Hello Maryland Birders,

As of April 2009, Audubon MD-DC has identified 28 Maryland Important Bird
Area, but there are still many sites throughout Maryland which are likely
candidates for new IBAs. This is where Bird Blitz survey efforts are vital
to identifying areas of critical habitat for Maryland birds.  And volunteer
birders are the driving force of these breeding season counts of Maryland
bird species at-risk.

 For 2009, Bird Blitz will focus on candidate IBA sites in western and
southern Maryland. Survey routes have been developed in these areas and all
necessary mapping materials will be provided to volunteers. Also, new will
be the use of GPS to improve the quality of primary target species mapping.
But don’t be alarmed; these new improvements should only allow the Bird
Blitz methods to be more easily implemented and for higher quality data to
be collected. It’s a win-win situation for both birds and birders!

If you want to learn more about Bird Blitz 2009 or want to participate in
this year’s efforts, there will be two Bird Blitz 2009 Training Sessions –
one in western Maryland and one in Southern Maryland. The Western Training
Session will be held on May 12, 2009 at 7:00PM at Frostburg State University
in Compton Hall Room 226 and the Southern Training Session will be held on
May 23, 2009 at 1:00PM at the Battle Creek Nature Center in Calvert County.
These trainings will include instructions for conducting Bird Blitz surveys
this year, hands-on GPS training, as well as an opportunity for all
participants to sign up for survey routes in western or southern Maryland.

I encourage anyone interested in participating in Bird Blitz this year to
attend one of these sessions. Please consider taking part in Bird Blitz
2009. Even a small commitment to just one morning of birding with a purpose
can contribute significantly to the conservation of Maryland birds and their
habitats.

For more information on Bird Blitz and the IBA Program, please visit Audubon
MD-DC online at: http://mddc.audubon.org/SciCon_IBAs.html. Please contact me
via phone or email if you plan to attend a training session or if you have
questions about Bird Blitz.

Thank you and I hope you decide to be a part of Bird Blitz 2009!

David

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David Yeany II, M.S.
IBA Program Assistant
Audubon MD-DC
109.5 Pennsylvania Ave.
Cumberland, MD 21502
Cell: 814-221-4361