The only thing I've been lucky enough to see and suppress in 2009 was Ruddy Duck, an endangered species nowadays.

Pete, I think this sort of thing more often crops up when visiting a site you don't know well personally.
Maybe bird X is common where I bird regularly.
But on visiting your local patch I see the same bird which is a rare breeder at this site.
I write a note on here and the secret is out.

The problem only arises IF nefarious characters are both
a. really out there (OK they are) and
b. (more important) monitoring every post on here and all the other birdy forums

The scum bags you, rightly, worry about are far better informed than we think.

I really appreciate the concern over this issue and this forum but let me put everyone's mind at rest.

This Manchester Birding Forum, and I know there are many county birders out there who will testify to the fact, is one of the most closely and carefully moderated forums in the country. My guidelines on the release of information are second to none, to the point where many probably believe it's over the top. For instance, we are the only forum which has a complete blanket withdrawal of all sightings of Little Ringed Plover from 1st May to the beginning of July. I received a certain amount of dissaproval for that one, including from out of county folk, but it has been proven to be right and justified.

I moderate each and every post and you will find without doubt that no sensitive information leaks through. If I do happen to miss something, then there is a small army of forum regulars who immediately let me know.

What classes as sensitive information is in some small part down to each and every site and it's regular watchers. So the decision not to release the news of your partridges Pete is entirely down to you. The really sensitive stuff, breeding birds, raptors and owls etc are very clearly dealt with in the sticky posts at the top of the county bird sightings forum. Only myself and Judith Smith should really be notified of sensitive breeding birds and to be fair Judith should always be your first port of call with such information as she is far better suited to deal with it than I.

In answer to the question though "do we need to take care when posting sightings on local websites" the answer is and always has been YES. If in doubt, contact me and we will decide between us the best option. I would rather this than it be posted anyway and me have to delete it.

I pride myself and those users on this forum that we have the best county forum in the country, if you think there is a better one then let me know as I like to keep up with the competition . There is no bickering, slanging matches, rediculously nonsensical posts, useless information, dramatically going off topic etc. We have a laugh on here, there is a huge amount of superb information, there is no hiding behind nicknames or psuedonyms (took some flack over that one originally) so we know who whe're talking to and the quality of bird sighting information is second to none. It is OUR forum and we all take some responsibility for the release of information although the book ultimately stops with me. So if you see something you're not sure of then please don't hesitate to contact me (07958 687481) to discuss the matter, night or day, I never (unfortunately!) switch off

hi pete i to have had the same quandry and i only reported some owl sightings to judith smith(county bird recorder) although if you reported your sightings to ian himself i am sure he would be able to decide wether to post them publicly or not

This is not a statement its a question. I wonder whether I am being over cautious or not. After a walk out recently I posted one of my sightings of grey partridges amongst the rest of the birds I spotted. Later I edited out as the thought occurred to me if I was an illegal falconer or illegal person with a gun I reckon I would watch this site in particular as its very local and specific. I am not talking about the responsible falconer or wildfowler but those who dont seek landowners permission who just go out on spec illegally armed with some fresh information. Also I might be cautious if I thought the bird would suffer from excessive zeal from birders. Or in a culling situation I might suffer memory loss which I am prone to sometimes. On the other hand its motivating and interesting to hear of others experiences and without it the hobby would lose a lot of spark I feel. Its a difficult one what do others think?