Hello MBC Friends,
I hope you enjoy our updated look and will find all the information you need about Monticello Bird Club at your fingertips. Here are a few tips about navigating through the website to access all the information that was formerly contained in our MBC Newsletter.
- The top left Side Bar box shows the next meeting date and the program. Click on that box to access Program information for the meeting and a list of upcoming program topics (as they become available). (If you are using a mobile device, it is possible that the “Side Bars” display at the bottom of the page, so keep scrolling; you’ll get there.)
- The second left Side Bar box shows “Upcoming Field Trips.” Click on an individual trip to find that trip’s information. Click on the highlighted text at the bottom of the box to see a more complete list of upcoming field trips Or, you can go to the Menu Bar across the top of the page, click on “Calendar” and then the drop down “Field Trips.”
- The top right Side Bar box lists the First Saturday Bird Walk date and leader.
- Explore the other Side Bar boxes, the additional boxes at the bottom of the page, and the drop-downs on the Menu Bar above the scrolling bird photos to see what you discover.
- Check out the Recent Posts (right Side Bar) to read updates from our Board and our Members.
- And don’t the photos (by our talented members) sliding across the top of the page look great? Hover over a picture to see the credits; click on the picture to view it full-size. (There are lots of pictures there now. I will probably update at some point, maybe adding more winter birds as the season approaches, but for now, we’re set. Too many pix may make downloading the site take too long if one’s internet connection is slow.) But, if you have photos you would like to have included in the future, do send them to me; and I will substitute eventually. I would love to have as many talented MBC photographers represented there as possible.
- I will email you each month to alert you to the posting of the next meeting date and upcoming Field Trips (with a link to this website). However, we hope you’ll visit the site more frequently on your own to check for new posts to keep you abreast of MBC happenings and just to explore.
- Please consider contributing a Member Post (and a photo or two!) about your birding adventures for publication on the website. Subjects might include a great birding trip that you would recommend, a story about an unusual birding encounter, a link to an article that you feel others should know, or any subject you feel would be of interest to our members. Of course, posting on our Facebook page is, likewise, a great way to share the pleasure, but it you have a tad longer “article” in mind, the website would be a perfect place to post. Please send any such articles to me ([email protected]), and I’ll make it appear on our website.
One, or perhaps two, last thoughts about member posts…Stauffer sent me his wonderful article about his Big Day in Albemarle adventures way back in May. I had nowhere to publish it then, so you can enjoy reading about it here, three months later. Also, I regret that the website was not operative earlier in July and August when MBC members David White and Kay Slaughter were urging us to express our views regarding the fate of Ragged Mountain Natural Area. The website would have been a perfect place to further spread the word. I hope that many of us did make our opinions heard by attending the July 20th public hearing and/or writing Charlottesville City Council.
Please bear with us as we iron out the kinks to the site. Our webmaster, Abe Nelson, has done a great job making our vision for a working website become a reality and patiently guiding Yours Truly through the mechanics of our operating system. I think I’ll eventually enjoy this new way of spreading the word about MBC among our members. We hope the site will serve as a helpful tool to connect residents and visitors to our beautiful area with birding news and opportunities.
Please feel free to send comments, critiques and suggestions for the website to me at my email address (again, it’s [email protected]) or to the generic address ([email protected]).
