OFO’s Email Listservs: Ontbirds and Birdnews
ONTBIRDS has been upgraded
Our listserv software has been upgraded. In summary:
- If you were subscriber before the upgrade, you still are a subscriber
- Your previous subscription preferences will apply
- If you want to change your preferences, you will need to register
For more details, please read on.
New Dashboard
The gateway to ONTBIRDS is now the ONTBIRDS dashboard at https://ontbirds.ca:
- It shows the lists, namely ONTBIRDS and Birdnews
- Click on a list name to go to List Info Board; then, click View the archives to do just that
- Or, click on the list menu button (three vertical dots on the right side) and select View the Archives
If you are an existing subscriber, you should continue to receive ONTBIRDS and Birdnews posts without interruption. You should also be able to view the archives as described above.
You will probably notice the greeting of Hi, Guest in the top right corner of the page. That means you are not signed in.
Benefits of signing up
To change your preferences (e.g. disable delivery, change delivery mode to digest, etc), you will need to sign up for an account. Yes, it seems strange that you have to do this, given that you already have subscriptions.
To sign up for a new account:
- Go to the ONTBIRDS dashboard
- Click on icon at top right, where it says Hi, Guest
- Click Click here to sign up for new account
- Wait for verification email
- In the message, click on Verify Email Address
- This will take you back to the ONTBIRDS dashboard, but will now show you signed in with your own account
Once you are signed in, you can click on your name to access a menu.
Click on Update profile to:
- Change your name, timezone and avatar (image)
- Change some mail delivery settings that will be shared across all lists
- Unsubscribe from all lists
- Delete your account
- NOTE: you can’t change email address! If you need to use a new one, you will need to delete the old account and create new one
Click on Change password to do just that.
From the ONTBIRDS dashboard, you can now use the list menu button (three vertical dots on the right side), to:
- Change some mail delivery options for this list only.
That’s not all
As you will notice from the new archive page, there’s a lot to this upgrade. It’s yours to discover! You can use the Contact the list owners from list menu button if you have any questions or comments.
What’s the difference between Ontbirds and Birdnews?
Ontbirds is for provincially rare bird sightings only.
Ontbirds is for sharing sightings of provincially rare birds – Rare Bird Alerts (RBAs) which Ontario birders will wish to see. Messages are timely so birders are quickly alerted to the presence of rarities. Ontbirds is not a chat or discussion group. Please review the Ontbirds Posting Guidelines before posting a message.
Birdnews is for everything else.
Birdnews is for news, announcements, location summaries such as Hawk Watch reports, Christmas Bird Count reports, first of year sightings and trip reports. Please review the Birdnews Posting Guidelines before posting a message.
Other provincial and regional rare bird alerts are listed under Finding Birds – Rare Bird Alerts and News.
You can view the Ontbirds message archive at https://ontbirds.ca/empathy/list/birdalert.ontbirds.ca or the Birdnews message archive at https://ontbirds.ca/empathy/list/birdnews.ontbirds.ca.
Subscribing, Unsubscribing, and Managing your Preferences
Subscribing and Unsubscribing
To subscribe, unsubscribe or manage your preferences, visit the Ontbirds list page. Use the 3 vertical dots on the right hand side of the screen.
Daily Digest Option
You can choose to receive Ontbirds and/or Birdnews messages as a daily digest. To select this option, go to the Ontbirds list page. Login with your email, then use the 3 vertical dots to select Change preferences. From the Delivery Mode pulldown menu, select one of the Digest options. You can change your preference at anytime.
Sending Messages
Note that when you send a message, you will not receive a copy in your inbox.
Ontbirds: Send an email birdalert@ontbirds.ca.
Birdnews: Send an email to birdnews@ontbirds.ca.
Posting Rules
The posting rules are the same for Ontbirds and Birdnews. These rules are intended to ensure a safe and collegial forum which welcomes appropriate contributions from all subscribers.
Messages which do not adhere to rules will be blocked at the discretion of the Moderators. Subscribers who do not abide by the posting rules may be denied access.
- Messages should be short, to the point and factual. The Listservs are discussion forums. Attacks, rudeness, and sarcasm are not acceptable.
- Messages containing racist, sexist, or other discriminatory comments or opinions will not be tolerated.
- If you wish to reply to a post, please reply to the sender only, privately, and politely.
- Subscribers are entitled to their opinion about the validity of a post, but they are not entitled to attack the sender. If you believe that a post should not have been allowed, please express your views only to the Ontbirds Moderators or the Birdnews Moderators.
- If you receive a message in response to a post which contains inappropriate content, forward a copy in full to the Ontbirds Moderators or the Birdnews Moderators.
Ontbirds Posting Guidelines
Ontbirds is for provincially rare bird sightings only.
If you have a question about whether or not to post your observation, email the Ontbirds Moderators.
Information to Include in your Message
Include the species’ common name and general location in the subject of the message. The body of the message should include the date and time of the sighting, the location, and any other pertinent details. Any doubt about the identification should be clearly stated.
Note that we want it to be quick and easy to send a message — detailed directions to the sighting location are nice to have, but no longer mandatory. Please feel free to include a dropped pin location.
Rarity Posting Criteria
Birds posted to the Ontbirds RBA Listserv should meet one of the following criteria:
- Currently OBRC-reviewable species on the Ontario list or those that would be new for the checklist or review zone. View the list here.
Regional review lists:
- South Review List
- Central Review List
- Lowlands Review List
- Subspecies on the Ontario review list or new subspecies for the province:
Long-staying Rarities
Updates on the status of continuing rarities are helpful, but after a bird has been present for a week or two, daily or hourly updates are not usually necessary; instead please only report to Ontbirds if there is important new information or a significant change in status. Birders should check eBird for up-to-date information in these situations.
Prohibited Sightings
The following sighting should not be posted because of the species sensitivity or presence on private property. Posts will not be allowed by the Ontbirds Moderators.
- Owls of any species.
- Species at risk in appropriate habitat during the breeding season.
- Birds on or only visible from private property where permission or other special arrangements have not been established.
Birdnews Posting Guidelines
What to Post
Birdnews is intended as a quick and convenient way to share birding news, announcements, and reports of interest to Ontario birders. Ontbirds is reserved for provincially rare bird sightings.
You must email the Birdnews Moderators to clear your message with them before posting announcements or information from organizations or private companies. Such posts (unless time sensitive) will be held for posting on Tuesdays only. Solicitations or product advertisements are not allowed.
Examples of acceptable messages include:
- Christmas Bird Count regional summaries
- Count results from the Lake Ontario Waterfowl Count or other citizen science counts
- Summaries of significant Birding Competition reports. Include only highlights, number of species, count conditions, number of observers, missed birds, etc.
- Concise OFO trip reports
- First of year sightings
- Location reports from hotspots such as Cranberry Marsh.
- Hawk watch summaries
If you have a question about whether a posting is appropriate, please email the Birdnews Moderators privately.