[Nhcoll-l] Uploading collection catalogs online

[Ellen Paul]

And by the way, this is NOT hypothetical. When birders discover 
something interesting and word goes out on the listserves, hundreds or 
thousands of people will get in the car or on the plane...happens all 
the time. A Kelp Gull (very common in its South American range) showed 
up here in Maryland a few years back. People came from all over the 
country to see it, and locals took to feeding it to keep it around the 
dock. That White-throated Needletail that showed up in the Outer 
Hebrides (only to get nailed by a wind turbine) - remember - Outer 
Hebrides - not exactly around the corner - drew hundreds of people 
between the time it showed up and the time it flew into the turbine. 
Here in the U.S., people ran from all over the eastern seaboard to see a 
Green Mango that showed up in North Carolina and I'll bet that right 
now, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge has a line of cars from 
the parking lot to the highway, filled with birders wanting to see that 
Rufous-necked Woodrail (sorry - have to book my flight now...).

Now, if the birders discovered it, they are entitled to share the info 
if they like. My point is that when the info is made available, people 
do use it. And birders are smart, tech-savvy people. If you think that 
they won't find and use your databases, you are being naive.

Ellen

Ellen Paul
Executive Director
The Ornithological Council
Email: ellen.paul at verizon.net
"Providing Scientific Information about Birds"
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET"