Here's a printable "cheat sheet" I put together to help you learn the 4-letter codes for Ohio birds -- REALLY handy for keeping notes in the field! PDF: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B7XSqn4of1gpTnIycz RPSGVUdVc0RnFQZE9nVEU1dw I've also included hints to help me remember the Breeding Codes you can use to record breeding/nesting activity when you submit eBird checklists. More on eBird Breeding Codes at http://ebird.org/content/ ebird/about/breeding-codes To use the cheat sheet, print out a small copy of the PDF linked below & tape/glue into your field notebook. The examples at the top show you how to turn an "official" common name into a 4-letter code. The exceptions to those rules that occur in Ohio are listed in the table. A complete list of alpha codes for Ohio Birds can be found at http://www.bsbo.org/pdf/ohio_bird_alpha_codes.pdf Good Birding, Paul Hurtado Columbus, OH ______________________________________________________________________ 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]