Date: Tue, 9 Jul 2002 23:09:02 +0100 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Linda Baker Subject: Re: Atlasing In-Reply-To: <004f01c2277c$28daa180$a7a1c7cf@Earth2> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >Thanks for addressing this question, I had been mulling over just what to >do with a couple of sightings and you have helped more than just the >original questioner. Linda Baker quiltbird@annapolis.net > >This is always a judgement call. More conservative atlas workers will >go for the fuzzy youngster's that just hopped out of the nest but such >workers may be cautious about using "FL" even for birds still being >actively fed if the kids look too mobile. I tend to be a bit more >liberal. I base my judgement on the underlying biology of the bird, >the abundance of the species in the block, and the likelihood the >young could have moved from a neighboring block. Some birds can move >very far within a week of leaving the nest, this is especially true of >seabirds and swallows so I am especially careful of such birds. On the >other hand if a bird is common in a block, such as Barn Swallow, and I >see fairly mobile fledglings across from the barn in which they likely >were raised I might be less fastidious. I'm less worried about >woodpeckers, crows and jays not nesting in my block than I am of say >Spotted Sandpiper. If I am within easy flight distance of a block >boundary I will also stay my hand unless the young are in one of those >cute little fuzzy, family groups begging regularly for morsels from >mom or dad. As with so much in life you must be judicious but >reasonable. > ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================