[BCNnet] new Chicago area bird monitoring website, and census info

[Judy Pollock]

You are invited you to check out the BCN's new interactive database of bird
sightings for the Chicago area, and to enter your sightings, if you don't
already.   Workshop information is at the end of this message.

We recently unveiled our new BCN Census website. Check it out at:
<http://www.fmnh.org/birdcensus.%A0>www.fmnh.org/birdcensus.  Play around with
the "view observations" and imagine what a wonderful information source this
will be when we have the data from your favorite spots in there !!  You can
find our instructions and protocols on the site too.

This project is BirdSource's first regional venture, which joins The Bird
Conservation Network’s database with the technology of BirdSource (through the
support of the Field Museum and Chicago Wilderness).  Bird monitors' input,
combined with data on other flora and fauna, can now be quickly used to make
informed decisions about managing both public and private lands.

We hope that if you aren't already a monitor, you will consider contributing
your sightings to the website this year.  We cover Cook, Lake, DuPage, Kane,
McHenry and Will counties, and around the bend into Indiana.  We have a
variety
of levels of participation - you can choose the one that works for you: 

1 - Visit the site from time to time and keep track of the birds you see and
the time you spend (similar to a spring count). 
2-  Make 2 visits during the breeding season and walk the same transect or
visit the same points each time
3 - Do point counts during the breeding season and walk a transect during the
non-breeding season.

If you'd like to learn more, you're invited to attend a workshop.  You can
learn about the Census methods and sign up for a site. You will receive a free
copy of BCN's CD of songs and calls of the breeding birds of our region, a
copy
of the CTAP report, and other resources.

Workshops for beginners:  These workshop are for people new to the survey
procedures who have some skill at identifying birds. These workshops include
information about our apprenticeship program for people with intermediate
level
skills who are not comfortable monitoring on their own just yet.  (Interested
people who are new to bird identification can call (847) 965-9239 x 41 for a
list of classes and field trips to help polish ID skills.)

Will Co./ IN - April 13th 9am to noon
Pilcher Park Nature Center, Joliet 

McHenry Co. -- March 9th, 9 to 11:30am
Prairie View Education Center
2112 Behan Road, Crystal Lake

DuPage Co - April 13th, 9am to noon
The Grounds and Resources Complex at Blackwell Forest Preserve. 
29 W 220 Mack Road in West Chicago
Please pre-register for this workshop only with Cindy Hedges at (630) 876-5929

This year for the first time, the Bird Conservation Network is holding
workshops for active monitors, featuring some of the people who are out there
making great things happen for birds and their habitat.  If you are already a
monitor - or if you have never done our census before, but have done other
types of censusing and are good at figuring out the instructions on your
own - 
please attend one of these workshops.

These workshops will feature: 
-discussion with monitors and land managers focusing on a featured site 
-answers to your questions about bird habitat and monitoring protocols
-chance to chat with fellow monitors
-copies of CTAP report and other valuable resources for each monitor 
-the last hour will be an optional hands-on session on the new BCN data entry
website. (Bring your unentered data to the workshop!) 

Lake/McHenry -- March 30th, 11:30am - 2:00 
Lake County Discovery Museum, Wauconda 
rt 176 Just E of Wauconda 
Featuring Ryerson Woods - monitor Sheryl DeVore, steward Joan Palincsar, and
Jennifer Filipiak of Lake County FPD.

Cook Co. - March 23rd, 9am to noon 
Chicago Agricultural High School 
3857 W 111th St , Chicago 
featuring Swallow Cliff Woods - Doug Stotz and a Cook Co. FPD rep.; and Mary
Van Haaften, Chicago Park District 

DuPage, Kane Co. - March 9th, 9am-noon 
6th Street School 
210 S. Sixth Street, Geneva 
featuring Nachusa Grasslands - Ann Haverstock; monitors Bob Andrini and Jack
Pomatto; and Kane and DuPage County FPD rep's. 

More info available at 847-965-9239 or
<http://www.habitatproject.org/>www.habitatproject.org 

We're hoping that this will be the year that we get great coverage of the
region.  There are a lot of GREAT sites still available.  Our monitors
regularly perform miracles in improving bird habitat at their sites.  We hope
you'll participate in this easy and fun way to give a little something back to
the local birds.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Judy Pollock
Projects Coordinator
Audubon of the Chicago Region
5225 Old Orchard Rd.  Suite 37
Skokie, IL 60077
(847) 965-1150
fax (847) 965-9282
jpollock@audubon.org