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<P>I agree with some of you. I reported a few birds last year for two
reasons. One was to document rare or unusual sightings, and the other was
because I hope that my good fortune may lead to others seeing some good MN
birds. Every time I submitted a sighting I received at least one e-mail
from the "big guys" stating that my observation would be pretty
unlikely based time and location of sighting. That is why it is
called a rare bird alert isn't it? I feel that my knowledge as a birder
was discredited due to the lack of name recognition. So, I continue to
read the posts daily, but DO NOT post my sightings. I am sure there are
others like myself who do not report and it hurts our understanding of the
patterns of birds in MN as well as other birders. In essence, I feel
that the "big guys" of the MOU in trying to expand
the knowledge of the scientific community are discouraging amateur birders
from inputting valuable data. We are a small group and should be a united
front, not a series of "clicks" with a ranked hierarchy. Do it for the
birds, right? This is my one and only complaint with the MOU
listserve. <BR><BR></P></DIV></div></html>
