Hey folks - I think everyone has by now gotten the word that FreeLists is back in action, and it appears that we dodged the bullet in our efforts to get this list going. I think we also have at least a minimal critical mass to have some decent discussions now, so here goes.... One thing I'd like to hear a bit more about, and something that seems good to start with, is which counties different folks might have a particular interest in, or might be working on (i.e., birding in). As most of you know, I keep lists in every county in the state, but obviously I work a lot more on some nearby ones than I do on, say, Buchanan County. I'm still not clear on where everyone lives, so even though I sort of assume that people bird a lot in their home counties, or perhaps a county or two nearby, I don't know where all those places are yet, and I'm pretty sure others on the list don't know that. The idea is to see what kind of base for discussion we have here in terms of geography. I know, for instance, that no one from far southwest Virginia is signed up yet, though that might change soon. I don't think anyone from Tidewater is on here yet, either. So - when I was a kid I lived near Lynchburg and by default birded a lot there and in Amherst and Bedford counties. After grad school, when I moved back to Virginia, I ended up in Prince Edward and was living there when the county birding obsession really took hold. My initial goal was to find at least 100 species in that county and all the adjoining counties. I haven't quite finished doing that yet, but I have moved to Buckingham Co. in the meantime. But more to the point, once I started doing county listing in Prince Edward, Appomattox, Buckingham, Cumberland and so on, I realized that I might as well keep track of which county I was in whenever I was birding anywhere in the state. Which then brought up the issue of what to do in those pesky independent cities that Virginia is "blessed" with, which took me about 2 or 3 years to decide on...but that's another topic. Next? Mike Stinson Buckingham Co. cms@xxxxxxxxx va_co_birding is hosted by FreeLists. To change your settings or unsubscribe, visit www.freelists.org To post to the list (subscribers only), send email to va_co_birding@xxxxxxxxxxxxx