FreeLists / birdky / [birdky] BKY: RFI and RPT

[Brainard.Palmer-Ball@xxxxxx]

An updated draft of the Spring 2004 Kentucky Seasonal Report is posted at
the KOS Web Site for review and/or use by anyone. Thanks to all who have
contributed corrections of errors and additional records in the past two
weeks. The web review has been VERY successful, and Lee and I will be sure
to make future reports available for the same purpose on a quarterly basis.
It is at: <http://www.biology.eku.edu/KOS/springseason2004.html> 

Also now posted is a draft of the TN-KY Spring 2004 Seasonal Report for
North American Birds. Space limitations require that Chris Sloan (TN editor)
and myself distill out the most significant items from state reports into
this condensed version for the continental journal. This exercise is ALWAYS
a very frustrating one as we always want to put in more. However, we do our
best to attempt to capture the most important records and trends for the
two-state region. It will be up for review for a few days but our deadline
is already past, so reviews should be made ASAP. I might say that KY info in
this version is more finalized than TN due to the timing of our editing
reviews (however, the report is late because of ME, not Chris :o).

It is at: http://www.biology.eku.edu/KOS/NAB_spring2004.html

Also, the end of July signals the end of another Seasonal Report season. I
had a comment from someone that "boy, Brainard, you sure did a lot of
birding this past spring . . ." alluding to the high number of reports
attributed to myself in the Spring 2004 KY Warbler Seasonal Report.
Actually, you observers are contributing LESS and LESS in terms of actual
sightings to the editors of the Seasonal Reports as time goes by. So
especially this past season, when VERY LITTLE was sent in of substance
regarding observations, even from some fairly active birders, we had to rely
more heavily on observations from fewer contributors overall. I think some
of you feel as though once you've posted bird reports, you've done your
duty. However, while Lee and I can take many reports from posts to BIRDKY,
summaries of your observations by season are highly desirable as they often
include things you don't bother to post about, they may correct errors, or
they may give better information on numbers or localities.  We obviously
don't need to look through EVERYTHING you've seen, but many contributors
could include A LOT more in their seasonal summaries than they currently do.
It's up to you, as contributors, to make the Seasonal Reports as
comprehensive and useful to current and future bird enthusiasts and
researchers as they can possibly be. 

Corrections or suggestions for improvements to either seasonal summary are
welcome, as are seasonal summaries for June-July 2004. They can be emailed
to me at brainard.palmer-ball@xxxxxxx It would be best if received within
the next two weeks.

On the birding front, Sedge Wrens are returning to the Indian grass fields
on the family farm in eastern Jefferson County. Last week there was one
singing away and over the weekend there were two, along with a Grasshopper
Sparrow that has not been around.  It has also been fun to watch the recent
antics of several raptor families on our farm. Red-tails raised two young
right by our house, and now that 3 yg kestrels have fledged from a box on a
silo nearby and at least one yg. Cooper's Hawk is off a nest near our house,
there are constant battles and interactions among the various species. The
other afternoon I believe I saw the juvie Coop take its maiden flight out
across the fields, only to be bombarded by both adult kestrels. The poor guy
didn't know which way to go and soon turned back to the nesting area.  

bpb, Louisville
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