Dear Fellow Birders:
It's February, and you know what that means: Yellow-headed Blackbirds in
Cecil County, Razorbills at the O.C. Inlet, Lapland Longspurs, Goshawk
in Carroll County, Clay-colored Sparrow in Harford, Northern Shrike,
etc. Man, this is just too much to handle.
 
So you might want to check out the latest update to the Rare Birds
Committee; er, I mean the MD/DC Records Committee. There are some
tremendous articles, photos and data on an array of subjects that will
hone your ever growing knowledge on bird ID and whet your appetite for
seeing the vagrants that might appear this time of year.
 
So check these out:
 
Skins page -- includes analysis on the identification of Ash-throated
Flycatcher;
exceptional analysis and photos on some hard to identify and related
species:
http://www.mdbirds.org/mddcrc/pdf/rcskins2006.pdf
 
an extensive list of articles covering in-depth identification 
on a wide range of 'rare' birds:
http://www.mdbirds.org/mddcrc/pdf/rcbibliog.pdf
 
Database Records:
http://www.mdbirds.org/mddcrc/pdf/mddatabase.pdf
http://www.mdbirds.org/mddcrc/pdf/dcdatabase.pdf
 
Current Review Packages (see what's pending)
http://www.mdbirds.org/mddcrc/pdf/rcpackages.pdf
 
Not familiar with the Rare Birds Committee?
Just check out the MD/DC Records Committee
Home page; it has a gazillion links:
http://www.mdbirds.org/mddcrc/rcindex.html
 
Special thanks to Phil Davis and all the members of the Records
Committee for making this happen.
 
     Good Birding!
 
 
                        Taylor McLean
                        MOS webmaster