[obol] Re: OBOL -- years from now
- From: Richard Hoyer <birdernaturalist@xxxxxx>
- To: paultsullivan@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 06:26:15 -0700
Hi All,
Then there were, not too many centuries ago, those who decried the advent of
the written word, fearing the loss of the oral tradition of passing on
information. I think it's much more productive for humanity to keep with the
times and understand and embrace new technologies. But since the archives of
these email lists can be hard to use, I recommend entering your data to eBird.
Good Birding,
Rich
---
Rich Hoyer
Tucson, Arizona
Senior Leader for WINGS
http://wingsbirds.com
my blog: http://birdernaturalist.blogspot.com
fabulous bloggers: http://birdingblogs.com
---
On Aug 1, 2013, at 11:59 PM, Paul T. Sullivan wrote:
> Tim,
>
> Not to discourage you from reporting sightings to OBOL, but I wonder about
> its usefulness as an archive of bird information for future scientists.
>
> I miss the paper record that was Oregon Birds when it had quarterly reports.
> One can still go back to those earlier issues and look up something that is
> vague in one's memory. Future scientists can look there too. No fancy
> equipment is needed to read the record.
>
> While OBOL in its serial incarnations provides for the exchange of
> information on sightings, some social contact, some humor, some instruction,
> and some edgy interactions, I wonder if "future scientists" will ever be able
> to recover (or would want to recover) the archive from the server before the
> last server that hosted this list, never mind the server before that and the
> one before that. "Back issues" are not readily available. The whole
> internet is transitory, in that the ability to read the ever-changing format
> of storage is always evolving. Try to read a 5.25" floppy these days.
>
> More than once I've wanted to dig up some past info from OBOL, and found that
> the current archive doesn't go back as far as I wanted to go. If I didn't
> have it saved on my own computer, I couldn't get it.
>
> It was ever thus. All the notes of the early explorers, the early birders,
> etc, etc. Info in our mentor's childhood notebooks... They all slowly drift
> away as times change and the next generation invents the "new" way to keep
> records of birds. The younger generation doesn't care about the memories
> and photos of the older generation until a) the younger generation is over
> 40, and b) the older generation is senile or gone. Then we wonder, "Who are
> these people in this old yellow photograph?" Where did uncle Ned go birding
> in 1952, and what happened to his notebooks? (Cousin Jane burned them.)
>
> Birds change. Habitat changes. Birds' names change. The focus of our study
> changes (study skins, egg collections, sight records reported to records
> committees, county lists, CBC's, BBS's, NAMC's, now molt sequence aging of
> each individual, eBird's format...) The next generation will have to do
> their own birding. They will collect data in new ways to answer the
> questions they want to ask.
>
> Bottom line: See. Enjoy. Report. Relax. See some more. Enjoy some more.
>
> Good birding, everyone,
>
> Paul T. Sullivan
>
>
> ======================
> Subject: A quickie- Coos/ Curry
> Date: Thu Aug 1 2013 21:02 pm
> From: garbledmodwit AT yahoo.com
>
> I always like to post birds on OBOL thinking that a hundred years from now,
> this is where some of the the scientist will be searching for whatever it is
> they need info on:
>
> Joe Metzler reports a molting adult PACIFIC GOLDEN POLVER and a BAIRD'S
> SANDPIPER from Bandon Marsh on 7/31.
>
> I saw a SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER at New River, Curry today- a strikingly
> handsome juvie. Also there were 30+ W. Sandpipers (I didn't get looks at
> many but the ones I did see were adults), about 20 Least Sandpipers (one a
> juvie), 2 Greater Yellowlegs (both juvies), 4 Semipalmated Plovers, and 7
> Long-billed Dows (calling adults).
>
> Have fun all,
> Tim R
> Coos Bay
>
>
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>
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