Date: Fri, 17 May 2002 11:17:27 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Walter Ellison Subject: Re: imm. Orioles MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Tom Beal asked: > Do immature plumage male Orchard / Baltimore Orioles mate? If they are found > singing or defending territories, does that count for the Breeding Bird > Survey? Yes, second-year male orioles can attract mates and breed. Back in the 1970s the first Orchard Oriole breeding record in nearly a century in Vermont involved such a young male. Many do not get mates but they are surely attempting to nest and should count as probable breeders. This means young male orioles should be counted on Breeding Bird Survey routes. In general if there are young males around older ones hold territory in a region too so "mateless" young males are usually not a problem for doing atlas field work. Good Atlasing, Walter Ellison MD/DC Atlas Coordinator - MOS 23460 Clarissa Rd Chestertown, MD 21620-3645 410-778-9568 "A person who is looking for something doesn't travel very fast." - E. B. White ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================