Date:         Mon, 19 Jan 2004 18:19:15 -0500
Reply-To:     Maryland Birds & Birding <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM>
Sender:       Maryland Birds & Birding <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM>
From:         Walter Ellison <rossgull@CROSSLINK.NET>
Subject:      Large owls are Atlas "Safe" & A Change in Incidental Reports
              Format
Comments: cc: Paul Zucker <paul.zucker@jhuapl.edu>,
          Mark Wimer <mark_wimer@usgs.gov>,
          Marcia Balestri <mebalestri@erols.com>,
          Kathy Klimkiewicz <kathy_klimkiewicz@usgs.gov>,
          Karen Morley <kdmorley@yahoo.com>, Joanne Solem <odenata@msn.com>,
          Janet Millenson <janet@twocrows.com>,
          Jane Coskren <coskren@erols.com>,
          Chan Robbins <chan_robbins@usgs.gov>, Bob Ringler <ringler@qis.net>,
          Glenn Therres <gtherres@dnr.state.md.us>,
          Anna Hutzell <AMP8185@aol.com>, Amy Bourque <abourque@audubon.org>,
          Arlene Ripley <piwa@earthlink.net>,
          Bill Russell <k.falcon12@comcast.net>,
          Charles Vaughn <essc@comcast.net>,
          "David R. Smith" <lacsmith@adelphia.net>,
          Debbie Terry <gt5s@bcpl.net>,
          Dennis Kirkwood <dkirkw@bellatlantic.net>,
          Don & Carol Broderick <cdbird@ezy.net>,
          Elliot Kirschbaum <elliotk500@verizon.net>,
          Fran Pope <fpope@gcnetmail.net>,
          Fred Fallon <fwfallon@earthlink.net>, Jim Green <Jkgbirdman@aol.com>,
          Judith Lilga <jslilga@intrepid.net>,
          Kyle Rambo <kyle.rambo@navy.mil>,
          Lynn Davidson <ldavidson@dnr.state.md.us>,
          Marcia Watson-Whitmyre <mww@udel.edu>,
          Mark Hoffman <mhoffman@dnr.state.md.us>,
          Patty Craig <pattycraig@mail.ameritel.net>,
          Ray Kiddy <rrkiddy@hereintown.net>,
          Rob Hilton <aimophila10@yahoo.com>,
          Sue Ricciardi <susier@starpower.net>,
          Wanda Cole <pacificsojourner@msn.com>
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Hi All,

Both of the large nesting owls - Great Horned and Barred - are now = within their atlas safe dates. Any encounter with either of these night = birds counts as a record of "possible" breeding for the next several = months. Great Horned Owls are very vocal at this time of year, Barred = Owls will probably not be notably vocal until mid-February but will stay = talkative until April.

Many owl observations are likely to be "incidental reports" made by = observers other than an assigned block leader. The incidental reports = section of the online Atlas Database Manager has been revised to make = reporting "incidentals" more straightforward and to eliminate sightings = that cannot be attributed to any block. In the original Incidental = Reporting format there were two options for reporting - "A" and "B". We = have eliminated option "A" because it can lead to sightings that can't = be placed in any block, and in practice it turned out that "Option A" = sightings are actually rare. Most observers who report incidental birds = make the effort to figure out in which block a bird occurred. Therefore = you must state the block where you had an incidental observation when = you enter a record online, optionally you also may add a description of = where you had the sighting on the report form. The latter detail can be = used to place reports in quarterblocks, and provide reassurance of block = identity.There are mapping resources listed at = www.mdbirds.org/atlas.html, although please note that a recent post by = Steve Huy indicates that aerial maps are no longer available for free = download from MapQuest. The State's Merlin map database offers an = overlay for atlas blocks on aerial photo maps for Maryland.

Looking Forward to Lots of Incidental Owl Sightings,
=20
Walter Ellison
MD-DC Atlas Coordinator - MOS
23460 Clarissa Road
Chestertown, MD 21620
phone: 410-778-9568
e-mail: rossgull@crosslink.net

"A person who is looking for something doesn't travel very fast" - E. B. = White (in "Stuart Little")

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