Hello Everyone, The latest issue of 'The Ohio Atlaser' has just been published and is now available online (http://www.ohiobirds.org/obba2/newsletters.php). This particular issue features a lot of content about streamlining your atlasing efforts in order to make the most of your time afield. The file is rather large (3MB) so if you would like to receive a paper copy, just let me know. Table of Contents is as follows: -2007 Season Report -Effective Survey Strategy -Internet Mapping Resources -Species Spotlight: Bell's Vireo -Southern Ohio Blockbusting -Deer Creek Atlasing Discoveries -Ohio Wildlife Area Maps We hope that you all are gearing up for the coming field season! In fact, Feb 1st begins safe dates for Great Horned and Barred Owls and any Great Horned Owls vocalizing at this time of year can be coded with 'T1' territorial codes. If you would like more information on how to participate in OBBA2, give us a call or send us an email. We would be more than happy to send you all the information that you need to get started. And remember, atlasing IS birding! If you're out and about while birds are nesting, you can easily contribute data to this important project. On another note, we're especially in need of increased survey coverage in the priority blocks. These are the blocks that were surveyed during the first Atlas in the mid-80s. For comparative analyses between projects, it's imperative to have adequate coverage in these blocks. A list of priority blocks is located on our home page (http://www.ohiobirds.org/obba2/atlasmaterials.php) for your convenience. Again, if you have any questions about these blocks, please contact us. Currently, only about 50% of these blocks have data so we definitely need to increase this coverage considering that we're heading into Year 3! Good birding! Aaron Boone Project Coordinator Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II (614) 247-6458 ______________________________________________________________________ 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]