In my previous note summarizing information on mapping software, I included a somewhat cryptic reference to "experience" showing that some CBC maps used for counts were inaccurate. To clarify this point, I heard of at least two cases in which maps that had been used previously (in fact, for years) were indeed inaccurate. Older maps for both counts included significant areas that are not, in fact, within the count circle and excluded areas that were within the circle. And by "significant," I mean areas that might have contained more than a few starlings or rock pigeons; instead, these included, or excluded, portions of parks and nature preserves. I'm not trying to sell software, nor do I want to suggest that it's impossible to have accurate maps with hand-drawn circles. But computer-generated maps might be helpful in checking accuracy of older maps of uncertain provenance. -- Bill Heck ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]