With start of the Christmas Bird Count season today, now is the perfect
opportunity to help the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II make a final push to
get owls recorded in priority blocks across the state.  There are still
priority blocks within many CBC circles that need Great Horned Owl and
Barred Owl observations.  You can find a map of your circle with owl status
for priority blocks on our website:

http://www.ohiobirds.org/obba2/owling2011.php

Though safe-dates for Great Horned Owls do not start until December 20th,
many individuals are displaying territorial behavior and beginning nesting.
These birds can be recorded outside of safe-dates (similarly for Barred
Owls, which enter safe-dates in January).  With the Atlas ending December
31, we are trying to make a big push to get undersampled owl species on the
map.

The Atlas has been a great success thanks to the efforts of Ohio birders.
Let's end the year and the project with a bang.  Please get in touch if you
have any questions about owls or other bird records.

Have fun on the CBC this year!

Thanks,

Matthew Shumar
Research Associate / Project Coordinator
Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II
The Ohio State University
School of Environment and Natural Resources
2021 Coffey Road
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1085
Phone: 614-247-6458; Fax: 614-292-7432

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