Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site rochester.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!rochester!nemo From: nemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe) Newsgroups: net.rec.birds Subject: Re: The Great Net Cleanup Part IIb Message-ID: <10893@rochester.UUCP> Date: Tue, 6-Aug-85 11:25:52 EDT Article-I.D.: rocheste.10893 Posted: Tue Aug 6 11:25:52 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 7-Aug-85 03:00:49 EDT References: <697@gatech.CSNET> <1000@mtgzz.UUCP> Organization: U. of Rochester, CS Dept. Lines: 63 > OK, birders! They're thinking of taking away our group. > ... please respond to the following questions: > > Do you regularly read net.rec.birds? Yes. One of the reasons I still do is that it is not cluttered with a lot of ridiculous arguments and flames, so the volume is low (does not take hours/week to read) and the information content is high (contrast to net.singles or net.joke) > If so, why do you read this group? Are you curious? Yes. > Are you an avid birder? Let's say I'm generally an opportunistic birdwatcher, with only one or two outings a month for the purpose of observing avians. > Are you a lazy birder who wants to get some > cheap thrills by reading other people's accounts of birding? That, too. > Do you ever post to this group? Rarely. > What kind of things would you like to see in here? Interesting sightings, bird behavior, equipment reviews. > Do you think that one person could generate some questions > and comments that could keep discussion rolling along in > this group at a quicker pace? Why? How much does it cost to keep a slow-moving newsgroup going? Is it really their intent to increase traffic? Boy are they dumb! > Any other comments are certainly welcome! Way to go, Sharon! > Sharon Badian And now for some birding news from upstate NY : Pat & I spotted a blue heron flying erratically (ie: not the usual, gracefull glide) recently. On further inspection, we noticed that it was being divebombed by a red-winged blackbird! Previously, I had only seen mockingbirds chasing other, larger birds around (in my homestate, Florida). Are redwing blackbirds as territorial as mockingbirds? Why else would it be chasing a heron? I always figured that they only intimidated fish and lizzards. (Yes, on a number of occaisions I have observed great blues stalking lizzards - once about 6 feet away on the other side of the bay window at my mother-in-law's house. When one noticed me once in some woods, it straightened up ("I'm a stick, see") and slowly walked away along my line of sight ("Just swaying in the breeze") until it passed a tree, then it swayed over behind the tree and continued to walk away hidden by the tree - pretty smart, these herons.) I also saw a hummingbird (female rubythroat) in my back yard, making the rounds on bee balm, onion flowers, cosmos, etc. It lit at one point on some twine I had going horizontally between some poles for beans to grow on. The twine did not perceptibly bend under it's weight. Has anyone else seen a hummer light? Well, back to work ... Nemo -- Internet: nemo@rochester.arpa UUCP: {decvax, allegra, seismo, cmcl2}!rochester!nemo Phone: [USA] (716) 275-5766 work, 232-4690 home USMail: 104 Tremont Circle; Rochester, NY 14608 School: Department of Computer Science; University of Rochester; Rochester, NY 14627