My Scunthorpe Garden 2022

wrote:

The whole site only gets low viewing numbers. Most people don't view the forum because they don't use it. I suspect most members wouldn't know how to get on to it if the even knew it was there. Unfortunately the site is almost moribund. Only eight people actually used it in November. There are much more interesting ways and means to record your sightings and make them more interesting for yourself and others as I have recently found
It took at least eight hours for me to update the site in time for the publication of the new months newsletter tomorrow after spending 8 days in hospital in Derby and returning home on Sunday after dark. Yes your 37  goldfinch has made it but only by chance because I am worn out and don't think i have recorded more in the last two weeks. I am sure I have recorded many more than that more than several times this year. In fact since I started counting them about five years ago there has been less than thirty days when I haven't seen goldfinch in the garden. This year accounts for about half that total of bird free days and half of that total in the last week
People are not interested in two sparrows in someones garden - but start by describing some historical facts and data about the ebb and flow of the species around and you just might create some interest
We all remember our own records and rightly so. It's what keeps us going on days like yesterday and today - dark, damp and downright miserable
Have a look at the BTO's Birdtrack App and see how interesting in can make your records

---

By the way Chris I wasn't having a pop at you, I know you do an excellent job that the majority of us wouldn't do, me including! I know who the regulars are as they do and it is less than a dozen but we all love the forum and will continue to do so in one form or another! 

I have been a member of Birdforum almost twenty years and have posted on there as and when. I am not comparing our forum with them  because they have 100k members and we have 600+ but I like both for different reasons.  I have no intention putting my sightings on Birdtrack ( I did for many years and gave up) or Twitter or owt else. I consider my sightings give me enough pleasure as they are without going on other sites or Apps, they obviously don't give others as much excitement. 

In future I won't waste my time putting bog standard sightings on here unless they are a bit special, like the raptors that come in and over, something tells me am a pain in the backside!  I thought 37 Goldfinch in someone's garden was good but you don't, I cannot remember the last time someone put on the forum that amount in their garden. 

Why should I go into chapter and verse about a species say the House Sparrow which I get on average 24 - 36 and sometimes upto five dozen for just for a few members to view?

We will have to do what we think is right.

Kind regards

John aka Max.  
PS: Been a member of GBW for twenty five years, but not given sightings for fifteen years, you have me prompted me to return and restart giving them, am sure they will appreciate my sightings.


 

I must be one of the 8. I still love the forum , and it continues to work for me, especially this month catching up with birds after reading reports on the forum from Covenham and Rimac. 

I,ll continue to use the forum as much to chat to the regulars and to pass on information on sightings rather than recording sightings.

Well done Chris, your hard work is appreciated even if it's only by the eight or nine of us regulars!

Regards Pete
 

I will also be carrying on but like you I always submit my records to Birdtrack as well. Sorry to hear that Chris was unwell and his hard work is appreciated, hope he can keep it up as the local information is always interesting.

Thanks, Chris. It is a shame the Forum is moribund but I'm not surprised with all the different forms of social media available to birders.  I will be one of the eight who continues using this Forum but I also submit the most significant records on Birdtrack and all my ringing data on the BTO database DemOn.

The whole site only gets low viewing numbers. Most people don't view the forum because they don't use it. I suspect most members wouldn't know how to get on to it if the even knew it was there. Unfortunately the site is almost moribund. Only eight people actually used it in November. There are much more interesting ways and means to record your sightings and make them more interesting for yourself and others as I have recently found
It took at least eight hours for me to update the site in time for the publication of the new months newsletter tomorrow after spending 8 days in hospital in Derby and returning home on Sunday after dark. Yes your 37  goldfinch has made it but only by chance because I am worn out and don't think i have recorded more in the last two weeks. I am sure I have recorded many more than that more than several times this year. In fact since I started counting them about five years ago there has been less than thirty days when I haven't seen goldfinch in the garden. This year accounts for about half that total of bird free days and half of that total in the last week
People are not interested in two sparrows in someones garden - but start by describing some historical facts and data about the ebb and flow of the species around and you just might create some interest
We all remember our own records and rightly so. It's what keeps us going on days like yesterday and today - dark, damp and downright miserable
Have a look at the BTO's Birdtrack App and see how interesting in can make your records

Sometimes wonder I bother puttings "My Garden" sightings up cos out of the 600+ members only get single figures viewing what I put, if I relied on members to view my postings I certainly wouldn't waste my time and effort!!!!!  But those who really know me know I don't rely on them to view, I enter my sightings as a record for myself so that at any given time I can access them. 

Right today as yesterday viewing was far from easy with the mist and dark days, trying to recognise birds in all my trees isn't easy at best of times, so when its dark is damn near impossible unless the tree birds are in is close to house, no sign of Blackcap but not to say it wasn't there, did put some apples out.

Kept eyes out from 09:00 till dusk.

Feral Pigeons - 16
Wood Pigeon - 2
Starling - 8
Goldfinch - 37 surely worth a mention on the Latest News!  That beat previous record which stood at 30 as I remember years ago.
House Sparrow - c24
Common Gull - 2
Crow 
Robin
Coal Tit - 2
Dunnock
Great Tit
Blackbird - 4
Blue Tit - 4

Still good numbers despite a cat being a damn nuisance stalking each chance it got for a few hours!!  Will have to get a new water pistol!!

Max