I was not going to get involved in this drama because I don't know either Mike Hendrickson or Mark Alt and it is unlikely that anyone here knows me. However, the recent blanket criticism of so called "big guys" does disturb me and I feel that I need to offer a dissenting viewpoint.
I just started birding last July and joined MOU in August. I have found them to be a great organization (run by volunteers) and MOU-net has been a great source of information for me while I continue to learn. I haven't even experienced a spring migration yet. First, while I am sure that there is a small minority of birders who feel elite, most of the people who post here regularly are more than willing to help out in any way possible. I feel that the gulf between experienced birders and newcomers is a big problem and name calling is only going to make that worse. I know many people are concerned about field trips not attracting enough attention and having to be canceled. This is probably partly due to many people having the impression that they would be out of place and unwelcome with a big group of "big guys". That impression is incorrect but it does exist and MOU needs to find some way to address it. The first field trip (tour) I went on was with two birders who have both seen over 300 species in MN. At the time I had a life list of about 40 species (all common birds). It was a great time and I learned a lot. Back in January I posted some information about the Peregrine Falcons in St. Paul. Not rare birds, not uncommon birds, old news - right?. Not to the many "big guys" who took the time to find and send me (unsolicited) information and links with the history of these birds and offers to possibly help with banding them. I was thrilled. Second, if someone posts a sighting of a rare bird, they need to remember that that sighting is likely to cause dozens of people to plan a trip or take time off to go see that bird. If you are wrong, then a lot of people might be unhappy, lose faith in the sightings posted here, and be even more skeptical of sightings from people they don't recognize. If you post a sighting of a rare bird you need to expect some skepticism and should welcome it. Finally, I think that this whole situation has been an unfortunate example of speaking up too quickly. I am assuming that Mr. Lantz was banned because he made a post that was found offensive by some people and since he was unknown to the MOU-net administrators, was rightfully banned. This could've been easily cleared up with a "private" phone call or email. Instead, it was made public, threats were made, and the dirty laundry is hanging in the wind for everyone to see. While I have no doubt that Mike Hendrickson is a dedicated birder and a nice person who would love to share his experiences and knowledge with people, I feel that he made a serious error in publicly threatening to quit over what was a small and easily fixable problem. It was handled by Mr. Alt and the MOU board as it should've been - privately, decisively, and correctly. Derek Bakken St. Paul, MN
