lonestranger

As you said, @Clip, things have changed. The membership has been asking @Administrator to improve the forums to what they once were ever since the site crashed but our repeated requests fall upon deaf ears. It is my opinion that Admin has dropped the ball and has no intention to pick it up again. You can still post different wildlife photos you just don't have separate forums or sub-forums to keep things organized. You'd be surprised how much falls under the umbrella of birding in the photo sharing and discussion section. People see, hear, talk and think about all kinds of things while birding, which opens the door for EVERYTHING to be posted in the Photo Sharing and Discussion forum. Like others here, I am disappointed in the new forums but try to make the best of it.

I think some newer birders might be more inclined to jump to the hybrid conclusion, not sure if that can be related to the west or east though. I think some newer members struggle to separate certain species at times and use the hybrid suggestion when they can't make the tricky IDs. I also think that once the idea of hybrids gets into some people minds, which appears to have happened recently, well, they start looking to ID hybrids before they look for the basic IDs. That's just an opinion, and we all know about opinions.

That's my experience too. I've often followed Kestrels down the back roads with the car window open hoping I can stop and get the camera up before the bird takes off again. I can apply that to most any bird that perches on the power lines though, they just don't seem to like being stalked by car anymore than they do by foot. Go figure. 🤪

Your link took me to Google's search page, @Charlie Spencer. Is this the link you were looking to share? https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/like-chasing-tornadoes-the-fun-and-challenge-of-mixed-species-flocks/

I'd say you're good right up until the next species is posted. Besides, I don't think anyone is going to complain if someone's timing is off a bit.

While the rear view is probably not our favourite view, sometimes it makes for interesting photos.

I'm not sure how far owls can be heard from, but if the owl's desired habitat is only a mile away, I would say yes, it might be possible that you heard a spotted owl. I often hear owls that sound close by at first but when I try to track down the sound I realize that they are far, far away.

It's the same/only profile pic I have used since I joined in 2009 so it might be familiar to some of the members. I got tired of reloading it when the site was going through it's phase of crashes but recent talk about pfp kind of pushed me to upload it again.

I haven't actually left Facebook, I still have an account with them, I just don't use Facebook anymore.

As I said, @Aveschapines, it's an annoyance and just knowing that it's not just me makes me feel somewhat better. Thanks for looking into it.

I get a downy feel here, it just feels more like a small bird than the bigger hairy. While the bill looks too long for a downy in at least one shot, it looks too thin and dainty for a hairy to me. Again, just based on a feeling, not any credible ID skills.

Eastern Towhee? Gray Catbird?

NO, the influx of useless emails can be overwhelming.

I wonder about missing posts too, @JP48. I had dismissed some missed posts as part of me not scrolling up to see them but wonder if maybe they weren't there the first time around. I know that I sometimes stumble upon an entirely unread thread that shows that the first post was hours ago but there were no new topics just a few minutes earlier when I was looking for new content to read. Weird.

Ummm....let me think of something good to say about Facebook and I'll get back to you with a pros and cons list. On second thought, I'll leave it up to someone else to express the positive side of Facebook and I'll just keep my opinion to myself. Enough said?

While you're entitled to ask to have your posts deleted, I don't think there is any benefit in removing your posts from a thread that isn't going to be removed. The comments of other members contain quotes of your posts, so it's not like your posts will actually disappear. Your link issue was sorted out and your bird was ID'd so I'd say it was a successful post with no need for anything being deleted. That's just my spin on it, @Aveschapines might have a different view and might not view it as a waste of her time, but in my opinion, deleting your posts at this stage would be a waste of time with no upside to it. As I said, just my spin on things, which may not always the same spin as other members.

LOL...here's a prime example of annoying. I clicked the next read topic to be brought to this thread and replied to @Aveschapines post only to find out that I totally missed Kevin's post, which should have been the first unread post to show. I guess I didn't think to scroll up this time. Glad to hear it's not a problem on my end, sorry to hear that it affects you too, @Kevin.

Thanks @Aveschapines. I went to my Content Read Behaviour and it is set to "take me to the beginning". My other two options are "take me to comments I haven't read", and " take me to the latest comment". I don't think I have ever changed any of those settings and always been happy with the way things have worked, with the exception of this occasional annoyance. I am usually taken to the next unread post in the next unread topic but now and then I am taken to the bottom of the page instead of where I would usually be taken. If it's not an occasional glitch on the website and others aren't having similar experiences, then I'll just put it down to a glitch on my end. I also went to my privacy and security settings and just seeing the box that says "Hide My Online Status" explained everything. I wasn't aware that feature was available and I guess I have only noticed one member using it, but the fact that it is there answers my question, thanks again.

I should have added that the date joined is visible along with the post and reputation count, but there is no info on last visited or if they're currently viewing anything.

I have been dealing with an annoying glitch for a few months now. When using the "next unread topic" button on the bottom of the page it often takes me to the bottom of the next thread where I have to scroll up to find the first new post. It's not a major issue, usually I only have to scroll up one or two post or sometimes just half a post, but on occasion it will take me to the bottom of a brand new thread and there may be 5 - 10 posts to scroll up to get to the first unread post. I have tried rebooting my computer and browser to see if the glitch is on my end with no changes. Has anyone else had similar issues using the next unread feature? On another note, when holding the mouse over a member's name it usually shows details like post count, when they joined, when they last visited, and their reputation count. This applies to ALL members names with the exception of one name. I am wondering if there's something this member has done to prevent anyone from seeing their recent activity or if there is a glitch with the membership that they may not even be aware of. So, I am curious if there's a problem somewhere with the membership or am I unaware of settings to hide that info. Any thoughts?

Everyone tries to be a comedian. Some do it better than others. I'm not saying that you should "duck", but, I have seen some pretty "fowl" fruits and vegetables recently.

A little late but a good one, @PaulK. I had anticipated a few captions but I never even thought of the "Birds And The Bees" possibilities.

Where else would one look for a toe?

Hey, look at that, part of the tree is the same colour as me.