Birders,
The Fall Migration Season (1 August-30 November) has drawn to a close, and
we are soliciting reports for inclusion in the Middle Atlantic Region of NORTH
AMERICAN BIRDS. The Middle Atlantic Region covers reports from the states of
Maryland and Virginia, and the District of Columbia, INCLUDING THE MOUNTAINS
(see Changes below). If you are not familiar with NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS, please
refer to <http://www.mdbirds.org/mdbirding/field.html>. Although much of the
information is outdated, the section "What is North American Birds" explains a
brief history of the magazine, its contribution, and how your sightings can
help. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS is entirely dependent upon your reports, and it is
an
opportunity for YOUR sightings to become part of the Ornithological record and
contribute to our greater understanding of bird distribution and migration.
Please send reports to:
Todd M. Day
North American Birds
5118 Beaver Dam Rd.
Jeffersonton, VA 22724
blkvulture AT aol.com
Feel free to contact Marshall (miliff AT aol.com; 246 East 16th St., Unit B,
Costa Mesa, CA 92627) or Todd if there are any questions.
HOW TO REPORT
Certain counties in Maryland and Virginia have county compilers (see
list below). We ask that reports from those counties be sent first to the
county
compilers, who will then compile and edit the sightings to forward them to us.
Most counties do not have county compilers in place though, so we welcome
direct reports as well.
Although we monitor the state listservs (MDOsprey, VA-BIRD) keeping up with
the hundreds of emails and thousands of sightings each season has proven a
daunting task. While we welcome reports in all forms (including contemporaneous
emails), the ideal reporting format from our perspective continues to be the
"old fashioned" summary report. Such a report would include a taxonomic list of
noteworthy bird sightings from the reporting period (1 Aug-30 Nov in this
case) with species, date, location (with state and county), and observer
(including an indication of who first found the bird) for all sightings. Most
active
observers contribute about a page or so (very active birders may contribute
several pages) of noteworthy sightings, including rarities, early or late
migrants, unusual high counts, hybrid or aberrant individuals, or even
behavioral
observations of interest. Please report the dates you observed well-known rare
birds (e.g., the Maryland Kelp Gull as well) since we never know whose
observation will be the last. Many observers comment on the weather and their
general
impressions about the migration â such comments are always particularly
welcome.
Sightings of exceptionally rare species must be accompanied by
documentation to be included. If a report has been submitted to the MD or VA
Records
Committees please let us know and we can contact those secretaries for copies.
Depending on the species, a few lines of description may be sufficient, but
hard-to-identify birds may require lengthier descriptions. We appreciate the
contributions of all.
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS typically has space to publish 3-5 photos for our
region. We welcome slides, prints, or digital photos. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS does
not pay for the photos, but your photo will be captioned with your name and
the date the photo was taken. Despite the "digital revolution" photo
submissions have been down recently, so please do send us photos if you would
like to
have them showcased because they add much to our article. Photos need not
necessarily be of rarities or even of exceptionally good quality, though
generally
the rarer the bird and the better the photo the more likely it will be printed.
CHANGES
1) The local NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS editorship has undergone some changes that
you may not all be aware of. First and foremost, our region now encompasses
all of the states of Maryland and Virginia, whereas it formerly included just
areas east of the Appalachians. The former "Appalachian Region" is no more.
2) Todd M. Day, of Jeffersonton, VA, has signed on a co-editor as of the
Spring 2003 season. Todd has been the senior author of the Spring 2003 and
Summer
2003 reports, and will continue to serve as senior author for the fall 2003
season. As of this season, please send reports directly to Todd (if you've
already sent your report to me, I will forward it to Todd [and thank you!]).
COUNTY COORDINATORS
Elizabeth Pitney (Wicomico County, MD), 7218 Walston Switch Rd., Parsonsburg,
MD 21849.
Debbie Bennett (Caroline County, MD), P.O. Box 404 Denton, MD 21625.
Patty Craig (St. Mary's County, MD), P.O. Box 84, Lexington Park, MD 20653.
pattycraig AT mail.ameritel.net
Helen A. Patton (Montgomery County, MD), 429 Hamilton Ave., Silver Spring, MD
20901.
Jo Solem (Howard County, MD), 10617 Graeloch Rd., Laurel, MD 20723. Odenata
AT msn.com
We will look forward to your reports and thank you for your help with NORTH
AMERICAN BIRDS.
Best,
Todd M. Day (blkvulture AT aol.com)
and
Marshall J. Iliff (miliff AT aol.com)
***********************
Marshall Iliff
miliff@xxxxxxx
Costa Mesa, CA
************************
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