Spring - 2011, Vol. 8, No. 1 www.ohiobirds.org . .. [email protected] Quarterly Newsletter of the Ohio Ornithological Society: Ohio’s Birding Network BIRDING MAGAZINE EDITOR from the EDITOR TED FLOYD OF ABA IS OOS KEYNOTE SPEAKER Join Kaufman Field Guides and OOS FOR 7TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE as we co-host the opening night cele- bration for the Biggest Week in The OOS Seventh Annual Conference is getting American Birding (BWIAB) at Mango Mama’s bigger and even better! As requested by scores of in Port Clinton on Thursday, May 5 from 6-9 members, we’re returning to Shawnee State Park, pm. Think of this as OBGOBUOR (Ohio’s Big- the popular location of our first two conferences! gest Gathering of Birders Under One Roof). Just Imagine seventeen species of breeding warblers, don’t try to pronounce the acronym! Henslow’s Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak, and Chuck- will’s-widow, plus the botanical diversity of south- Mango Mama’s is THE place to be to west Ohio! As a bonus, we’ll partner with the Ohio mingle with the good folks from Black Breeding Bird Atlas II during our June 3-5 confer- Swamp Bird Observatory, Tropical ence, for an important atlasing blockbuster event. Birding, Ottawa National Wildlife Ref- uge, and Magee Marsh Wildlife Area as well as local birders and area business sponsors of BWIAB. Dinner and drinks available to order, “Birding at Night: The Final plus we’ll provide a few free appetizers. There's Frontier" will be our Saturday no cover charge and no need to register. Casual evening keynote presentation attire: hiking boots and binoculars optional! on June 4 with Ted Floyd, edi- tor of Birding, magazine of the The opening night celebration is a benefit American Birding Association Photo courtesy Ted Floyd. for co-hosts Kaufman Field Guides and (ABA). Take a tour of noctur- OOS. Copies of the Spanish language nal birding and find out how you, through this new version of Kenn Kaufman’s Field Guide frontier in birding, can advance bird conservation. to the Birds of North America (Guía de Campo Warning: going birding at night is thoroughly ad- Kaufman: a las Aves de Norteaméricanas) will dictive. As a result of hearing and seeing Ted's be available for adoption/sponsorship: these are presentation, you may find yourself increasingly sent to Latin America to raise support for wild- sleep-deprived, unable to stay in bed and indoors life conservation. Plus, we’ll raffle an auto- during the nighttime hours! graphed copy of Kenn Kaufman’s highly ac- claimed new Field Guide to Advanced Birding! Ted will also present a special Saturday afternoon program called ―Bare-naked Birding: Clothing OOS will raise funds to support special projects Optional, Binoculars Prohibited.” No "bins" or for OBBA II, the OOS Conservation Fund, and scopes allowed! This workshop is highly recom- the OOS Thompson Memorial Fund. mended, especially for atlasers, as there will be a major focus on observing breeding behavior and Ann Oliver, Editor of The Cerulean Newsletter applying it to bird identification. Birders of all in- -Cincinnati terest and skill levels are encouraged to attend! Mango Mama’s, in Kokomo Bay Restaurant, is located at 40 Madison Street in Port Clinton, Ohio. See the OOS website for registration details: http://www.ohiobirds.org/ Ohio’s Birding Network OOS IS NOW 800 MEMBERS STRONG ! THANKS FOR SUPPORTING O HIO’ S B IRDING NETWORK !!! School of Environment and Natural Resources at SEVENTH ANNUAL OOS Ohio State University. Paul has been involved in CONFERENCE JUNE 3-5: numerous bird research projects throughout the US A TLASING E XTRAVAGANZA and abroad over the last 25 years. He received a WITH OBBA II AT S HAWNEE SP B.S. in Natural Resource Management from Rut- This summer is your FINAL chance to gers University, an M.S. in Zoology from the Uni- get involved with the Ohio Breeding versity of Arkansas, and a Ph.D. in Ecology from Bird Atlas II (OBBA II). This is the Penn State University. At OSU, Paul teaches re- last year of fieldwork for the statewide search in avian ecology, bird identification, and survey of Ohio’s breeding birds. That’s why from wildlife habitat management. He is keenly inter- June 3-5, OOS is partnering with OBBA II during ested in the historical and present-day biogeography our Seventh Annual Conference at Shawnee State and conservation status of Ohio's avifauna, and pur- Park. Are we being altruistic by helping OBBA II sues these interests through his work with OBBA document vital breeding birds, or are we looking II. His other research emphasizes the ecology, for an excuse to partake in some great birding in movement behavior, diet, and energetics of song- southwest Ohio? BOTH, of course! birds within migratory stopover areas, including the Lake Erie shoreline of northwest Ohio. This blockbusting extravaganza will be just like our regular annual event, with great birding and cama- Saturday morning, we’ll break out into groups of raderie. Plus, on both Friday and Saturday eve- atlasers. We’ll head out in teams, with an experi- nings, we’ll have a enced atlaser at the helm, to survey for breeding nighttime foray to birds. If you haven’t atlased before, you’ll quickly- look and listen for learn how the process works. Don‟t forget, many Chuck-will’s-widow, blocks across the state still need data. If you which breeds in the can‟t join us this weekend, PLEASE contact Adams County area OBBA II to volunteer in your region. often on the protected property of the Ohio Saturday afternoon, you’ll Camouflaged Adams County Chuck-will‟s- Chapter of The Nature be treated to an outdoor widow observed nesting during a May 2010 Conservancy (TNC) at session called “Bare- OOS event. The red arrow is pointing toward the head. Photo courtesy Greg Cornett. The Edge of Appala- naked Birding” with Ted chia Preserve (EOA). Floyd, from the American Birding Association. This Don’t worry if you haven’t atlased before: there’s a Ted Floyd birding “unassisted” with his is another chance to hone special introduction to atlasing on Friday evening, daughter. Photo courtesy Kei Sochi. your skills by observing June 3! Think of atlasing as taking notes during a birds in the field using just your unassisted eyes fair-weather version of a Christmas Bird Count! and ears: no binoculars or scopes allowed! Plus, we’ll group you with an experienced atlasing team leader for the weekend. OBBA II and OOS Ted is the Editor of Birding, the flagship will have handouts for all attendees to take home publication of ABA. Ted has written more for atlasing in other parts of the state. You’ll hear than 125 articles, with contributions to great speakers and experience great birding while scholarly journals such as Ecology, Oecologia, Ani- helping gather vital data for the atlas. mal Behaviour, Journal of Animal Ecology, and Trends in Ecology and Evolution, and to popular Our speaker on Friday evening is magazines such as Natural History, Bird Watcher's Paul Rodewald, Project Director and Digest, and Birding. He has contributed chapters to Principal Investigator of OBBA II. textbooks and guidebooks published by Oxford Paul will explain the ―ins and outs‖ University Press, Houghton Mifflin, and National of atlasing. Paul is an Associate Pro- Geographic. He is senior author of the Atlas of the fessor of Wildlife Ecology in the Breeding Birds of Nevada and author of the Smith- sonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America. Photo of Paul Rodewald courtesy OBBA II. 2 Ohio’s Birding Network Atlasing with OOS & OBBA II, Continued on Page 5 Atlasing with OOS & OBBA II, Continued OBBA II is a volunteer-based effort seeking to 1.) document the current distribution of breeding birds to assess changes since the last atlas 25 years ago, 2.) identify important habitats supporting a high diversity of birds or species of special concern, 3.) collect abun- dance and distribution data on species difficult to survey, including nocturnal and wetland birds, 4.) assess Ohio’s rare, threatened, and endangered birds, and 5.) engage birders and conservation groups statewide. OBBA II is coordinated by the Ohio State University -School of Environment and Natural Resources and Ohio Department of Natural Resources-Division of Wildlife. OBBA II is hoping (pleading!) for continued or expanded support from current volunteers! New volunteers, please take up the cause! Surveying a breeding bird atlas block involves documenting the bird species present and recording any evidence of breeding or be- haviors that suggest an individual is breeding. A series of codes (see website) is used to assign each observation to one of three breed- ing categories: Possible, Probable, and Confirmed. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE AN EXPERT BIRDER TO PARTICIPATE! Internet access NOT required: 614-247-6458. Or, visit the OBBA II website for information: www.ohiobirds.org/obba2/index.php To register, please use the form below, or download a copy from the OOS website: (www.ohiobirds.org/calendar/society_events/current/about.php). PLEASE join us June 3-5 at Shawnee State Park for one of the most important birding events in Ohio this year: atlasing in southwest Ohio with OBBA II! Why is an atlas blockbuster so important? It’s a great way for new and seasoned atlasers to get together to make a big dif- ference in coverage of an area! Ohio’s Birding Network 3 Atlasing with OOS & OBBA II, Continued on Page 5 Atlasing with OOS & OBBA II, Continued If you live in or near an area without data or „incomplete‟ data, PLEASE consider becoming an atlas volunteer! OBBA II is hoping (pleading!) for continued or expanded support from current volunteers and we encourage new volunteers to take up the cause.