Greetings,
The spring migration reporting period (1 March-31 May) for North American
Birds has come to an end, and we're soliciting reports for inclusion in the
Middle Atlantic Region. The Middle Atlantic Region covers reports from the entire
states of Virginia and Maryland, as well as the District of Columbia. If
unfamiliar with North American Birds, please visit
http://www.americanbirding.org/publications/nabgen.htm for a synopsis.
The basis for the regional report is entirely dependent upon your reports.
Your sightings become part of the ornithological record and contribute to a
greater understanding of bird distribution and migration throughout our region.
Please send reports to:
Todd M. Day
North American Birds
5118 Beaver Dam Road
Jeffersonton, VA 22724
or email them to:
blkvulture @
I'll find a way to download and read any report sent electronically, but
either Microsoft Excel or Word are preferred. If anyone has already sent reports
to Marshall Iliff, they will find their way into the column. Feel free to
contact me if there are any questions.
HOW TO REPORT
Certain counties in Maryland and Virginia have county compilers (see list
below). We ask that reports from those counties be sent first to the county
compilers, who will then compile and edit the sightings to forward them to us. Most
counties do not have county compilers in place though, so we welcome direct
reports as well (anyone interested in doing so, please contact me). Although
we monitor the state listservs (MDOsprey, VA-BIRD) keeping up with the hundreds
of emails and thousands of sightings each season has proven a difficult task.
More importantly, this lends to mistakes and inaccuracies in the report.
Often emails lack information such as date, county, observer information, et
cetera, and certain details fall through the cracks. While we welcome reports in
all forms (including contemporaneous emails), the ideal reporting format from
our perspective continues to be the summary report. Such a report would
include a taxonomic list of noteworthy bird sightings from the reporting period with
species, date, location (with state and county), and observer (including an
indication of who first found the bird) for all sightings. Most active
observers contribute about a page or so (very active birders may contribute several
pages) of noteworthy sightings, including rarities, early or late migrants,
unusual high counts, hybrid or aberrant individuals, or even behavioral
observations of interest. Please report the dates you observed well-known rare birds
(e.g., the Maryland Kelp Gull as well) since we never know whose observation will
be the last. Many observers comment on the weather and their general
impressions about the migration and these comments are always particularly welcome.
Sightings of exceptionally rare species must be accompanied by documentation
to be included. If a report has been submitted to the MD or VA Records
Committees please let us know and we can contact those secretaries for copies.
Depending on the species, a few lines of description may be sufficient, but
hard-to-identify birds may require lengthier descriptions. We appreciate the
contributions of all.
North American Birds typically has space to publish 3-5 photos for our
region. We welcome slides, prints, or digital photos. North American Birds does not
pay for the photos, but your photo will be captioned with your name and the
date the photo was taken. Despite the "digital revolution" photo submissions
have been down recently, so please do send us photos if you would like to have
them showcased because they add much to our article. Photos need not necessarily
be of rarities or even of exceptionally good quality, though generally the
rarer the bird and the better the photo the more likely it will be printed.
COUNTY COORDINATORS
Elizabeth Pitney (Wicomico County, MD), 7218 Walston Switch Rd., Parsonsburg,
MD 21849.
Debbie Bennett (Caroline County, MD), P.O. Box 404 Denton, MD 21625.
Patty Craig (St. Mary's County, MD), P.O. Box 84, Lexington Park, MD 20653.
pattycraig AT mail.ameritel.net
Helen A. Patton (Montgomery County, MD), 429 Hamilton Ave., Silver Spring, MD
20901.
Jo Solem (Howard County, MD), 10617 Graeloch Rd., Laurel, MD 20723. Odenata
AT msn.com
We will look forward to your reports and thank you for your help with North
American Birds.
Best,
Todd
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Todd Michael Day
Jeffersonton, Virginia, USA
Culpeper County
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