Just wanted to let Tennessee eBirders know that a lot of new hotspots have been added for the state. Due to the extensive backlog of hotspot suggestions from eBirders across the country the folks at Cornell recently asked for volunteers to help out and as a result I am now the Hotspot Reviewer/Administrator for Tennessee. So when you submit your sightings, please check to see if there is a hotspot that corresponds to the area in which you birded. Also, if you have a personal location that is the same as an existing hotspot (and it appears there may be a lot of these) you can merge your personal location with the hotspot. There are instructions on the eBird website on how to do this (it's easy) but if you need assistance please contact me. In addition to approving many new hotspot locations, I have made an effort to organize them to a degree by renaming some sites so that they appear as sublocations under a larger site, such as the Great Smoky Mountains NP. If the area you birded would fall in one of these sublocations, it would be better to use that than the larger site; the more specific the information you provide, the better. I would appreciate any suggestions or comments. And of course, don't hesitate to suggest a new hotspot; you won't have to wait months for it to be acted upon.... honest. I can understand how Cornell fell behind; it's a labor-intensive job involving checking to be sure there is no duplication and that the location has been correctly plotted. I have worked through most of Tennessee's list; there was a backlog of nearly 90 suggestions, the oldest dating back to July 2008. This came at a good time for me. Having just returned from one of David Trently's Avian Pursuits Nature Tours to Michigan's Upper Peninsula--3+ days of non-stop birding--I was ready to sit at a computer for a few days. Besides, after seeing Evening Grosbeaks, Kirtland's Warblers, Gray Jays, and believe it or not, a Golden Winged Warbler and a Mourning Warbler singing from exposed perches, I haven't really felt like going birding here just yet. Sorry to go on an on; I won't make a habit of it but this is the best way I could think of to get the message out to Tennessee eBirders. Carole Gobert, Knoxville cpgoebrt@xxxxxxxxxxx _________________________________________________________________ Lauren found her dream laptop. Find the PC that?s right for you. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/choosepc/?ocid=ftp_val_wl_290 =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation. You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds you report were seen. The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should appear in the first paragraph. _____________________________________________________________ To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. ______________________________________________________________ TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ------------------------------ Assistant Moderator Andy Jones Cleveland, OH ------------------------------- Assistant Moderator Dave Worley Rosedale, VA __________________________________________________________ Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ARCHIVES TN-Bird Net Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/ MAP RESOURCES Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com _____________________________________________________________