Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 18:21:20 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Norm Saunders Subject: FW: O.C. CBC info (Dec. 28) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable A plea for Christmas Counters in Ocean City! -----Original Message----- From: JMSheppar@aol.com [mailto:JMSheppar@aol.com]=20 Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2003 4:18 PM Subject: O.C. CBC info (Dec. 28) Dear fellow birders: The 56th Ocean City, MD, Christmas Bird Count will be this year. The O.C. CBC has consistently produced the highest species totals in Maryland and has equaled or exceeded 150 species seven out of the past eight years. The maximum on this count is 163 species. We would like to see as many participants from the past counts return and help again this year. We need your help. Please ask everyone you think might want to count to plan on attending: Sunday, December 28, 2003. Overnight accommodations, if needed: FRANCIS SCOTT KEY MOTEL (FSK)-1-800-213-0088. (Located 1 mi E of O.C. on south side of RT. 50.) We have arranged for a discount rate at the Francis Scott Key Motel (1-800-213-0088) for the weekend of the count. Instead of the usual weekend rate of ~$55 for a room, the rate will be $35 per night. You need to call and reserve a room BEFORE Dec. 23 and to identify yourself as one of the 'birdwatchers' to get this rate. It is good for Friday and Saturday nights (Sunday night is the usual weekday rate). =20 At this time, there are no known early-opening restaurants in the immediate area of O.C. on Sundays. So please plan to bring your own breakfast (etc.) materials. The rooms at the FSK do have the means to cook & heat coffee, etc. First light will be about 7 AM and last light about 5:15 PM. Since this is a Sunday, there will be no hunting. I will post the tidal info a week or two before the count. Please advise your past party leader(s) as soon as possible if you can or cannot participate. Please advise them how many others you have rounded up to help, too. Party and subparty assignments will work out a lot better if everyone lets their party leaders know a week or more before the count. If any areas need help, please let me know as soon as possible, preferably well before December 24. If you have worked with a certain party leader in the past, please contact that person directly. If you are interested in joining this count for the first time or have not participated for many years, contact me for further information. There are 177 sq mi in a CBC circle; the more help, the better the coverage of all the open ocean, bays, ponds, fields, marshes, woods, and beaches, as well as all those backyard feeders, ditches, and brush piles. Party leaders who will not be at the Francis Scott Key the evening before the count should let me know so that I can mail them forms and maps. As you have likely heard, the Natl. Audubon Soc. has not changed the fee structure: it is still $5/person over 18. I will need the complete snail mailing addresses of only those observers who have not participated on any other count who wish to receive the annual report from NAS. I assume and will later confirm that the tally will be upstairs at Watermans Restaurant, north side of RT. 50, about 2 miles west of the bridge into Ocean City. See you all there! We want to start the tally itself at 7:00 PM sharp and hope to be done with the compilation shortly after 8:00 PM. We need to field a party into the South Pocomoke area. This area was not covered at all last year and poorly covered in most of the recent years. If you want to help here and count lots of geese, and maybe find a Ross' Goose, please let me know. Last year, several parties used their cell phones to coordinate observations of birds that might be double counted or missed entirely. This worked quite well in the several cases in which I was involved. Communication between the O.C., Center, and Assateague parties, in particular, has always been a small problem in the general area of the Inlet where so many eyes are focused during the course of the day. I ask for party leaders to let me know well before the count their cell phone numbers (if any) so we can have a short list of phone numbers to hand out with the forms for the count. Again, our goal is to have as many participants as possible on this 56th Ocean City CBC. This count always has a high potential for the unusual as evidenced by its cumulative species list of 241. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to drop me a line. Also, please review the distribution list and forward to anyone you see was not on my list. Have a Happy Holiday, drive safely and see you all on the 28th! Cheers Jay =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 =========================================================================