spaf@gatech.CSNET (Gene Spafford) (07/30/85)
(My apologies to readers of net.news.group if you see this twice -- inews
barfed when I tried to feed this to all 14 groups at once).
I just recently deleted a number of newsgroups that had seen minimal or
no use in the last few months. Since that time, I have gotten mail
from a few people suggesting other candidates for removal based on
their lack of activity. It seems to make sense that if we won't create
a new newsgroup without an indication of potential use, there is no
justification for keeping newsgroups which get no significant use after
creation.
Site "gatech" has a news history of about 3 years. That is, all our
newsgroup numbering started when we came on the net about 3 years ago.
Thus, I have a pretty good indication of overall activity on a
newsgroup by checking our active file.
The following newsgroups have had little use recently and less than 150
articles in the last three years. For many of the groups, that
includes their entire lifespan. Additionally, it appears that anywhere
from 1/2 to 2/3 of the articles posted to many of these groups are
cross-posted to other, currently active groups. There seems to be
little need to keep these groups around.
Unless someone provides me with a good reason not to, I will be
removing the following groups on or about August 15:
net.bugs.v7
net.decus
net.games.go
net.lang.apl
net.math.symbolic
net.micro.432
net.notes
net.rec.birds
net.rec.scuba
net.rec.skydive
net.std
net.theater
net.usoft
--
Gene "4 months and counting" Spafford
The Clouds Project, School of ICS, Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332
CSNet: Spaf @ GATech ARPA: Spaf%GATech.CSNet @ CSNet-Relay.ARPA
uucp: ...!{akgua,allegra,hplabs,ihnp4,linus,seismo,ulysses}!gatech!spafseb@mtgzz.UUCP (s.e.badian) (07/31/85)
OK, birders! They're thinking of taking away our group. I have a feeling there are a number of you out there reading this. I'd like to take a survey to get a feel for the real number. So if you want to save this group, or put something else in it's place (like an Audodon mailing list :-)) please respond to the following questions: Do you regularly read net.rec.birds? If so, why do you read this group? Are you curious? Are you an avid birder? Are you a lazy birder who wants to get some cheap thrills by reading other people's accounts of birding? Do you ever post to this group? What kind of things would you like to see in here? 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? (Here I am volunteering to take that position. I can think of lots of things to dis- cuss here, but just haven't given myself the time.) Any other comments are certainly welcome! Sharon Badian ihnp4!mtgzz!seb
rsl@mtuxo.UUCP (r.little) (08/02/85)
REFERENCES: <697@gatech.CSNET> Let's give a hoot for keeping net.rec.birds fully feathered. I particularly enjoyed news of sightings in upstate NY, in the South- west, and in Wisconsin during the past several months. I'd rather be serenaded by Mockingbirds than by Mack trucks any day, and can attest to the great thirst that Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have for sugar-water from feeders in the Adirondacks (red helps initial at- traction, but isn't required). Now for a new poser: Are House Finches, which seem to be progressively spreading across the USA, any more "desirable" than House Sparrows? Will the novelty of their color and song wear thin after they have taken over? What is their impact on native fauna?
nyssa@abnji.UUCP (nyssa of traken) (08/02/85)
I read this group and feel it should continue. Although not a very busy newsgroup, I think there is enough interest to keep it active. Postings of birding trips and rare sitings would be appropriate. -- James C Armstrong, Jnr. ihnp4!abnji!nyssa "Have you no women beyond the stars?" "I see, You have a primary and secondary reproductive cycle. It is an inefficient system; you should chnage it." -Who said it, what episode?
gnome@olivee.UUCP (Gary Traveis) (08/03/85)
I look for, and want to see information and commentary from people who own/breed/take-care-of birds. I don't care what kinds of birds, just birds. If there's a better way to keep my li'l guys happier and healthier, I want to know about it. I'm also happy to help any other bird people when I can. That's why I'm here. Gary (hplabs,allegra,ihnp4)oliveb!olivee!gnome
kanner@tymix.UUCP (Herb Kanner) (08/04/85)
Just submitting a follow-up to create some traffic in the newsgroup. In answer to the questions posed in an article about two back: I consistently read this newsgroup. I have never (before this) posted to it. We feed a number of bird species in our garden--this includes two hummingbird feeders. Also, we have planted certain flowers that a local expert has advised us attracts hummies. About 20 years ago, before the semi-conductor industry or whatever changed the local ecology, we used to see a lot of migrants at certain seasons and I would get very gung ho about identifying them. It no longer seems to happen, so I am not motivated to play bird-watcher; therefore am not likely to have anything to post. I hope the newsgroup is not discontinued. If it is, I guess net.rec would be the umbrella for bird articles. -- Herb Kanner Tymnet, Inc. ...!hplabs!oliveb!tymix!kanner
myers@uwmacc.UUCP (Latitudinarian Lobster) (08/04/85)
> > Now for a new poser: Are House Finches, which seem to be > progressively spreading across the USA, any more "desirable" than > House Sparrows? Will the novelty of their color and song wear thin > after they have taken over? What is their impact on native fauna? I met my first pair of House Finches recently while visiting my brother in Fishkill, NY (50 miles north of NYC). They are a damn sight prettier than House Sparrows, which are everywhere in Madison. More importantly, however, is that their song is quite liquid and enjoyable. House Sparrows just constantly spout their annoying chirp. I don't think I would ever grow tired of the song of the House Finch, just as I still love to hear White-Throated Sparrows. jeff m
nemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe) (08/06/85)
> 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
myers@uwmacc.UUCP (Latitudinarian Lobster) (08/06/85)
> 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? > Hm, don't know about the territoriality aspect, but I once spent ten minutes watching a red-winged blackbird chase a crow around and around. Maybe they just don't like big birds!
seb@mtgzz.UUCP (s.e.badian) (08/07/85)
I have often wondered what this continent would be like without the ever-present starling imported from England. It looks like the house finch may fall in the same category, though house finches are a bit more attractive. House finches probably eat fruit and seeds, which make them a menance to fruit farmers and other native seed-eating birds. Is there evidence that the house finches are driving away the native finches? Are they stealing nesting sites from the other birds? Obviously their prescence has some impact but is their introduction detrimental to other birds or are they filling a niche that was empty? (I find that hard to believe!) Now that they're here, what do you do about them? What do you do about house sparrows and starlings? They seem to be so cantankerous that we can't throw them out anymore! And what if we could? Would removing them from the ecosystem now have disasterous effects? How many insects do starlings, house sparrows and house finches eat? If we could rid of them all would the native birds be able to eat up all the extra insects? Would they be able to eat all the extra weed seeds? It seems it's aw- fully hard to turn back once you're played with the ecosystem. The thing that bothers me most about the introduction of non-native species is all the other little native birds that are driven out. I've never seen a bluebird because all the starlings stole their nesting sites! And replacing the bluebird with a starling seems absolutely criminal! Man has to have his hand in everything. And more often than not he screws up with his short-sighted attempts to play God and make money. Sharon Badian ihnp4!mtgzz!seb
rsl@mtuxo.UUCP (r.little) (08/09/85)
> REFERENCES: <697@gatech.CSNET> > > Now for a new poser: Are House Finches, which seem to be > progressively spreading across the USA, any more "desirable" than > House Sparrows? Will the novelty of their color and song wear thin > after they have taken over? What is their impact on native fauna? Several replies have mentioned House Finches. Each seems to feel that House Finches are a positive introduction to North American avifauna, not competing with native species. We had a pair nest in an arborvitae at the corner of our NJ house in 1984, and in a wicker basket on our front porch in April 1985 and in a Taxus yew along the front of our house in June 1985. A Song Sparrow had nested in that yew in 1984, but I don't know where it went this year. I've been wondering if the House Finches displaced the Song Sparrows, or if the Song Sparrows moved for other reasons and the House Finches filled the void, or if the two could have co-existed.
spaf@gatech.CSNET (Gene Spafford) (08/13/85)
I have posted a summary of responses to this article in net.news.group.
The article id is <813@gatech.CSNET>
--
Gene "4 months and counting" Spafford
The Clouds Project, School of ICS, Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332
CSNet: Spaf @ GATech ARPA: Spaf%GATech.CSNet @ CSNet-Relay.ARPA
uucp: ...!{akgua,allegra,hplabs,ihnp4,linus,seismo,ulysses}!gatech!spafconnie@zaphod.UUCP (Connie Seidle) (08/16/85)
I for one enjoy reading this newsgroup. I have never before posted to it mostly because I am a lazy birder who gets excited about birds mostly as a secondary effect of going canoeing. I also have very little experience "bird watching", but am interested in improving. This group is a great place for me to get started.