I was kind of dismayed by the complaints about Haans posting about the owl.
After all, it is April Fools Day.  Is that not the idea if April Fools day?
It is kind of an annual thing on the listserv.  It is meant to be funny and
to be fun.  Did anyone open a field guide and look up Stygian owl?  I think
the new National Geographic guide may be the only one that even lists it,
and then at the back under extreme rarities.  That should have been a clue.
Also the part about going out with the night vision.  Although people that
know Haans may have believed that.  With all the problems in the world right
now, a lit bit of humor can go a long way.

This actually can be an educational experience.  There are three things a
birder should have.  A pair of binoculars, a good field guide, and an
annotated checklist.  An annotated checklist lists the birds that have been
found in a state, their distribution seasonally, and other notes about them.
You can download for free an older version of Ohio's list at:

http://www.ohiobirds.org/publications/OBRClist.pdf

You can also purchase a newer version.  (see
http://www.ohiobirds.org/site/library/checklist/about.php)

It is something that all birders should have.  If you see a new bird you can
check out to see if you are seeing it at the season that it should be here,
if it is in the right part of the state, or if it is extremely rare.  If it
doesn't fit, you may want to get a better look.  If you hear what sounds
like a nighthawk in March, it isn't.  Woodcock gives a similar call and it
is common in March.  If you are always wondering, when will the Blackburnian
warblers show up, it will tell you.  If you hear of megararity like Stygian
owl and its not on the list or in your field guide, look at the date, its
probably April 1!


John Pogacnik
4765 Lockwood Road
Perry, OH 44081
(440) 259-2751

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