Netting birds

Child porn. MySpace predators. And now this: Internet birding. An article in the most recent edition of Birding is called "Birding and the Dark Side." The article discusses the perils of online information about birding. The Internet has changed the way people bird, but also has led to the proliferation of misinformation. It also has made "experts" of people who have only birded a few years but run out to see every rare bird that is reported. These people have seen snowy plovers before ever recording a house sparrow.

Before the Internet, birders called their local Rare Bird Alert telephone number and a taped message would play with a list of that week's interesting birds. Locations were spread by word of mouth or maybe a printed newsletter. The article suggests advanced birders kindly question outlandish reports. From my experience with the local message board, these sorts of questions don't go over well with the novices. It also suggests you don't have to post every single one of your intriguing sightings, and that alone may prevent a lot of the vitriol.