Comments on: Proposed Change to the American Birding Association’s Countable Area

By: Birdfreak Day! Our 3rd Anniversary!

Birdfreak Day! Our 3rd Anniversary! — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:00:46 +0000

[...] September 2009 I took Stacia birding at a local preserve to find wading birds and shorebirds Stacia participated in her first bird club field trip We discussed some potential changes to the American Birding Association rules [...]

By: John

John — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:51:21 +0000

I would favor #3. Having an arbitrary listing area has never made much sense to me.

By: The Birdfreak Team

The Birdfreak Team — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:03:02 +0000

Michael – I fully enjoyed your article and agree that the status quo needs a kick. A “big” change may be a bit risky but done right can have such monumental rewards it will be well worth it.

By: Michael Retter

Michael Retter — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:28:06 +0000

As the author of the aforementioned opinion piece, I’d fully support this idea if it came to pass. What I do know for sure is that the status quo needs a kick in the behind.

By: The Birdfreak Team

The Birdfreak Team — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:18:41 +0000

Chip – completely valid point. That would definitely need to be weighed into the mix. Our personal experience with birding in AZ and TX is that we would continue to enjoy going there regardless but would probably use it as a jumping off point to regions just south.

There is a stigma for many about “crossing the border” as well and it would be nice to alleviate that in the process.

By: Chip Clouse

Chip Clouse — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:05:45 +0000

I’m not advocating any of the proposed ideas, but wanted to mention that the impact to local economies in the border areas of TX, NM, AZ, & CA might be substantial. Many of these communities depend on birder dollars. I’m just saying…