OHIO-BIRDS Archives

December 2007

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From:
Paul Gardner <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Paul Gardner <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 10 Dec 2007 05:36:26 -0800
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Hello All,

I has been a fun project working with Dan, Greg, Bill and Joe on assigning
difficulty codes to each of Ohio's 420 species. As you can imagine, there was
considerable discussion on some birds before consensus was reached. I don't
imagine anyone will agree entirely with all our choices, but I don't think
you'll find any of them grossly mistaken. I'd be very interested in a thread
that discussed your opinions about the birds whose codes you thing are out of
whack.

The "single column" checklist on the web can be printed front and back on one
sheet of letter-sized paper. (It's called "single-column because it has only
one column for checking off the species. It's good for year- or life-list use.)

For the bean-counters among use, I will note there are 414 species on the
checklists, as we omitted the six extinct or extirpated species. The 205
"Easier to See Birds" include 136 code 1 and 69 code 2. The 86 "Harder to See
Birds" include 30 code 3 and 56 code 4. The 123 Review-list birds are divided
into 19 code 5's and 104 code 6's.

As Dan mentioned, keeping a list (or lists) can be a lot of fun, and  you don't
have to be a rabid chaser to keep one. The difficulty codes provide a handy way
to set some moderate but still challenging goals for oneself. I remember
finally seeing a Common Goldeneye many months after beginning my list. I think
I got as great a sense of satisfaction from ticking off that final "code 1" as
anything else I've done in birding. I recommend giving them a try.

Finally, if you've ever wondered about the method of selecting the species for
the weekly Statewide RBA, they're the code 4's and above.

Happy birding (and listing),
Paul




--- Dan Sanders <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hello All,
>     Most of you have probably read Ned Keller's recent post to Ohio Birds
> about some new Ohio checklists that are now available via the OOS Website at
> ohiobirds(dot)org/publications/checklist/checklists(dot)php. If this link
> does not work, go to the OOS Website at ohiobirds(dot)org, click on
> "publications", then "checklists", then scroll down to "Ohio Field
> Checklists" where there are brief descriptions and links to these files. Here
> is a some additional background information on these four checklists. The
> only one of them that can be printed out on 81/2" x 11" paper is the last
> one, described here as the "Single-column checklist..." The other three
> checklists will require 81/2" x 14" paper for correct printing and folding.
> If you do not have a supply of this legal-sized paper, you can copy the file
> to a disc and take it to a copy center for printing.
>     The first two checklists have been revised by Joe Hammond and are updates
> of earlier checklists that he created several years ago. The other two
> checklists are updated revisions of the Ohio Birding Checklist with
> difficulty codes; originally created in 2002 by Greg Miller and myself and
> which have been used since then by only a few of us. Paul Gardner suggested
> that we should re-work this checklist and make it available to Ohio birders
> via the OOS Website. With some helpful input from Paul and Bill Whan and some
> formatting assistance from Joe Hammond, these checklists have now been
> revised/updated and are now available in two different-sized formats.
>     As an Ohio annual lister, I would encourage you to print out either copy
> of the Ohio Birding Checklist with difficulty codes and (using it as an
> annual checklist) challenge you to find all of the 205 birds (codes 1 & 2),
> listed in the "Easier To See" category, during 2008. While looking for these,
> you will very likely see some of the code 3 & 4 birds and may even see a few
> of the more rare Ohio Review List species. A birder with average optics,
> experience, skills, and knowledge should be able to tally 220 or more Ohio
> species by the end of the year by spending several hours birding varied
> habitats around Ohio, twice each month, plus spending some additional birding
> time during the Spring and Fall migrations. This is a good goal, especially
> if you have a full-time job.
>     Setting new birding goals each year has been a great experience for me
> through the years and has helped to keep me "out in the field" on a regular
> basis. You might even want to consider doing an Ohio "Big Year" in 2008 as
> many of the Winter finches and other harder-to-find species being reported
> now will very likely continue to be seen into January and February.
>     Good Luck and Good Birding to all of you in 2008!
>
> More later,
> Dan
>
>
> Dan Sanders
> 42 Scioto St
> Powell, OH 43065
> 614-596-5666
> <[log in to unmask]>
>
>
>
>
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Paul Gardner
Columbus, OH

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