Sawwhetnet the Project Owlnet Listserv

Please read the information and rules below before joining.

SUBJECT MATTER:

The focus of Project Owlnet is migration monitoring research of nocturnal owls in North America. Although called Sawwhetnet, discussion is open to research of any nocturnal species of migratory owl. We started as a group of saw-whet owl banders, hence the name. Saw-whets are still the most banded, and discussed, species; but some of the more recent additions to the Project also net other species of owls.

Please try to limit your messages to nocturnal owl research. Our usual discussion regards owl migration activity and banding station reports during the migration season. We also discuss methodology of migration monitoring and answer questions for those in need. Discussion of other monitoring strategies, like nest box programs or roadside surveys is allowed, but be aware that there may be other lists more suited for in-depth discussion of these topics. Occasionally we might wish to share some thoughts on other closely related topics or personal experiences. This will be permitted, if kept to a minimum. Please keep in mind that this is a specialized list server, and overuse of the service for other topics may cause the list server to become undesirable to some of our busier members. Your contributions are valued and we wish to hear from all of you; however, if the server is used inappropriately, we may need to revert to a moderated format, which we'd rather not do.

Banders: We do report band recovery and recapture information via this list. This is not to be a substitute for your reporting obligations to the Bird Banding Lab of the North American Banding Program or your local agencies. See the rules below for more on this.

Warning: Some of us get a bit goofy at times. Owl research means little to no sleep for weeks at a time. It is hard, demanding work. This goofiness will range from pure silly, to plain stupid to terribly cranky. This list is the only outlet for some of us to share our joy, frustration, and all those things associated with owl banding. We always get back to business and we mean no harm so don't be frightened or shocked!

VOLUME:

Volume is never very large. At most, you can expect several messages a day during the peak of the Fall banding season. You may not see any activity for weeks (or months) during the summer.

MEMBERS:

Some of the list members are professional biologists and ornithologists. However, most are avocational bird banders and their networks of dedicated volunteers. If you have a serious interest in owl migration, small forest owls, and associated research you are welcome to participate. The Project Owlnet list server is a closed list; we approve entry into the list for each new member. Non-members cannot send to or receive from the list or view the archives. If a non-member wants to distribute a message to the list, they must do so through a member or the list managers. We are not overly strict about membership; we’re just trying to maintain the quality of the list and guard against it becoming a free-for-all with overwhelming levels traffic. If you are concerned that your qualifications and/or motivation for joining the list might not be acceptable, please send us an e-mail privately explaining your desire, interest, and/or motivation to join. We’re really not that hard to please! You can reach us privately at Sawwhetnet@yahoo.com.

MEMBERSHIP:

Membership is limited to researchers and their volunteers and those with a serious interest in migratory owl research. If you are new to the group, please have the head of your operation email us to introduce you. If you are not part of a known owl monitoring group, please introduce yourself with an explanation of your interest in joining. We may be reached at Sawwhetnet@yahoo.com.

RULES:

We have rules simply because someday we may need to use them if the list gets out of control. Currently there are no problems and this is a well-behaved group. The rules are simple:

• Stick to the subject matter.
• Participate - Project Owlnet was created to share information and support and encourage migratory owl research. Discussion and answering questions keeps us fresh and the list lively.
• Do not send files through the list. See below for more information.
• Be respectful of others:
  1. We were all new to this at some point. Remember this. Do not belittle anyone's opinions, no matter how naive they may seem. Be gentle! Teach and learn! It will make us all better in the end!
  2. No flaming! Rude behavior will not be tolerated! Violators may be suspended or permanently removed from the list with or without warning. This is a closed list and the list owners reserve the right to suspend or ban anyone at anytime.
  3. No obscene or objectionable material or language is allowed.
• The list managers retain all rights to remove anyone at anytime without warning or explanation.
• Bird Banders: We allow reporting of recovered/recaptured bands on this list. Generally we report a band number and perhaps a recapture date via the list and share details privately. We encourage reporting recoveries or recaptures of unique characteristics to the list. This is to allow for quick exchange of data between banders greater than what the capacity of the Bird Banding Lab allows. We can immediately exchange more data than they keep and do so before schedules are submitted. It also provides encouragement to us and our assistants to keep up our hard work. The amount of information shared with the list is up to the banders' discretion. This is not to be a substitute for fulfilling your obligations of reporting to the Bird Banding Lab of the North American Banding Program (BBL) or your local agencies. Report all data promptly to the BBL! Any unethical or illegal behavior will not be tolerated by Project Owlnet. We will cooperate with the BBL and other agencies in response to any complaints. We also reserve the right to report anything we feel to be a violation of law to appropriate agencies. Violators may be suspended or permanently removed from the list.

JOINING or UNSUBSCRIBING:

All members need to be approved by the list owners before they can post to or receive from the list. We generally review requests for membership daily, and by the following day you should be a list member. Just an FYI; traffic on the list server can be sporadic and you might not receive any mail for several days, even weeks (perhaps months during the summer, our slow season). Rest assured you were subscribed! Introduce yourself - it's a good way to test the system. We will e-mail an explanation to anyone denied membership; if you don’t receive a denial, you’re in.

SENDING TO THE LIST:

To send a message to the list for distribution to all members, address your e-mail to sawwhetnet@yahoogroups.com.

THE REPLY BUTTON:

This is an unmoderated server; this means that any message to Sawwhetnet, including replies to messages from the list, are automatically distributed to everyone on the list. Check your "send to" field before hitting send. We also request that members of the digest do not use the reply command to respond to a topic. This may resend the entire digest to the list. This creates large, hard to follow messages and will result in more frequent digests. Please copy and paste any relevant passage to which you wish to respond to a new message.

YAHOO GROUPS, THE HOST:

Yahoo Groups is a free service from Yahoo.com. It provides the listserv host and a listserv homepage. It is recommended that all Sawwhetnet members create a Yahoo ID so that they can access all the Sawwhetnet features. These features include file sharing and photos among other things.

I have tested Yahoo extensively and have had no problems with security or SPAM. Make sure you set up your profile properly and you will nto receive any SPAM due to Yahoo. Best of all, it's free!

FILES:

Please! DO NOT SEND FILES through the list server! These can be time (and memory) consuming for some e-mail services. Viruses are also a concern. The preferred distribution method for files will be to send a message (without attachments) to the group to say that you have the file available and describe its content. Members can then e-mail you personally to request the file be sent directly to them. Files may also be posted on teh Yahoo Groups Sawwhetnet site. you must be a list member and have a valid Yahoo ID to use this feature. We will occasionally send out attached files when it is information that should be of value to all members of the list. (A good example is information on sex determination in Northern Saw-whet Owls.) If you have similar information that may be of interest to the entire list, please contact the list manager at Sawwhetnet@yahoo.com for advice. Remember; always be cautious about viruses! Never open an unexpected file, even if it comes from someone you know, including this list. While we will feel sympathetic to anyone that experiences trouble with a virus, we assume no responsibilty for the content of any files on this website or sent via Sawwhetnet. Always use protection - a good anti-virus software is a must!

ARCHIVES:

Yahoo Groups provides a Sawwhetnet archive. This archive is available only to approved members of the Sawwhetnet with a valid Yahoo ID.

We hope that you find the Project Owlnet list server useful and enjoyable. If you have any comments that you would like to share privately, just send an e-mail to Sawwhetnet@yahoo.com.

Best regards and good netting to all!!!

The list managers – Steve Huy and Dave Brinker