tl;dr On Sat, Mar 31, 2018 at 12:29 PM Gus Keri <gusk...@zoho.com> wrote:
> Hi everyone, > > > > [Note: this email is not personal against Sean or Joshua who are some of > the nicest people I have met along my birding adventure] > > > > Three weeks ago, I deleted all my social media birding-related accounts > (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Flicker) and sworn not to go > back again. I kept this emailing list subscription for rare birds alert > because I still love birding. But I will make an exception today and write > this email in support of David. Somehow, I feel responsible for what is > going on between him and what I call the Secret Society of Brooklyn Elite > Birders (SSBEB). [More on this society below.] > > > > Let me first start by saying that David’s Twitter account, Brooklyn bird > Alert, is the best thing happened for Brooklyn birders in a long time. I am > saying this as a Brooklyn birder and speaking on behave of many Brooklyn > birders who are in support of David’s work but too afraid to speak out. > > > > David is doing a great job in surfing the net (eBird, Twitter accounts, > email Lists, etc.) in search of the best information to provide to birders > all over the city. He is working hard and his effort is well appreciated by > the majority of birders. I applaud him and I Hope he will continue his work > undeterred by few criticisms. > > > > I feel responsible for all this because I am the one who asked David to > start this account. I had been following Manhattan Bird Alert for years and > I liked it very much. When David created Bronx Bird Alert, I begged him to > start one for Brooklyn. Initially, he hesitated because he doesn’t want to > upset Brooklyn birders. > > > > I conducted few discussions with Brooklyn birders and found that the > opinion is split among the elite birders but the majority of the regular > (non-elite) birders were in support of it. After further discussion, David > agreed to start the account. > > > > It wasn’t long before the account became very popular. Almost more than > 90% of the Brooklyn birders I know followed it and some of them started > using the hashtag #birdbk. I was happy. And many birders benefited from > this account. They saw birds that they wouldn’t have heard about if it > wasn’t for David. > > > > At the same time, I noticed that few birders didn’t follow this account. I > had some bad experience with some of them. (Some of them might have hatred > against me since the infamous injured Snowy Owl I tweeted about last > November) But I thought, they will eventually come to their senses and > recognize that this account is good for all Brooklyn birder. > > > > I was wrong. > > > > One month ago, A friend birder (I am not going to mention his name) told > me that there had been a discussion taking place about my involvement with > this account and some believe that I am the one who is doing all the work. > And some birders don’t want to help this account because of me. I told him > the account is owned and managed completely by David and he does all the > work. I have nothing to do with it except that it was my idea. > > > > I was shocked to hear that. I couldn’t believe such level of personal > hatred even existed. I knew about this SSBEB for a long time but I never > though they will descend to this level. I knew they have monopoly over > every thing birding in Brooklyn and they don’t like any dissent. They bully > the rest of Brooklyn birders into silence. > > > > Those who know me well also know that I don’t keep quite when I see > something wrong. I express my opinion freely. Some of you might remember > the Facebook posts about birding ethics I posted a couple of months ago. > Apparently, these posts didn’t go well with the Junta, which is the SSBEB, > in the banana republic, that is Brooklyn, and I have always thought I was > in America, the land of the free. > > > > One week after that encounter with the friend birder, I knew something is > brewing. I received an email from another friend birder; also he will > remain unnamed, addressing me in a very formal way. We had exchanged many > friendly emails in the past year. He is one of the nicest people you will > ever meet. I knew then that whatever discussion taking place behind a > closed door had gotten to him also. Apparently, the SSBEB is exerting > pressure on the whole birding community. > > > > What happened two days later was the straw that broke the camel’s back and > I decided to exit Brooklyn birding community altogether. > > > > David tweeted about a Snowy Owl in Floyd Bennett Field which is 10 minutes > away from where I live. I immediately got in my car and drove there. The > owl was still there. I love Snowy Owl. I know many birders also love them > and they enjoy looking at them. > > > > I believe God send Snowy Owls to NYC every winter, especially the coldest > ones, so people can take a break from their miserable busy lives and enjoy > the beauty of this majestic bird, even if it is only for minutes. I believe > every New Yorker has the right to look at one of them every winter. > > > > I immediately took photos and videos and posted them on social media > (especially Brooklyn Bird Alert) thanking David for his tweet. I was happy > to know that few other birders also took advantage of this tweet and saw > the bird. This is what social media all about; spreading happiness. > > > > The following day, a group of misbehaving birders/photographers went to > see the bird. They broke the law by trespassing onto the field to get > closer to the bird. The bird flew away to one of the nearby island. The > event was documented and photos were posted on Twitter. > > > > I was very angry at those birders who broke the law and wished if the > person who saw them would have called the police to get them. The police > are few minutes away in that field. I was very sad all day long. I had a > sinking feeling. Something inside me told me a storm is brewing. > > > > In the evening, the injured Snowy Owl who saved me last November came > through my window and whispered in my ear to check my twitter account. I > was shocked to see that few birders had blocked my twitter account denying > me the access to their tweets. They all did it at the same time. They must > have been in an emergency meeting somewhere in a dark cave under the candle > lights right now to decide the fate of the evil-doer Gus Keri. > > > > The SSBEB forgot all what ailing the world of birds. They forgot global > warming, thinning of the ice cap, deforestation, destruction of habitat, > acidification of oceans, plastic-ification of oceans and Trump > administration’s attempt at reversing all the environmentally protecting > laws for migratory birds. They decided that my twitter account is dangerous > to Snowy Owls and leading this species to extinction. > > > > What shocked me the most that one of them was one of the nicest people I > have ever known and the last person I expected to be blocked by. An > overwhelming feeling of sadness descended on me. I didn’t know what to do. > The SSBEB have influenced the best of them all into taking action against > me. > > > > At that moment, I reached a decision that I had been thinking about for > few months. I am done with birding altogether. I deleted all my > birding-related social media accounts and went into the night quietly. > Needless to say, I couldn’t sleep that night until the early morning hours. > > > > Over the last few years of birding, I got to know many birders in > Brooklyn. The majority if them are very good people who don’t want to make > any trouble. They kept saying to me, “he is a nasty man but a very > knowledgeable birder and I don’t want to get on his bad side.” The culture > of “fear and intimidation” is alive and well in the Brooklyn birding > community. > > > > Many of them asked me to keep the fight against the Junta SSBEB. But what > they don’t know that I am not young, and above all, I am not healthy enough > for this fight. I wish I was thirty years younger with my full health. I > would have kept my promise to the many good people who just need their > voices heard without fear of bad repercussions. > > > > Dear David, I have not met you yet. I am hoping to do so at one of my > trips to Central park. I don’t know how old or healthy you are. But I hope > you will keep this account running, at least because “this town needs > this measly one-horse institution if only to have some place where people > can come without crawling to Potter.” > > > > Thank you every one for reading on. > > I have a feeling this might be my last communication on this list. > > So long every one. > > Gus Keri > > > > Sent using Zoho Mail <https://www.zoho.com/mail/> > > > ---- On Sat, 31 Mar 2018 05:23:38 -0700 *Larry Trachtenberg > <trachtenb...@amsllp.com <trachtenb...@amsllp.com>>* wrote ---- > > > Even though “the world is turning and you can’t slow down,” I have chosen > never to have tweeted, retweeted, used instagram, Ingraham, facebook, > linked in or willingly participate in any form of social media. Getting > old is not so bad considering where the world is going even if you miss a > bird “here, there and everywhere”, as reportage of bird sightings migrates > to sources one may choose not to use. It seems to me though not knowing > any of the participants to this debate; isn’t the whole point of the social > media thing once it’s out there it’s out there for better or perhaps more > often for worse and if you choose to give the the new robber barons like > Zuckerberg your personal info, well .... and if you choose to follow what > Kim Kardashian eats, well; and if you tweet the identity and location of a > bird, well .... > > Seems this newest bird community feud is merely a redux of the > photographer v. birder antagonisms not to mention the debate regarding the > absurd -unethical many would say - use of incessant play back by some > charging $ to lead bird walks so their customers can get better photographs > — all issues that hopefully won’t Trump reports of actual bird sightings as > migration gets in to full swing. Happy birding. > > As for birds, I did see a meadowlark at Croton Point today. > > L. Trachtenberg > Ossining, NY. > > P.s. “Can’t we all just get along” — kidding 🙃 > > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Mar 30, 2018, at 8:37 PM, Sean Sime <s...@seansime.com> wrote: > > > -- > *NYSbirds-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm> > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive > <http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> > ABA <http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01> > *Please submit your observations to **eBird* > <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>*!* > -- > > There has been much discussion off-list regarding the Twitter alert > systems you have set up and the many unknowns I'm hoping you may be able to > shed some light on to the list and therefore I'm replying here. > We all agree there can be great benefit to information sharing via social > media. Yet there are many who are concerned regarding your practice of > posting sensitive species locations, currently daytime roosting owls, but > given line #4 in your post, "There are no restricted species" it would > imply nesting species as we move into season as well. > > While many people in Kings County were eager to give the birdbk hashtag a > try it quickly seemed to push the limits of our local birding community's > ethics in this regard. This post is in no way an attempt to have a > discussion regarding what level of intrusion on bird life is appropriate. > While most of us follow the ABA Code of Ethics or follow similar guidelines > via local organizations or eBird it is easy to understand different people > have different opinions on the matter. > > What I am wondering and I'm hoping you will shed some light on is the > apparent harvesting of data outside of the purview of people who are using > the hashtag, whether from eBird, local text alerts or what have you. What > seems particularly troubling is that multiple people have specifically DM'd > you and asked that you do not use their tweets and you continue to retweet > them anyway, although apparently stripping their names from your posting. > > Given the current events, it seems appropriate people should have a full > understanding of how their data is being gathered, stored and used. > > While reasonable people may disagree on what is ethical birding or not I > see less room for different interpretations when it comes to ignoring a > member of the birding community's direct request to have you not use their > data. As one human being to another this seems to be completely lacking in > civility. I hope you will take the time to respond to these concerns to the > list as they are shared by many people in the NYC birding community. > > Kind regards, > > Sean Sime > Brooklyn, NY > > > > > > > > > > On Fri, Mar 30, 2018 at 7:52 PM, David Barrett <mil...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Birds are back! There have been 38 Manhattan alerts already today, > including American Bittern. It's been a big day in the other boroughs, too. > And the season is just getting started. > > These alerts cover both rarities AND non-rarities of interest, such as the > first few arrivals of expected migrants, like the Palm and Louisiana > Warblers we had today. Posts of birding news or general birding conditions > are fine, too. > > > To receive these alerts, follow the accounts on Twitter that are of > interest to you. The alerts are always publicly-viewable and searchable, > both on Twitter and on the web. Click on the links to see the stream of > recent alerts: > > Manhattan: @BirdCentralPark, https://twitter.com/BirdCentralPark, #birdcp > > Bronx: @BirdBronx, https://twitter.com/BirdBronx, #birdbx > > Brooklyn: @BirdBrklyn, https://twitter.com/BirdBrklyn, #birdbk > > Queens: @BirdQueens, https://twitter.com/BirdQueens, #birdqu > > You can set your phone to notify you with sound or vibration as alerts > arrive. > > To issue alerts yourself, first become a followed user by sending a direct > message on Twitter to one of the above accounts. Or email me and I will get > you set up. > > Then to send an alert you just "tweet" using the appropriate hashtag as > above. For example, to send an alert for Queens: > > Piping Plover at Rockaway Beach Edgemere #birdqu > > I have written software that will see your tweet and immediately and > automatically relay it from the main account to all followers. > > If you have never used Twitter before, it's easy. You can make a free > account for yourself in a few minutes on the web or by downloading the > Twitter app on your device. See my site for complete directions on getting > started with Twitter and on using these alerts: > > https://bigmanhattanyear.com/ > > I hope these alerts will make your birding more productive and enjoyable. > Email me with any questions. > > > These alerts are a great adjunct to eBird -- you can post quickly to them > without having to halt your eBird list and go through all the steps of > finalizing and sending your list. > > > Twitter also has some advantages over listservs: > > 1) It allows you to attach map screenshots, photos, and videos *directly* > – no photo site needed. > > 2) It allows followers to immediately view these multimedia files without > opening a browser. > > 3) It's faster to use in the field -- no need to write a topic heading or > provide name/city signature. > > 4) There are no restricted species. > > 5) You'll get "likes!" And you can carry on discussions publicly or > privately with other birders. > > 6) You do not need a smartphone -- just a regular phone that can send text > messages. > > 7) Twitter has millions of users, offering the potential for wider > exposure and more participation. > > > Good birding, > > David Barrett > Manhattan > > > -- > *NYSbirds-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm> > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive > <http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> > ABA <http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01> > *Please submit your observations to **eBird* > <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>*!* > -- > > -- > *NYSbirds-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm> > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive > <http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> > ABA <http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01> > *Please submit your observations to **eBird* > <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>*!* > -- > > > -- > *NYSbirds-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm> > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive > <http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> > ABA <http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01> > *Please submit your observations to **eBird* > <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>*!* > -- > -- BTW -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
