Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 10:03:12 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Robert Ringler Subject: Re: Safe Dates MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Just a brief word on the term "safe dates". Safe dates are used in the breeding bird atlas to indicate times = when a species is presumed to be breeding rather than migrating. These = dates are listed in the Atlas handbook. Not all MOS chapters have had = an atlas training session so not all the handbooks have been = distributed. There may be a copy on the MOS website. Nearly every species is migratory to some extent, or has a = post-breeding dispersal. The dates we have chosen aren't perfect but = should eliminate most of the questionable sightings relative to the = observation date. As for House Sparrow, I recall an October day at = Hart-Miller when we heard one overhead and watched it drop from the sky = into the marsh, presumably a migrant. But safe dates for House Sparrows = are rather superfluous because they are so easy to confirm as breeders = and this can be done on any date, even outside the safe dates. I hope the training sessions will be able to answer most of the = questions on this subject. Bob Ringler Eldersburg, Md ringler@qis.net =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =========================================================================