It's hard to beat the thrill of hearing your first Eastern Screech-Owl let alone actually catching a glimpse of one of these amazing predatory birds. The screech-owl is arguably the most abundant raptor in Ohio and fortunately, it has a statewide distribution so it can be encountered pretty much anywhere there's suitable habitat. Of all nesting raptor species in Ohio, the Eastern Screech-Owl was observed in a higher percentage of Atlas blocks than any other bird of prey (98% of 764 priority blocks). At the time of Ohio's first breeding bird atlas, this statistic came as a genuine surprise to project coordinators and many volunteers working on the project. Have you heard or seen an Eastern Screech-Owl recently? If so, we would love to hear from you. Current data of Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II shows that screech-owls are being observed from across the state (a total of 177 blocks). However, they are being detected quite sparsely-most likely because of a noticeable lack of nocturnal survey efforts (view a current map for this owl at http://bird.atlasing.org/Atlas/OH/Main?viewResults=1). Please help the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II in its quest to provide accurate distribution information for all species of nesting birds. If you have recently heard or seen this incredible bird, please email me privately at [log in to unmask] All you need to do is send me the date(s) of your observations and your street address (if observed on your property). If you weren't already planning on turning in your observation, we would love to include your valuable observations in the Atlas database. To learn more about participating in this incredibly fun project, visit www.ohiobirds.org/obba2/ or contact our offices through telephone or email. Also, please turn in any sightings you have so far of: Ring-necked Pheasant Ruffed Grouse Wild Turkey Rock Pigeon Great Horned Owl Barred Owl Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Carolina Chickadee Tufted Titmouse Carolina Wren Northern Cardinal House Sparrow Good birding! Aaron Boone Project Coordinator Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II (614) 247-6458 www.ohiobirds.org/obba2/ ______________________________________________________________________ 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]