BIRDING Category Topics

[tclarkwood]

I disagree with everyone that thinks we need to do away with "Backyard birds" .   It is the main reason that category had over 17k posts.  There are some of us that are not "birders" but love to observe, raise and comment on the birds we have that come to our feeders and bird houses or just simply hang out on our property.  There is no need to change the name to do away with "backyard birds".  I think that word makes the category more valuable since most of the comments have to do with people observing birds in their backyard or somewhere on their property. 

 

Thanks again for allowing us to comment on what we would prefer the future forum to look like. 

[Winter]

On 6/24/2018 at 12:58 PM, MattR said:

Hello.

 

I think we definitely need the Help Me Identify a European or Other World Bird.

Otherwise topics get lost among the US ID topics.

I agree! I travel to Europe (northeastern Europe) often because of family, and I am always wishing I had more than just my birds of Europe bird guide! I think it should definitely be part of the forum. Thanks. 

[jcarscadden]

I agree with the last by tclarkwood

 

1. Help me Identify a Bird
2. Photo Sharing
3. General / Off Topic Discussion
4. Birds and Birding
5. Birding Trips
6. Backyard Birds, Feeders, Food

[cevans2]

Is "Other World Bird" too general to be lumped in with "European Bird" or could this be divided more, perhaps by continent ? 

Edited July 7, 2018 by cevans2

[aveschapinas]

On 6/27/2018 at 12:39 PM, tclarkwood said:

I disagree with everyone that thinks we need to do away with "Backyard birds" .   It is the main reason that category had over 17k posts.  There are some of us that are not "birders" but love to observe, raise and comment on the birds we have that come to our feeders and bird houses or just simply hang out on our property.  There is no need to change the name to do away with "backyard birds".  I think that word makes the category more valuable since most of the comments have to do with people observing birds in their backyard or somewhere on their property. 

 

Thanks again for allowing us to comment on what we would prefer the future forum to look like. 

I'm not sure they think we NEED to do away with it, but the admin has said that they want to keep the number of forums small for now, so maybe it's more like what could go as opposed to what has to go. Of course others may still feel it definitely needs to stay.

[aveschapinas]

2 hours ago, cevans2 said:

Is "Other World Bird" too general to be lumped in with "European Bird" or could this be divided more, perhaps by continent ? 

I would vote for something between "rest of the world" (this was when there were North America and UK forums) and getting as specific as Central America, for example. By continent seems reasonable; the Americas (other than N.A.), Europe, Asia; and maybe for now Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the poles could be together? I don't recall a lot of posts from those areas, so that might work...

[Ceylon]

I like Charlie S. proposal, and will miss what bird did you see today. 

Ceylon

[aveschapinas]

2 hours ago, Ceylon said:

I like Charlie S. proposal, and will miss what bird did you see today. 

Ceylon

But there would be no reason not to start a thread like that in the general birding forum. I don't recall what bird did you see today ever being a forum or subforum.

[Charlie Spencer]

My suggestion applied only to the top level.  I wasn't taking any position on sub-forums.  As my brother-in-law often says, "I feel strongly both ways!"

[tclarkwood]

On 7/7/2018 at 12:29 AM, Aveschapines said:

I'm not sure they think we NEED to do away with it, but the admin has said that they want to keep the number of forums small for now, so maybe it's more like what could go as opposed to what has to go. Of course others may still feel it definitely needs to stay.

Thanks for the response.  There is a group of us that like to keep each other updated as to what is going on with the birds on our property and I have been wanting to give an update on what happed with my bluebirds for over a month. If you can tell me where to give this update, that is what I will do. I was just trying to communicate that we used that forum quite a bit in the Spring and the late Fall to talk about migratory birds songbirds that frequent our property. We talk about hummers and other interesting migraters as well. It’s a group of about 20-30 of us that use the “backyard” forum. Occasionally, we get comments by some of you that are on the website every day. That is the main reason that I was hoping you would keep that forum. I understand that we had too many forum categories. I just wanted to make a small case that backyard forum was great for a group of us. Thanks for your consideration! 

[aveschapinas]

26 minutes ago, tclarkwood said:

Thanks for the response.  There is a group of us that like to keep each other updated as to what is going on with the birds on our property and I have been wanting to give an update on what happed with my bluebirds for over a month. If you can tell me where to give this update, that is what I will do. I was just trying to communicate that we used that forum quite a bit in the Spring and the late Fall to talk about migratory birds songbirds that frequent our property. We talk about hummers and other interesting migraters as well. It’s a group of about 20-30 of us that use the “backyard” forum. Occasionally, we get comments by some of you that are on the website every day. That is the main reason that I was hoping you would keep that forum. I understand that we had too many forum categories. I just wanted to make a small case that backyard forum was great for a group of us. Thanks for your consideration! 

OK! It's not up to me, however; the administrator is making that decisions, and he started this thread to get your feedback about what forums to reinstate, so he'll see this. Hopefully the new forums will be set up soon and you can continue to share your backyard sightings. 

And again, I was not arguing against a backyard birds forum or sub-forum; I just thought it was a little inaccurate to say people thought it should be eliminated, as opposed to that it could be eliminated.

[dvoribird]

Please bring back the Insects, Mammals, Amphibians, and other wildlife forums!

[lonesome55dove]

?Question? ...If insects, mammals, amphibians and other wildlife forums are brought back would it be possible for snakes to have their own section instead of being included with frogs/toads, lizards, turtles and crocs/gators? Having had an unfavorable experience with a snake I'm deathly afraid of them. The other cold-blooded creatures are great subjects for photography so I'd love seeing what other people post without the fear of coming face to screen with a snake. ?  Thank you .  ?

[MerMaeve]

10 hours ago, lonesome55dove said:

Having had an unfavorable experience with a snake I'm deathly afraid of them.

I HATE them too!  And I accidentally ran one over on my bike the other day. 

[RawComposition]

I always found the massive list of categories confusing. The fewer the better. I like the way it is now.

[FamiliarFace]

Hello all, I'm so glad to see the forums back up. I was wondering where the category would be located if I wanted to discuss things like cameras, binoculars, and other equipment commonly used to enjoy birding. Will those kinds of topics be relegated to miscellaneous or general discussion? I'm just not sure where to look. Is anyone else even interested?

[Administrator]

I updated the forum categories and topics, and renamed the ones that you all suggested. Particular thanks to Charlie Spencer for your good ideas. Hope this is what everyone wanted. Remember its all changeable. Note there were a lot more forums in the previous Forums so if you want any other forums added please let me know here. I kind of like the simplicity of the current forum so I am going to resist adding a lot of forums that will not get much use and just create a lot of clutter. One area I'd like your feedback on is the non-bird creatures we covered, like mammals, reptiles, butterflies, etc. Is there any consensus these are important?

[Charlie Spencer]

18 minutes ago, Administrator said:

One area I'd like your feedback on is the non-bird creatures we covered, like mammals, reptiles, butterflies, etc. Is there any consensus these are important?

Was there enough demand previously for them to have separate forums?  Maybe a single one for all non-bird critters would suffice.

I haven't had reason to look but I suspect there are other forums dedicated to these subjects.  That doesn't mean there isn't room to discuss them here, but dedicated forums will likely have  more members familiar with those animals than we do.  You'll get better help with your Camry in a Toyota forum than in one for Harley-Davidson.

[lonestranger]

On 7/31/2018 at 11:58 AM, Administrator said:

One area I'd like your feedback on is the non-bird creatures we covered, like mammals, reptiles, butterflies, etc. Is there any consensus these are important?

The fact of the matter is, occasionally people will want to post non-bird photos and discuss non-birding topics. Having a non-birding forum(s) will give people somewhere specific to do that. A General Off Topic discussion forum would be a simple way to accommodate everything not related directly to birds and birding. Specific sub-forums for Plants, Mammals, Invertebrates, Reptiles and Amphibians, and Fish, could be added to the Off Topic forum for those people looking to share, or seeking, information related to other wildlife besides birds. Without an off topic forum, people will just use the existing birding forums for all their off topic subjects. 

[aveschapinas]

On 7/31/2018 at 9:58 AM, Administrator said:

 One area I'd like your feedback on is the non-bird creatures we covered, like mammals, reptiles, butterflies, etc. Is there any consensus these are important?

 

I keep meaning to respond to this and then getting distracted. I would support not adding these back in. This is a birding site, and the more it tries to address every interest members have the less it can focus on its main purpose, birding. I also regularly use a knitting and crochet site, which has resisted the clamors to add other things - tatting, netting, macramé, sewing, etc. There are complaints but I think it's very wise, and has made it a much better site for knitting and crochet.

I think it makes sense for people to use other resources to identify their non-bird animals, and they will proably get a better result, because only a subset of birders will be experts in lizards, while on a reptile site there will be many. 

I will admit I never used those other forums, and prefer not to have to scroll past them. I don't really know how much they were used because I pretty much ignored them. 

Thanks for adding in the other forums. It looks good!

[lonestranger]

On 7/31/2018 at 11:58 AM, Administrator said:

One area I'd like your feedback on is the non-bird creatures we covered, like mammals, reptiles, butterflies, etc. Is there any consensus these are important?

 

On 8/5/2018 at 12:58 PM, Aveschapines said:

I keep meaning to respond to this and then getting distracted. I would support not adding these back in. This is a birding site, and the more it tries to address every interest members have the less it can focus on its main purpose, birding. I also regularly use a knitting and crochet site, which has resisted the clamors to add other things - tatting, netting, macramé, sewing, etc. There are complaints but I think it's very wise, and has made it a much better site for knitting and crochet.

I think it makes sense for people to use other resources to identify their non-bird animals, and they will proably get a better result, because only a subset of birders will be experts in lizards, while on a reptile site there will be many. 

I will admit I never used those other forums, and prefer not to have to scroll past them. I don't really know how much they were used because I pretty much ignored them. 

Thanks for adding in the other forums. It looks good!

I respectfully disagree with Aveschapines. I think the off topic sections, including the sub-forums for mammals, reptiles, butterflies, etc., is a large part of what made the old website so popular. Instead of members leaving the website and coming back hours or days later to check the ID forum, I believe the old off topic forums often kept the members(experts) here on the website where they would continue to monitor the ID forums for new activity while entertaining themselves with the off topic sections in between bird IDs. Some of the site's best birders would often offer their knowledge in the other wildlife forums, that's what made some of those sub-forums so popular, like the butterfly and dragonfly sub-forums. I think it's better to attract/keep people's attention with a few extra forums than to have them get bored and surf away to another website. Again, just sharing thoughts here.

[Charlie Spencer]

30 minutes ago, lonestranger said:

that's what made some of those sub-forums so popular,

You're back to my question of July 31st.  How popular were these forums?

[lonestranger]

3 minutes ago, Charlie Spencer said:

You're back to my question of July 31st.  How popular were these forums?

I think they were very popular, but I wasn't monitoring how many posts were being posted or how often. @Administrator might be able to check the numbers, or maybe  @psweet would know since he was one of the members that was often sharing his knowledge in those forums. I know that I regularly checked the other wildlife forums because there was always new content to read and new things to learn about, all from familiar people whose knowledge I have come to trust through the many, many years of being part of the Whatbird community. 

[lonestranger]

21 hours ago, lonestranger said:

 

I respectfully disagree with Aveschapines. I think the off topic sections, including the sub-forums for mammals, reptiles, butterflies, etc., is a large part of what made the old website so popular. Instead of members leaving the website and coming back hours or days later to check the ID forum, I believe the old off topic forums often kept the members(experts) here on the website where they would continue to monitor the ID forums for new activity while entertaining themselves with the off topic sections in between bird IDs. Some of the site's best birders would often offer their knowledge in the other wildlife forums, that's what made some of those sub-forums so popular, like the butterfly and dragonfly sub-forums. I think it's better to attract/keep people's attention with a few extra forums than to have them get bored and surf away to another website. Again, just sharing thoughts here.

Just to be clear, I am not suggesting more ID forums. I am suggesting more off topic categories where people can share photos and discuss the other wildlife they might encounter while birding. I can't speak for all birders, but I am fairly sure that a large majority of birders enjoy more than just the birds when they're out birding. Having somewhere to share that added enjoyment with like minded people is all I'm suggesting.

[MerMaeve]

I have to agree with @Aveschapines.  If we have all these other sub-forums that are reptiles, insects, etc. then it is not Whatbird, then it's Whatcreature.  Then if we add insects, snakes, lizards, then can we add Moths and Butterflys?