It's that time of year again. Time to start the n Greetings to all! It's that time of year again. Time to start the new year with a new year list and what better way then trying your hand at 100 species for the month of January. Last year was another great January, but once back to school...as usual...things slowed way down. I know lots of folks made it to 100 in 2012 and I did pretty well. The Ohio Birds listserve and the various Facebook pages are making things really great for getting the word out about birds all over the state. I always remember how a good friend once said how a little friendly competition during the cold, dark months of winter helps to keep us all energized and in-touch with our friends...passing along lots of helpful information. This is also a great way to scour the country-side (new areas and old) in search of rarities and unusual winter records which adds great info for publications like the Ohio Cardinal, the Bobolink. the Cleveland Bird Calendar and others. As for me...this is about year 15 or 16 participating in this bit of organized insanity...I believe...and I'll be heading out with two of my good friends for a few days of hard-core birding in the morning (we'll miss you this year Ben), all over the state, before heading back to classes, MS research, RA duties and the start of spring semester at Ohio University. Oh...and that trip to Hawaii, too. Kauai here I come! So...for whatever reason you may try your hand at 100 Ohio birds, in the month of January, just remember to be safe and have a great deal of fun in the process. Good luck to any first-timers and to all of you who have tried before...I know that you can do much better this year! I'll keep everyone posted (new smartphone to play with while we are out and about) if we find anything good and try to keep information on unusual rarities going as best as I can. Keep an eye on the list-serve for sightings and don't forget to check your local hotlines! You never know what you might find! Let's all canvas the state...new areas and old...and see what kind of awesome birds we can find! Hoping to meet up with lots of new...and old friends this month! Have a safe and happy new year of birding, everyone! Good birding, Jason Jason S. Larson Graduate Student Ohio University Department of Environmental and Plant Biology Department of Environmental Studies (MSES) 315 Porter Hall Athens, Oh 45701 [log in to unmask] 740-593-1126 ______________________________________________________________________ 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]