Hello,

I just wanted to remind everyone that it's not too late to register
for the "Big County Early-Season Atlasing Competition" (February
through April 2009).  If you would like more details about this event
and how to participate, please send me a private email
([log in to unmask]).

If you're not interested in the competition but still want to help
survey for early-season nesting species in Ohio, please do so!  In
particular, we really need additional help in trying to document
nocturnal species like Great Horned Owls and Barred Owls (safe dates
began on February 1st).  Great Horned Owls are especially vocal right
now.  I sometimes find it very difficult to detect Great Horned Owls
during the summer months when the majority of atlasing activities are
taking place.  And this species tends to not be as responsive to tape
playback as are other owls (like Barred or Eastern Screech-Owls).  Our
current lack of detections for some nocturnal species may simply be
the result of a lack of appropriately allocated effort.

For optimum survey results, try to select nights that are clear &
calm...noise from excessive wind can make it terribly difficult to
hear calling owls.  Also, there are results from research that
indicate that moon-phase plays an important role in call-frequency of
owls.  However, other research indicates that it's less important.
Moon-phase may or may not play a factor in owl call frequency in Ohio
but for those that are curious, the next full moon is on February 8th.
 Typically, owl survey protocols recommend that you conduct surveys 1
hour after sunset and before mindnight but birds can also be very
vocal just before dawn.

Please consider making an effort to track down some of these
fascinating birds.  Please contact me for advice on looking for owls
or appropriate areas that still need survey coverage.

Good birding!

Aaron Boone

--
Aaron Boone
Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II
School of Environment & Natural Resources
The Ohio State University
210 Kottman Hall
2021 Coffey Road
Columbus, OH 43210-1085
614.247.6458 (office)
www.ohiobirds.org/obba2/

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