Despite setting up this blog several years ago for people to share their bird sightings across the county, it would appear that in some peoples minds I'm not allowed to make suggestion on ways to try and improve it. All I asked was for was a moderation in what was being posted to try and attract a wider audience. Surely this would be better for the blog? I do not recall mentioning any names nor asking for photos and posts to be delete, it was a suggestion made to all contributors! Worse still to be told that I contribute the least (admittedly there have been far fewer post from me recently, but unfortunately I do not live in the county at present and much of my work has taken me abroad for months at a time), is quite a shock!
I would like to offer anyone the opportunity to take over the blog, as I feel despite trying my best to please everyone I am not achieving this! I will continue to contribute to the blog when possible, but will no longer be the administrator, because the stress of trying to please everyone has out weighed the enjoyment of trying improve and encourage bird watching in Montgomeryshire.
Notable Recent Sightings
| 17/11 | Firecrest | 2, Castle Caereinion |
| 07/11 | Barnacle Goose | 1 among Canada Geese, Llyn Coed-y-Dinas |
| 07/11 | Hawfinch | a few, Lake Vyrnwy, also Bramblings |
| 01/11 | Short-eared Owl | 1, Cefn Coch Wind-farm |
| 01/11 | Great Grey Shrike | Gregynog |
| 28/10 | Great Grey Shrike | Lake Vyrnwy, also 1 on 30th at Eunant |
| 25/09 | Gannet | 1 juv grounded near Caersws |
| 07/09 | Nightjar | 1, photographed near Pontrobert |
| 17/07 | Quail | RSPB Lake Vyrnwy, also heard 20/06 and 08/07 |
| 24/04 | Long-eared Owl | 2, RSPB Lake Vyrnwy |
| 16/04 | Purple Heron | 1, Cors Dyfi |
| 05/03 | Firecrest | 1, Lake Vyrnwy |
| 05/03 | Short-eared Owl | 1, Lake Vyrnwy |
| 14/01 | Pink-footed Goose | 1, Dolydd Hafren |
| 03/01 | Waxwing | 20, Meifod; also 5 Welshpool by canal on 01/01. Last: 6 Bwlch-y-Garreg 17/03 |
| 23/12 | Waxwing | Newtown College, first arrivals 04/12, 47 on 23/12, 67 on 01/01, 30 on 04/02 |
| 09/12 | Cattle Egret | 1 roosting with 8 Great Egrets and some Little Egrets, Llyn Coed-y-Dinas |
| 02/12 | Waxwing | 21 Guilsfield, 12 Montgomery, 1 Welshpool, and 1 on 01/12 Llanfyllin |
| 16/11 | Dotterel | 3, just west of Dyfnant Forest on RSPB land |
| 16/11 | Great Grey Shrike | 1, on edge of Dyfnant Forest on RSPB land, last reported 19/01 |
| 15/11 | Waxwing | 25 or 30, just west of Lake Vyrnwy along the Dinas Mawddwy road |
| 08/11 | Great Northern Diver | A juvenile was found near Anchor, rescued and released |
| 30/10 | Black Redstart | 1 in garden at Hendomen, near Montgomery |
| 06/10 | Hawfinch | 5 in treetops at Powis Castle, by main car-park |
| 04/10 | Cattle Egret | Dolydd Hafren, a flock of c.30 |
| 29/09 | Red-flanked Bluetail | Dyfnant Forest: a county first |
| 23/09 | Manx Shearwater | 1st year bird grounded in Llanfyllin; released at coast |
| 03/09 | Cattle Egret | 10 at Cors Dyfi, rising to 32 on 05/09 |
| 01/06 | Turnstone | 1 at Caersws with Little Ringed Plovers |
| 03/05 | Wood Sandpiper | 1 at Dolydd Hafren |
| 18/04 | BLACK-WINGED KITE | 1 video-ed at Glan Mule, near Kerry: a likely FIRST for UK |
| 07/04 | Black Redstart | Female on Carno roof |
| 07/04 | Little Ringed Plover | Llandinam Gravels |
| 25/03 | Osprey | Female 5F 'Seren' arrived back at Llyn Clywedog |
| 25/03 | Pied Flycatcher | An early migrant near Llanfechain |
| 22/03 | Hen Harrier | Female in flight near Berriew |
| 15/03 | Sand Martin | 5, Dolydd Hafren |
| 15/03 | Golden Plover | c.50, Heldre Hill, Long Mountain, nr Welshpool |
| 05/03 | Whooper Swan | 1, between Caerhowel (Montgomery) and The Gaer, with Mute Swans |
| 05/03 | Pink-footed Goose | 1, Caersws, with Canada Goose flock |
| 05/03 | Jack Snipe | 2, Caersws |
| 05/03 | Hawfinch | 24, Powis Castle, feeding behind orchard |
| 28/02 | Pink-footed Goose | c.25, flying north over Welshpool |
| 26/02 | Merlin | 1 male, chasing Meadow Pipit, Long Mountain near Welshpool |
| 26/02 | Pintail | 3, Llyn Coed-y-Dinas, 1 since 14 Feb |
| 14/02 | Hawfinch | 1, Powis Castle car-park, very vocal |
| 23/01 | Jack Snipe | 1, Moel-y-Garth near Guilsfield |
| 17/01 | Brambling | 80, in beeches at Pen-y-Waen near Cefn Coch with Chaffinches |
| 07/01 | Hawfinch | 2, bathing in puddle, Cwm Lane, Castle Caereinion |
See Sightings Archive for older records |
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
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This blog has been great for getting news out in the county, before this a lot of things were only heard about till way after the matter, if at all!
ReplyDeleteNobody will ever please everybody, there will always be people who take comments in the wrong way. After all, it's sometimes hard for people to get the tone of what something is being said over the internet.
I hope, and am sure, that people would like to echo my sentiments on what a great job you have done, and hope that you will reconsider and carry on with the running of your blog.
Andy
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ReplyDeleteFor heaven's sake Paul, you are doing a brilliant job and should continue to do so.You cannot please everyone all the time and any position such as yours will ALWAYS attract a few knockers , who should be ignored unless they have something positive to add. You had the foresight and courage to set this blog up and thereby give pleasure to hundreds of folk who will be the poorer without you. you have more grit than this, so get back up there and administer the improvements that you consider desirable and you will find that you have all the backing you need. Sadly the vast majority usually stay silent and allow the few to make the noise : we are all with you down here and we all admire your efforts to bring birds and nature generally to the wider public. Please reconsider for the benefit of your supporting public.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I appreciate your comments, I'm afraid I no longer wish to continue running the blog. As I said, the enjoyment for me has dissappeard. The blog was set up to share this enjoyment. If I'm not enjoying it, then it's going to reflect on how I run the blog. Some 'new blood' will hopefully get it back on the right track.
ReplyDeleteHappy birding.
I have kept quiet up to now Paul but agree the Blog was getting a bit of a photo gallery.As one of the main culprits I will reduce my picture number, but hope the Blog does not die because of lack of posts.
ReplyDeleteThe reason for posting several photos of the Kingfisher for example was to show Chris that the bird did indeed use all the posts and I was wrong in telling him otherwise.
The Blog is the best thing that's happened in Montgomershire as far as I am concerned and I would hate to loose it.
Rise above it Paul! It may be worth while outlining a few simple ground rules ie only one photo per post, etc
Paul and everyone, as a user of this blog I need to give my perspective, which on the whole echoes the above messages and especially supports the sentiment of Paul’s original call for considerate use of the blog. From my perspective Paul, through the creation/administration of this blog you have helped introduce me to a community of birders in Montgomeryshire which has also gone form strength to strength because of this blog. It is testament to the kind of people who engage in birding and especially live in Montgomeryshire that this blog has been able to run so successfully as an open forum, unlike many other online communities including some more restricted bird blogs. Because of this freedom of expression we enjoy so much on the blog, it is to be expected that from time to time the conversation becomes a little unbalanced. In this respect it is totally reasonable that someone should occasionally readdress the balance, as you have done in asking people to use the blog in more consideration of its intended function: to share bird sightings and general enjoyment of birding in Montgomeryshire. I don’t think this issue is restricted to a proliferation of photographs on the blog, rather in this case it happens that lately there had been an emphasis on photography that presented a problem you have rightly addressed. I see the problem as an over emphasis on one aspect of the blog which made it less relevant to some and could be putting other contributors off, especially newcomers. The issue was made to look worse I think, by a lack of contributors of late (for no fault of their own) other than the photographers, many of whom happen to be very dedicated. In this respect I am guilty lately, of not helping the blog be as good as it can be by posting my sightings as well as just being a lazy birder; something I hope to resolve this Autumn. On the whole the blog works brilliantly because it is open, unregulated and inviting to all. The upshot of this is that we all have a responsibility for keeping it relevant to everyone, with a good balance of reports, news and the images that illustrate it so beautifully. Thank you so much Paul for standing up for this balance and caring to make the blog the best possible resource for everyone, I am sorry that on this occasion you have found it to be a thankless task as I’m sure many a good ‘chairman’ does at times. Chris W
ReplyDeleteLiving in North Shropshire I find the Montgomery Bird Blog extremely useful to decide on destinations on days out.
ReplyDeletePersonally I find blogs with out photographs a little dull and -as an example- the Shropshire Bird Blog is extremely well used, used by many who are not in a position to get out through physical, financial or time constraints.
My own blogs which are almost only images achieve between them over five hundred hits per day.
The North Wales Birding Blog is useful but one does get the impression that the 'main members' are somewhat dictatorial.
If people don't want to look at the images it really is not much of a problem to 'mouse' thru' them to the text.
At the end of the day be you twitcher, twitcher/photographer or photographer you all have the same goals. Please don't start bitching amongst yourselves as the people who purely enjoy all aspects of the blog are the ones who will suffer!
Bill Nevett
Scrolling back through the blog archive months, randomly to March 2010, it would seem to have always had a high proportion of images and never have been a text sightings only site. Would you all not agree?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDon’t you dare quit !
ReplyDeletePaul
After many years moderating blogs and running websites the backlash you have suffered just doesn't surprise me.
You quite rightly asked the members to rethink their image submissions to the blog and some have taken it personally
I urge you not to quit your position as an excellent moderator but, as you have said, set out some sensible ground rules and control on this issue.
As for the bloggers who have contributed to this super site please don’t take offence at Paul's observations but give yourself time to think it through and help him to achieve,what I think is a valid point.
Always remember it’s a HOBBY and a bloody good one at that, share it, talk to each other and I’m sure in the fullness of time and a little bit of patience it will all work out.
Good luck and above all “ Keep On Birding.” Ken W Reeves (Rocksinger) www.burbagebirders.co.uk
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think we've lost a bit of perspective. Without the blog my birding would be a lot poorer and thank you Paul for that whatever decision you make. My son ran Richard Dawkins's blog for a while and it was a nightmare!(for my son that is).
ReplyDeletePaul, you've done a great job here raising the profile of birding in Monts. Well done.
ReplyDeleteWe have had exactly the same issue in North Wales when we set up the North Wales Bird forum. It soon changed from a sightings and interesting identification forum into a photographers and beginners discussion site. I had, and still have got no problem with this but the direction of the forum changed, there was bickering and back biting and we lost many 'birders' as a result. That is why the We Bird North Wales bird blog was set up so that it could be kept to a sightings and i.d. blog.
It's a shame Bill Nevett (above) has a go at the main contributors of WBNW especially as he doesn't know any of us. Bill - if you're reading, please get in touch and I would be happy to include you as a contributor to that blog - I'm far from dictatorial, just trying to keep the forum and blog seperate for different 'types' of birders.
The North Wales forum, like this forum, serves it's audience well and is a great way for people to shre their love of birds and nature. However, as Paul says, if too many of one 'type' of members contribute, it soon alienates the others. It would be shame to see the Monts blog go the same way. The Ceredigion and Pembs blogs seem to have a perfect balance and there is never any falling outs due to posts and personalities. Whether Paul finds a brave man to take over, or he ends up carrying on, long may this site continue.
Cheers
Marc