"World Series" of Atlasing Event-Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II June 19-21, 2009 at Burr Oak State Park & Lodge Fellow birders, Ever heard of the World Series of Birding held in New Jersey every spring? What about the Great Texas Birding Classic? The Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II is proud to announce the 2009 World Series of Atlasing competition! This exciting competition should provide Ohio birders with an opportunity to compete in a "World Series of Birding" type of event while simultaneously advancing some important survey goals of the Atlas. The competition will take place from June 19-21 with a central location of operation at beautiful Burr Oak State Park (Athens/Morgan County) where there is a lodge and other accommodations. This region of Ohio could yield as many as 120 nesting species during the weekend. The event may produce some truly exceptional finds. Last summer, Mississippi Kites were spotted in the greater Burr Oak area. And what about all of those AEP recreation lands? Think big...like "Short-eared Owl" big! What is involved in the event? #1 The main goal of the competition is to attract many teams of 2-4 birders that will canvas the surrounding area for breeding birds. #2 Teams will fan out to randomly assigned territories of 2-3 atlas blocks. #3 Prizes will be awarded to the teams with the highest scores in specific scoring categories. Final details for the event are currently being finalized but please contact us if you have any questions about participating, how the weekend will progress, or info on accommodations. We would like to start creating a list of participants so that we can plan accordingly for the Burr Oak venue. If you would like to be a team leader and organize a World Series team, please contact us right away. If you would like to participate but aren't sure about organizing a team, let us know and we can place you in an appropriate group. You do not need to be an "expert" birder in order to participate. Competition inquiries should be directed to Aaron Boone, OBBA2 Project Coordinator ([log in to unmask] OR 614.247.6458). If you are interested in participating in this event, please try and contact me with your intentions before April 1st. We look forward to hearing from everyone interested in what should prove to be a very exciting weekend of birding this summer! 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]