[BCNnet] PLEASE RESEND RESPONSES -Bird data needed - Chicagoland area

[Judy Pollock]

Yikes! Somehow, every message I received over the weekend vanished from my 
computer.  If you responded to me about the message below, I didn't get 
it.  Could you please resend your message?   Thanks!

Judy

Killdeer families running around, the grating noise of baby starlings 
emanating from air conditioner covers, the first cottonwood seeds floating 
through the air, the last few warblers flitting through - it all means only 
one thing - the best time of the birding year is almost here!

Soon, many of us will be climbing into our finest permethrin-wear to enjoy 
the great pleasures of BREEDING SEASON MONITORING - discovering those noisy 
holes full of woodpeckers, watching gnatcatchers gather spiderwebs for 
their nests and common yellowthroats skylarking above a meadow, listening 
at a marsh for the whinny of a sora or the pumping of a bittern - nothing 
beats it.

If you want a spot to call your own in the Chicago Region, we'd love to 
help you find one.  You can do a point count or just a simple checklist as 
you do in the spring count.   Soon, you may find yourself an important part 
of the team making habitat management decisions at that site.  Our region 
is full of sites whose birds need "guardian angels."

And if you're a "rolling stone" kind of birder, we can really use your data 
too.  We are eager to get checklists from all the birding hotspots in the 
Chicago Region - all you need is the list of birds you saw, their number, 
and the amount of time you spent.

I hope you'll consider contributing some data to the BCN Census, one way or 
the other, this summer.  All the information you need to get started is on 
our BCN website - lists of hotspots, monitoring protocols and forms, dates, 
contact information, and a link to the reporting website.  You can report 
your data on line or mail or fax in a form.  The web address is 
www.bcnbirds.org - follow the link to the BCN Census.

You may want to explore the database we've amassed - we think you'll find 
it quite impressive.  We have over 80,000 records - 14 years worth in Cook 
County, 10 years in DuPage, and 5 years for the other counties around 
Chicago.  You can make maps and graphs by site, species, date... lots of 
good information.  One caution - you get a lot more data by using the map 
to choose a site rather than the hotspot feature.  Hopefully that will 
change as more people get in the habit of entering their checklists in to 
the site.

The list of accomplishments by bird monitors and constructive use of the 
BCN database is very long, and always growing.

  If you are already a monitor, look for an info packet in the mail this 
weekend.  If you'd like to join us, please contact us.  If you're unsure or 
not so interested, how about giving us just one checklist this June?

Thanks!

Judy Pollock on behalf of the BCN Census committee

Judy Pollock
bobolnk@ix.netcom.com
Evanston (Cook)