[BCNnet] bird checklists needed!

[bobolnk at ix.netcom.com]

Do you bird in Chicago Wilderness?

The BCN Census has reached the point where it can give us a good picture of trends of several important bird species in our region. What we need to make it really great is more data.

Would you be willing to share just one or two of your checklists of birds seen this past June? If you can contribute a list from any specific preserve in the Chicago Wilderness region (NE IL, NW IN, SE WI) and the amount of time you spent there, your data can help to guide important conservation decisions. Simply visit http://www.ebird.org/BCN/, make yourself a password, and submit your observations. If you enter your checklist by early next week it will be included in this year's analysis and reports. (More info about the Census is at http://www.bcnbirds.org/census.html)

We will take any checklists you'd like to give us. This year, we are particularly interested in shrubland birds of conservation concern, so checklists that include the birds at the end of this message are particularly welcome. Check the list of list of "Hotspots" on the site - it is easiest to enter data for these sites. 

Have you checked out our analysis of trends for the species in our database? It's at http://bcnbirds.org/trends/index.htm. You'll see how promising our dataset is - and you'll also see why we need more data! This information is used by a variety of local researchers, planners, and land managers. We are the only region in the country that I know of that puts birders' data to such good conservation use on such a broad scale. 

Thanks for your contribution.

Judy Pollock
bobolnk at ix.netcom.com
Evanston (Cook) IL 

Bell's Vireo
Blue-winged Warbler
Brown Thrasher
Black-billed Cuckoo
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
Golden-winged Warbler
Lark Sparrow
Loggerhead Shrike
Northern Bobwhite
Orchard Oriole
Prairie Warbler
Willow Flycatcher
Yellow-breasted Chat
White-eyed Vireo