We need your sightings for ABA Field Notes!!!
Norm Saunders (osprey@ARI.Net)
Tue, 2 Jun 1998 19:35:33 -0500
From: Miliff@aol.com
Date: Tue, 2 Jun 1998 12:03:01 EDT
To: mdosprey@ari.net
Subject: We need your sightings for ABA Field Notes!!!
June 1, 1998
901 Crystal Spring Farm Rd.
Annapolis, MD 21403
Dear Friends, Area Birders, and Field Notes Contributors,
If you are unfamiliar with Field Notes, please read on - information on
who
we are and what the magazine includes is below.
The Spring reporting season (March 1-May 31) for A.B.A. Filed Notes has
just
drawn to a close, so I urge anyone who has not yet reported their Spring
sightings to Field Notes, the Voice of the Naturalist, or email groups
such as Valley Birds, the Richmond area Listserv, or MDOsprey to please
send me your sightings for inclusion in my next Season Report for A.B.A.
Field Notes. The deadline is pretty tight so I would appreciate getting
all reports by June 15 is possible. As always, the data are easiest to
process if they come in continuously through the season, and late reports
(from winter 1997- 1998, or even later) are always welcomed as well.
This is the second mailing that I sent out almost entirely by email.
Email
obviously has the opportunity to vastly improve the efficiency and speed
with which I communicate with observers in the Region, and will also save
much time, paper, and expenditure on the mailings. I ask anyone who
wishes NOT to receive this mailing in the future on email, to respond.
Also, if you read this mailing on one of the above mentioned listservs, or
some where else, and did not receive a personal copy in your e- mailbox,
please let me know so I can update my address list. If you received this
letter via "snail mail" and have an email address that I may use in the
future, please drop me a note and say so!
Also the Summer Season is upon us, and is a short one (at least as far
as
Field Notes is concerned), ending July 31. Please take good notes on your
sightings, be they of nesters or late/early migrants, and let us know of
them. Photocopied field cards are OK, computerized sightings are ideal,
but even a quick note or email will suffice as long as we get the
information. As I've said before and will say again, we are entirely
dependant on YOUR reports to write a good column.
SPRING 1998
As most of you know, at least some crossbills continued in the Region
well
into the spring season. As there are no known nesting records for the
Region (Virginia nest records of Red Crossbill are from the Appalachian
Region, and Maryland has no nest records), I urge any observers still
seeing crossbills to take special note of behavior and to spread the word
rapidly. Both species have nested in New Jersey and either could
conceivably remain to nest almost anywhere in Maryland or Virginia. There
are even nest records from the Southeast (Alabama) and the White-winged
Crossbill population in the Carribean could have been established in a
similar invasion. There seemed to be a push of early migrants in March.
Any comments on the migration in general are welcomed - was it early,
late, or normal? Early and late dates for migrants, unusual behaviors,
unusually high numbers, and sightings of local rarities are always of
interest for the column. Writing a comprehensive column that details
avian events of significance for the Spring is impossible without
contributions from active birders in the Region.
Some rarities are of particular interest for the Field Notes column, and
I
welcome any documentation that can be provided (perhaps a copy of what you
sent to the Maryland or Virginia Records Committees?). Photos are of
special interest, and a fair percentage of quality photos are likely to
make it into print. The Middle Atlantic Coast column is usually lacking
in good photographic material (few of my own photos are worth publishing!)
So any pictures you can send would be fantastic. Among some of the
notable rarities reported for which documentation and photos would be
particularly welcome are:
Pacific Loon in D.C., May 25-31
Western Grebe at Reston, Va, May 22-28
Anhinga (4), King's Landing Park, MD, April 26
Limpkin at Ferry Landing, MD, May 26-27
Jack Snipe at Assateague Island, MD, April 24-27
Red Phalaropes (11) at West Ocean City Pond, MD, May 13
Curlew Sandpiper at Hart-Miller Island, MD, May 30
Thick-billed Murre at Ocean City Inlet, MD, May 13
Black-tailed Gull at Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, December-March
Mississippi Kites at Point Lookout, Fort Smallwood, and Dameron, MD, late
May Swallow-tailed Kite at Hughe's Hollow, MD, May 16 White-tailed Kite at
Kiptopeke, VA, April 26 Bewick's Wren on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel,
VA, May 16 Common Raven at Fort Smallwood, MD, April 25 White-winged
Crossbill at Berlin, MD, through at least April 7
Many of you may have already sent your documentation on to us, and if so,
many sincere thanks! If not, whatever you can provide (even if only the
date you saw the bird(s) - the range of dates here may not be complete or
accurate). There may be rarities I've omitted or not yet heard about, so
please send info on those as well!
PERSONAL HIGHLIGHTS
My last month has been spent as a professional breeding bird atlaser.
Brian
Sullivan (of NJ, for the past three years the hawk counter at Kiptopeke
S.P., VA) and I have been traversing wide expanses of sagebrush,
sagebrush, and more sagebrush trying to confirm breeders. Sposored by
Great Basin Bird Observatory and a number of other conservation minded
organizations in the West this is Nevada's first atlas (and this its first
full year). I enjoy the atlas work, and love the birds out here, but
welcome any respite from the mud/dust and downpours/scorching sun. The
highlight thus far was a five day break during which we birded the Sierra
Nevada range (Red-breasted Sapsucker, Blue Grouse, Tricolored Blackbird)
and then went on to Point Reyes to chase the Bristle-thighed Curlew there.
After camping on the beach for the night, we got the curlew, took a
couple rolls of photos, made sketches, and then did some more coastal CA
birding before heading back. A great bird, and a great chance to enjoy
the lush California coast.
During late April I teamed up with Ned Brinkley (of Charlottesville,
VA)
and Andy Farnsworth (of Rye/Ithaca, NY, and VENT tour leader) and
participated in the Great Texas Birding Classic. I spent a solid week in
Texas prior to the event and saw some great birds and birding spectacles
over the two weeks I was down there. Highlights included nine species of
gulls, three species of loons, Red-cockaded Woodpecker at nest site, a
dark juvenile Short-tailed Hawk over Bentsen S.P., and Black Noddy at
Bolivar Flats. We did well in the competition, and, to make a very long
story short, we won. Our team got 298 species and beat out the second
place team by only one bird. Those interested in the long version of the
story are welcome to write me for the full trip report (via email or (much
more slowly) snail mail).
I spent March and early April in the Region and managed to do a little
birding. A Common Teal I saw at E.A.Vaughn W.M.A. in late March was
probably the most exciting bird I had this spring, but a probable Laughing
x Ring- billed Gull in a field in Caroline County, MD, was a surprise as
well. I was glad to be around for the beginnings of spring migration in
the Region. Also had a nice hawk flight at my Annapolis yard (and yard
bird #208 Cliff Swallow) April 16 just before I left. I'll look forward
to hearing what you all had this spring!
A.B.A. FIELD NOTES: WHAT IT IS
To those not familiar with Field Notes, below is a quick summary of the
magazine and what it includes. A.B.A. Field Notes is published quarterly
(Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) and is meant to summarize the significant
observations of field birders throughout the United States and Canada.
The two countries (as well as the West Indies) are divided into 26
Regions, each of which has one-several Regional Editors. The Regional
Editors collect information from birders in their Region and, at the end
of each reporting season, compile the sightings into Season Report. My
deadline is 1 ½ months after the end of the season, so reports are asked
for two weeks from the end of the season, but email reports can be
received up to a month after the end of the season. The reporting seasons
are:
Spring: March 1-May 31
Summer: June 1 - July 31
Fall: August 1-November 30
Winter: December 1-February 28(29)
The Season Reports always include information on rarities, early and late
migration dates, high counts etc... but also usually includes significant
other news relating to birds in the Region. For anyone interested in
birds and birding in the U.S.A. and Canada the magazine is invaluable - no
other publication summarizes birding news from across the country so
completely. Each season also features a Changing Season column, which is a
summary of all the Season Reports from different Regions, which attempts
to identify some of the more noticeable trends of the season (i.e. Winter
Finches were scarce south of Canada, Rufous Hummingbirds were found in
unusual numbers on the East Coast, and most fall migrants lingered
unusually late). Many state publications (Maryland Birdlife for example)
publish similar summaries for their states and Regions, which are
typically more detailed than the Audubon Field Notes season report, but
the advantage of Field Notes is that it assimilates national trends. If
you want to track the spread of Eurasian Collared-Doves across the U.S.,
find out how the Attwater's Prairie-Chickens and Whooping Cranes are
faring in Texas, or what rarities the latest trip to Attu turned up, Field
Notes is for you.
FIELD NOTES: HISTORY
The magazine has undergone a number of changes in its lifetime, with the
most
major change occurring this past summer. In the early years of its
existence, Audubon Field Notes was a small publication which included only
the Season Reports. Eventually, the magazine was beefed up with color
photos and feature articles (on everything from identification,
conservation, and out of range records) and assumed the new name, American
Birds. In the early 1990's National Audubon fell on hard times, and the
magazine was cut back to a bare minimum with only the Season Reports and
Changing Season columns persisting. Last summer, it was agreed that Field
Notes would be turned over to the American Birding Association (A.B.A.).
Recently revived sections and a new management promise continued
improvement in the quality of the publication. The first few issues look
drastically better than any over the past several years. If you let your
subscription slide I urge you to sign back on!
A.B.A. FIELD NOTES AND RECENT CHANGES
By now those of you that do subscribe to Field Notes should have received
your first couple issues that A.B.A. has put out (Volume 51 #4 and #5).
Some substantial format changes ave been made, feature articles have
returned (see the article by Brinkley et al. on the Hurricanes of 1996 in
#4 and the article on the discovery of two A.B.A. area firsts in #5) and
color photos have been brought back in the back section (Pictorial
Highlights). Some more changes are in the planning (such as revision of
the maps) and I have confidence that the magazine will continue to
improve. Delivery of issues, erratic at best under National Audubon, has
showed marked improvement and should be timely from here on out (you will
note that the last National Audubon issue, Summer 1997) still hasn't
appeared. My latest letter from the Field Notes staff reports that the
subscription has DOUBLED since A.B.A. has taken over. If anyone would
like information on how to subscribe please contact the American Birding
Association at (800/850-2473). Subscription is $20 per year.
THE LOCAL STAFF
Starting in the fall of 1995, I have been the Middle Atlantic Coast
Regional
Editor. During that time I have had enormous assistance from Jim Stasz of
North Beach, MD. His guidance and local knowledge has been invaluable
over the past several years. Most importantly, he has helped by
computerizing the reports so that their value may extend beyond the
skeleton produced in the Field Notes report. We now have two years' worth
of Field Notes report in the working database, which is available to any
interested parties. Recently we were able to provide a complete summary
of all crossbill sightings to Julie Simard of McGill University, PQ, who
is looking in depth at this year's invasion. Reports should continue to
go to Jim at P.O. Box 71, North Beach, MD 20714 jlstasz@aol.com.
The Middle Atlantic Coast Region includes all of Maryland and Virginia
east
of the mountains. Essentially, in Maryland I cover all reports from
Frederick County east, and in Virginia I cover all areas east of the Blue
Ridge Mountains. The majority of reports I receive are from Maryland
birders (calling all Virginians!), and a huge volume of reports also comes
from the Voice of the Naturalist, Virginia Birdline, and Baltimore
Birdline (which each send me ALL their reports), as well as from
monitoring such email discussion groups as Valley Birds and MDOsprey.
Individual reports are most valuable though, so I urge anyone willing to
send me a separate report for each season, even if you regularly call your
sightings into the Voice or Virginia Birdline. A large number of
sub-regional editors help with the assimilation and computerization of the
data. If you actively bird any of their regions, I ask that you submit
reports directly to them rather than to me. If you are willing to serve
as a sub-regional editor for any of the uncovered counties or Regions of
Maryland, please let me know promptly. It would be a GREAT help!
Currently, the sub-regional editors are:
Patty Craig: Saint Mary's County s (P.O. Box 84, Lexington Park, MD
20653) Elizabeth Pitney: Wicomico County (7218 Walston Switch Rd.,
Parsonsburg, MD 21849) Jo Solem: Howard County (10617 Graeloch Rd.,
Laurel, MD 20723) George M. Jett: Charles County (9505 Bland Street,
Waldorf MD 20603) JETT.GEORGE@epamail.epa.gov Ethel Engle: Caroline
County
(20789 Dover Bridge Rd., Preston, MD 21655) Sam Freiberg: Montgomery
County (8733 Susanna Lane, Chevy Chase, MD 20815-4713) Al Haury: Anne
Arundel County (852 Redwood Trail, Crownsville, MD 21032)
cactuswren@erols.com
Sincerely,
Marshall Iliff
Mid-Atlantic Coast Regional Editor
A.B.A. Field Notes
901 Crystal Spring Farm Rd.
Annapolis, MD 21403
miliff@aol.com
(410) 269-1589
Please send reports to:
Jim Stasz
Secretary, A.B.A. Field Notes
P.O. Box 71
North Beach, MD 20714
jlstasz@aol.com