Hello!

Each January, many birders in Ohio participate in the "January 100"
challenge: the goal is to observe 100 species before the end of January.
It's a fun way to get a jump on your year list, and it adds a little extra
incentive to go birding despite the Ohio winter weather.

Last year, a few of us took on a similar challenge: *The goal of the "July
120" is to observe at least 120 species in Ohio during July.* It was pretty
darn fun!

Why? July is an EXCELLENT month for finding uncommon local breeders, early
migrants (many shorebirds,  for example, are already heading south from
their high arctic breeding grounds) and rarities who find their way to Ohio
after dispersing from breeding grounds. July is also where we a big dropoff
in eBird reporting, which means birders are probably out birding a lot less
(which probably means some great birds are being overlooked because nobody
is out to find them!)

And let's face it, it is pretty darn hot and buggy in July, so a little
extra push out the door can really help! ;-)

eBird users: Feel free to "double dip" on birding challenges this month,
and do some birding with your favorite birding buddies!  The "July eBirder
of the Month Challenge" details can be found at
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/zeiss201507/

Good birding,
Paul Hurtado
Reno, NV (formerly Columbus, OH)

PS: eBird users, you can't find this link via the eBird website, but you
CAN view your state total for the current month by clicking here:
http://ebird.org/ebird/MyEBird?cmd=lifeList&listType=US-OH&listCategory=allStates&time=month

PPS: You can see how you did last July (2014) with this link:
http://ebird.org/ebird/MyEBird?cmd=list&rtype=subnational1&r=US-OH&time=month&year=2014&sortKey=obs_dt&o=asc

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