The Franklin County Metro Parks are developing their biotic survey, and accompanying checklists of taxa. For the bird list, they are interested in unusual bird records (really unusual--they are closing in on ~300 species now) for the system. For example, they now have 33 shorebird species, but surprisingly lack a good willet record, along with less likely species such as piping plover and red phalarope. They want to make the list as complete as possible, so observers are invited to contribute documented sightings (by observer, with date, precise location, and additional details). Laughing and Franklin's gulls are missing from the list, as is lark sparrow, as examples. The Metro Parks now include areas in Madison, Union, Pickaway, Hocking, Fairfield and maybe other counties I don't recall (see the Web site http://www.metroparks.net/ ), so past records in areas outside of Franklin County are quite important. These biotic surveys are done by all park systems this time of year, and they all will welcome solid contributions to their checklists of birds, as well as other taxa, if you carefully record them. Please help if you can. I'll be glad to pass along any for the Franklin Co Metro Park system. Bill Whan Columbus ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]