"Just in Case" Social group?

[Zarafia]

Another bird forum I'm on has a Social Group called "Just in Case".
It is a group of members who have listed their contact info (phone numbers and general location) just in case somebody has an emergency at an odd time or just needs immediate advice.
Obviously it's a voluntary thing. But I think it's a very neat idea. We all know that birds are fond of having emergencies at all hours, preferably at night or on weekends LOL.
What do you guys think of having such a thing on here? And is it even possible?

[Kephri]

I'd be on it... except I'm a pre-apprentice so I won't be much help to anybody unless they just need an extra set of eyes or something. :)

It sounds like a decent idea to me. I know that with horses (what I do have some experience with) sometimes it's hard to find a qualified vet to come take care of an equine emergency in the middle of the night or whenever. It's even harder to find qualified raptor people to call with questions.

I would feel like I had a big safety net if I had a list of people willing to take an emergency call if something happened to my bird that is either not vet-related or I couldn't get a hold of a vet or my sponsor for some reason.

Although, on the other side of things, if I was on the list as an experienced person and some over-reacting first year apprentice called me in the middle of the night about something trivial, I might take my number off the list pretty quick, lol. confusedd

[Zarafia]

Yeah, Lena, abuse of the list would be the biggest problem I forsee.
I'm not really sure how these forum "Social Groups" work. I don't know if you need to be a member of that group to access it.
I would think that a condition of being in the group would be that one is respectful and doesn't go "drunk dialing" LOL, just cause they've got access to people's phone numbers.
I know this sort of thing has not been a problem on the other forum, but it is certainly a concern.

And again, I'm not sure how much admin/mod control there is over these groups, but I would suggest that if somebody abused the privlidge they ought to be removed from the group, or in some way denied access to the group. JMHO

[sharptail]

Good Idea, sign me up!

[bobpayne]

Yeah, Lena, abuse of the list would be the biggest problem I forsee.
I'm not really sure how these forum "Social Groups" work. I don't know if you need to be a member of that group to access it.
I would think that a condition of being in the group would be that one is respectful and doesn't go "drunk dialing" LOL, just cause they've got access to people's phone numbers.
I know this sort of thing has not been a problem on the other forum, but it is certainly a concern.

And again, I'm not sure how much admin/mod control there is over these groups, but I would suggest that if somebody abused the privlidge they ought to be removed from the group, or in some way denied access to the group. JMHOWouldn't this list be simular to the listing available to you for your State club or NAFA? I don't really see much of a difference.

[Zarafia]

Good Idea, sign me up!

Thanks, Jeff. You would be a great one to have on there.
Lets see what the admin and mods have to say.

Actually, I think I might be able to set the Social Group up. I don't know, I'll have to see.
Up until yesterday I didn't even know how to post an avatar pic LOL!

[Zarafia]

Wouldn't this list be simular to the listing available to you for your State club or NAFA? I don't really see much of a difference.


I think this would be more personal and more useful in an emergency. This would be a group of people who are willing to give out their phone numbers knowing that they could be used if a person has a crisis and needs help/advice.
It's one thing to be able to e-mail somebody or post on the forum, but when you've got a serious emergency/problem it could make a big difference to be able to get somebody on the phone right away, IMHO.

[sharptail]

I have already used the services of Coopersgirl to attempt to recover my lost peregrine this year. If I need the help of others, I guess I better be willing to do the same for my fellow falconers. Not that I wouldn't have if called upon anyway.

[Zarafia]

Well I went ahead and set it up.
If you want to participate go to "Quick Links" and scroll down to "Social Groups" you can figure it out from there. Just post your info and subscribe to the group.
I hope that the group can be a beneficial thing.

[frootdog]

What kind of after hours emergencies are you talking about?

[Zarafia]

Whatever may come up that somebody really needs advice on.
Of course we all know that no "Social Group" can replace veterinary care. But there are members here who can offer advice on supportive care until a bird can get to a vet.
This is just intended to be a way that falconers can get a hold of other falconers in times of extreme need.
You often have very good advice, Krys, but feel free to abstain from the group if you don't agree with its intent.

[frootdog]

Krys, but feel free to abstain from the group if you don't agree with its intent.

It's not that I don't agree with the intent, but it is a poor substitute for people that live close and/or finding adequate vet care. Some one already brought up the fact that the state clubs have a phone list of members, as does NAFA. Part of having a bird is taking the responsibility for finding vet care. If you are not willing to do that or drive XX miles to the vet then you flat out should not have the bird in captivity.

[Zarafia]

It's not that I don't agree with the intent, but it is a poor substitute for people that live close and/or finding adequate vet care. Some one already brought up the fact that the state clubs have a phone list of members, as does NAFA. Part of having a bird is taking the responsibility for finding vet care. If you are not willing to do that or drive XX miles to the vet then you flat out should not have the bird in captivity.


As one of my professors once said, "That's your opinion and you are entitled to keep it to yourself." :D
Not everybody here is a member of NAFA or a state club, this thread is not a place to debate that.
Even if somebody is willing to drive X miles and spend X amount of money, there are things that can be done to help keep the bird stable until it arrives at the vet's office.
This group could serve other functions as well, like Jeff mentioned, it could be useful in alerting other local falconers to a wayward bird.
As I tried to say politely before, if this does not appeal to you then don't give it any further thought.

[Zarafia]

The Social Group is up and running!
Anyone is free to join, just read my previous post to join.

[FredFogg]

Not sure that it is all that needed, all though a good idea with good intent. Most folks lose a bird or need medical advice, they come on here or some other forum, post their problem, get advice or phone numbers in a private message from others that will help go look for their bird or will look for a signal. So it pretty much gets done without a list of phone numbers being public. But if folks are willing to put their number out there, I say go for it.

[outhawkn]

It's not that I don't agree with the intent, but it is a poor substitute for people that live close and/or finding adequate vet care. Some one already brought up the fact that the state clubs have a phone list of members, as does NAFA. Part of having a bird is taking the responsibility for finding vet care. If you are not willing to do that or drive XX miles to the vet then you flat out should not have the bird in captivity.

Not all emergencies require a vet though. A LOT of times just having an experienced falconer handy, that can and will help you out will solve the problem without spending a fortune on a vet.
I think its a great idea Mere..............clapp

[JRedig]

Not all emergencies require a vet though. A LOT of times just having an experienced falconer handy, that can and will help you out will solve the problem without spending a fortune on a vet.
I think its a great idea Mere..............clapp

I guess I would ask if it's really an emergency then?

[outhawkn]

I guess I would ask if it's really an emergency then?

" I lost my bird over at so and so's place, an hour ago can anybody come help me look for it"...look on Mere's list and see that falconer so and so lives close by and has OFFERED to help by posting. You call him up and now you have two folks looking..........maybe not an emergency by some standards, but if it were my hawk I would surely appreciate the EMERGENCY help!! And if people arent interested, dont sign up.....:D

[Zarafia]

Thank you Fred and Bill.
Of course it is completely voluntary. So if you don't like the idea don't become a member.

[frootdog]

" I lost my bird over at so and so's place, an hour ago can anybody come help me look for it"...look on Mere's list and see that falconer so and so lives close by and has OFFERED to help by posting. You call him up and now you have two folks looking..........maybe not an emergency by some standards, but if it were my hawk I would surely appreciate the EMERGENCY help!! And if people arent interested, dont sign up.....:D

And that is all the better reason to be a member of your state club. They are going to have far more resources than either a social group or the collective work of this forum.

[sharptail]

And that is all the better reason to be a member of your state club. They are going to have far more resources than either a social group or the collective work of this forum.Could be. In my recent case, it was a member of this forum that was much more help than the CHC, even though they were notified and asked for help.

[Zarafia]

And that is all the better reason to be a member of your state club. They are going to have far more resources than either a social group or the collective work of this forum.


Frootdog, I asked earlier on this thread that this thread not be a place to discuss the merits of being a member of a state or national club. Please stay on topic.
Obviously you are not interested in participating in this social group, and that's perfectly fine.

[FredFogg]

Thank you Fred and Bill.
Of course it is completely voluntary. So if you don't like the idea don't become a member.

Ok, I won't! toungeout LOL :D It isn't that I think it is a bad idea, I just don't think it is necessary. I have a list of phone numbers of falconers in my state, so if I lose a bird, I will call them for help. Actually, I have called them and they helped me find my lost bird. If I need medical advice, I have my vets personal number and I know a falconer that is a vet that I can call anytime. And quite frankly, I think every falconer should have contact information of other falconers in their area in case they ever do lose a bird and they should have contact information for medical advice, 24/7. To me, that is part of being a prepared falconer. So again, I don't have a need for the list. But if others do, youv'e got them covered! clapp

[outhawkn]

And that is all the better reason to be a member of your state club. They are going to have far more resources than either a social group or the collective work of this forum.

Dude......dont join her group. Simple as that...............

[frootdog]

Dude......dont join her group. Simple as that...............

Dude..... She asked what everyone thought. Not just for positive comments.

[outhawkn]

Dude..... She asked what everyone thought. Not just for positive comments.

Right...you dont like the idea..we got that the first time.....

[frootdog]

Right...you dont like the idea..we got that the first time.....

And you do we get that too. I'm also NOT the only one that has stated my position more than once, just the only person you and Meredith choose to take to task for it.

[outhawkn]

Whatever......

[...and a girl]

I could see this being useful if you are out of your normal area or state. Like you head to visit relatives and loose a bird out of state. You may not know of any local falconers to call. Just a thought I had....

[Zarafia]

Sabrina, this was just an idea I got from another forum (and not a falconry forum), not my idea. But it helped people and birds on that other forum.
So I thought, why not try it here?

[Chris L.]

Its simple, Join it if you want, do not if you don't like it. If it works great. If not, great. If I listened to all who told me this forum would be nothing but a failure or I was just wasting my time, NAFEX would have never come to be.

[Dutch]

Krys wrote, “It's not that I don't agree with the intent, but it is a poor substitute for people that live close and/or finding adequate vet care. Someone already brought up the fact that the state clubs have a phone list of members, as does NAFA. Part of having a bird is taking the responsibility for finding vet care.”


I agree with Krys’s comment. Perhaps NAFEX can add to the list of vets in the US by listing those vets with the most experience and/or surgical skill. In my view, Dave Remple’s skills are high on such a list. Dave fixed a broken wing on a friend of ours tiercel peregrine and the tiercel continued to catch large ducks for another five seasons after the break. Dave’s experience in fixing foot infections is also important to note.





J. Stoddart

[kimmerar]

I'll join if I can help. I ran into a situation with a kestrel getting ahold of a bad starling and yes I called my vet at 10 pm and no call back until 6:30am. And I know of another example of a call in at 6am on a Sunday and the vet specializing in birds was not in that day. She called back at 2pm.

I think it's a great idea Mere. Sign me up.

Oh and Krys I know of a vet in Tenn that gave a kestrel 1cc of injectable gentimyacin (injected into the breast) for scale damage on the legs. I'm the one that recommended to see a vet - this vet specialized in birds too. Bird died within 3 hrs of the shot - regurged all its food within 30 min of the injection. Vet swore it was safe after it died. If it's safe for a peregrine - it's safe for a kestrel. The kidneys were completely white and the vet said that the bird died of a kidney infection. This bird took a starling the day before.

[Saluqi]

Krys wrote, “It's not that I don't agree with the intent, but it is a poor substitute for people that live close and/or finding adequate vet care. Someone already brought up the fact that the state clubs have a phone list of members, as does NAFA. Part of having a bird is taking the responsibility for finding vet care.”


I agree with Krys’s comment. Perhaps NAFEX can add to the list of vets in the US by listing those vets with the most experience and/or surgical skill. In my view, Dave Remple’s skills are high on such a list. Dave fixed a broken wing on a friend of ours tiercel peregrine and the tiercel continued to catch large ducks for another five seasons after the break. Dave’s experience in fixing foot infections is also important to note.





J. Stoddart


Here you go, vets by state:

http://www.nafex.net/showthread.php?t=7963

It's a sticky in the health care forum.

[tyler1998]

And that is all the better reason to be a member of your state club. They are going to have far more resources than either a social group or the collective work of this forum.

What if there is no state club? Hopefully I'll never have to use this, but great idea Meredith.