it seems. For example, Northern Hawk Owl has variously been shown as NOHO, HAOW, NHAO and probably some others variations. The correct code is NHOW. Another code that is often misused is CEWA. Think that stands for Cerulean Warbler? Nope. That would be CERW. How about Cedar Waxwing? Wrong again. That's CEDW. Actually, CEWA stands for nothing...at least birdwise. The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Banding Lab has a website showing all the alpha codes in alphabetical order. Unfortunately, it is the CODES that are in alphabetical order, not the species, which can be somewhat confusing when you are trying to look up a particular bird by species common name. Nonetheless, it is a very useful website. I keep this website bookmarked for quick reference. Hope this will reduce some of the confusion. http://www.pwrc..usgs.gov/bbl/manual/aspeclst.htm <http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/manual/aspeclst.htm> GOBI = Good Birding James Mattsson Eagan, MN --MS_Mac_OE_3189149856_945108_MIME_Part Content-type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable <HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Re: [mou] Alpha Codes website</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> I agree with Mark one thousand percent! Those abbreviations serve the purpo= se for bird banders, but many of the rest of us have to stop and fill in the= words each time we see something like GGOW, or whatever. Let's use birds' n= ames, all of us know birds by their names. And it can't be too time-consumin= g to write them out: use the full name in the first reference, then some gen= eric (such as 'the owl') from there on out. <BR> <BR> It's a matter of better communication,<BR> Regards,<BR> Val Cunningham<BR> St. Paul, Minn.<BR> <BR> on 1/21/05 9:46 AM, MARTELL, Mark at [email protected] wrote:<BR> <BR> <BLOCKQUOTE><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><FONT FACE=3D"Arial">What if we stopped usi= ng codes all together. I know it makes things a bit easier for the person wr= iting the email, but for those of us (most of us?) who face large numbers of= emails each day and need to use triage, guessing what a code in the subject= line means is not only a hassle, but interferes with the message you are ty= ing to convey.<BR> </FONT></FONT> <BR> <FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><FONT FACE=3D"Arial">thanks<BR> </FONT></FONT> <BR> <FONT FACE=3D"Arial">Mark Martell</FONT> <BR> <FONT FACE=3D"Arial">Director of Bird Conservation</FONT> <BR> <FONT FACE=3D"Arial">Audubon Minnesota</FONT> <BR> <FONT FACE=3D"Arial">2357 Ventura Drive #106</FONT> <BR> <FONT FACE=3D"Arial">St. Paul, MN 55125</FONT> <BR> <FONT FACE=3D"Arial">651-739-9332</FONT> <BR> <FONT FACE=3D"Arial">651-731-1330 (FAX)</FONT> <BR> <BLOCKQUOTE>-----Original Message-----<BR> <B>From:</B> [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]<B= >On Behalf Of </B>James Mattsson<BR> <B>Sent:</B> Thursday, January 20, 2005 6:21 PM<BR> <B>To:</B> [email protected]<BR> <B>Subject:</B> [mou] Alpha Codes website<BR> <BR> <BR> FYI: <BR> <BR> Like so many others that use bird species 4-letter alpha codes in listserve= r postings, I sometimes make a guess at a code and too often get it wrong. S= o do lots of others, it seems. For example, Northern Hawk Owl has vari= ously been shown as NOHO, HAOW, NHAO and probably some others va= riations. The correct code is NHOW. <BR> <BR> Another code that is often misused is CEWA. Think that stands for Cerulean = Warbler? Nope. That would be CERW. How about Cedar Waxwing? Wrong again. Tha= t's CEDW. Actually, CEWA stands for nothing...at least birdwise. <BR> <BR> The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Banding Lab has a website showing all= the alpha codes in alphabetical order. Unfortunately, it is the CODES that = are in alphabetical order, not the species, which can be somewhat confusing = when you are trying to look up a particular bird by species common name. Non= etheless, it is a very useful website. I keep this website bookmarked = for quick reference. Hope this will reduce some of the confusion. <BR> <BR> http://www.pwrc..usgs.gov/bbl/manual/aspeclst.htm <http://www.pwrc.usgs.= gov/bbl/manual/aspeclst.htm> <BR> <BR> GOBI =3D Good Birding<BR> <BR> <BR> James Mattsson<BR> Eagan, MN<BR> <BR> <BR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR> </BODY> </HTML> --MS_Mac_OE_3189149856_945108_MIME_Part--
