Today (January 4), while Bill Rinehart was covering atlas block DeLorme 36C3, I was a few miles to the east in block 37C6.  It wasn't a major birding expedition for me -- I had to drive to Findlay so I took an alternate route, and looped through a Winter Bird Atlas block that had had little coverage before.  It took me only a little extra time, and I was rewarded with great looks at Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs, and Northern Harriers, and with the sense that I was contributing to a worthwhile research project. 

Tomorrow (Saturday the 5th), Kim and I will be taking part in the Christmas Bird Count centered on Ottawa Natl Wildlife Refuge.  We'll be covering the same area we did last year, and our small section takes in parts of two Winter Bird Atlas blocks.  Even though these blocks have had a lot of coverage already, there's still a chance to add data there.  For example, block 27D6 has more than 60 species recorded (many by us, from last year), but it doesn't have Lapland Longspur recorded yet, and that species should be there.  Ditto for Common Redpoll in this invasion year.  How do I know what species are recorded for a given block?  There are complete lists available for every single block (updated through last January's data) on the Black Swamp Bird Observatory website -- just go to this address: 
http://www.bsbo.org/winter_bird_atlas/winter_bird_atlas_instructions.htm

... and look for the heading that says "List of species by grid."  It's pretty cool to know what's still missing for a given block.  It's true that effort is most urgently needed for those blocks that have had no coverage so far, but practically everywhere in Ohio there are still opportunities to add information.  And as I've demonstrated above, it doesn't take a major effort -- it's just a matter of paying attention to where we are and what birds we're seeing.  This is a way to make our January birding more interesting and to give it lasting value beyond just running up a list.

Kenn Kaufman
Rocky Ridge, Ohio 

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