Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 07:11:03 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: David Mozurkewich Subject: Atlas save dates In-Reply-To: <3C9AAED2.C775E7F3@earthlink.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII George, As I understand it, atlas safe dates have little to do with when the species should be nesting. They are suppose to indicate the time when the species shouldn't be doing anything else. By that I mean the time between the end of spring migration and the start of fall dispersal so that JUST THE PRESENCE of the bird in SUITABLE habitat implies the bird is nesting. As a result, a single observation of the bird in suitable habitat within safe dates counts as a possible breeder for the atlas. Probable behavior should also be limited to the safe dates. For example, the pair of Towhees in my back yard or a Blackpoll singing from the same tree for a week in May does not indicate territorial behavior as these often occur during migration. Perhaps less obvious are courtship displays. Woodcock regularly display while on migration and many (most?) waterfowl display and pair off on the wintering grounds. None of these activities should not be considered probable breeding except within the safe dates. Of course as Fred said, confirmed is confirmed. As long as you are careful. Bald Eagles, Osprey and Great Blue Herons standing on nests, especially when they come in pairs, are confirmed nesters regardless of whether the species is still migrating. But other "confirmed" behavior can be more problematic. Wrens and Woodpeckers regularly build nests when they are not nesting. For woodpeckers they are building roost holes. For wrens, well wrens are just wrens. I also worry a little about crows, ravens, and other playful species. Building a nest is building a nest, but I have on several occasions seen crows flying by carrying sticks in December and January when I would guess that nest building is highly unlikely. Later in the season there will be additional problems with fledged young, but that's a topic for July. MDOsprey has the potential of being a real benefit to the atlas by providing a forum to discuss these problem cases. Hope this helps. I also hope it is reasonably accurate, Dave David Mozurkewich Seabrook, PG MD USA mozurk @ bellAtlantic.net > "George M. Jett" wrote: > > A question. The safe date for Killdeer is April 20. How does the > atlas project deal with birds that do not hold to the rules? Maybe > the safe dates will be widened, where appropriate, after some data is > collected. I see lots of indication of pre-breeding activity long > before the safe dates but wait patiently. Male bluebirds singing at > length on territory, inspecting nest boxes, copulation, .... What > guidance is available, please? George ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================