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Re: 2009 List Report Now Available!

From:

Paul Pisano

Reply-To:

Paul Pisano

Date:

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 20:38:06 -0700

A big "thanks!" to Norm for compiling the 2009 List Report.  It's always
a fun read and interesting to see how MD & DC birders spend their time. 
The biggest surprise to me was reading that Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
was a state bird for Jim Stasz.  That's not a reflection on Jim, just
that I'm amazed that one could see 400 species in MD without having this
bird on the list.

One thing I noticed in the report that caught my eye was the inclusion
of Trumpeter Swan on several people's lists.  Don't get me wrong, I
subscribe to the "it's your list, you count what you want."  So this
message isn't meant to be construed as "listing police" (though for the
record it's in my supplemental list and not in my reported total). 
Rather, it just got me wondering about the status of this species in MD.
 It's currently on the official list as extirpated due to historic
occurrence, yet the number of recent sightings continues to rise given
the ongoing reintroduction programs.  So I'm wondering if anyone has any
insights on the status of these programs and at what point it may be
considered as established.  Are the programs working?  Should Trumpeter
Swan be changed from "Xp" to "2" (reviewable) or "0" (non-review
species) on the official list?

Phil?  Paul O.?  Bob R., Marshall?  Any thoughts?

Good birding,
Paul Pisano
Arlington, VA