Great post!  I no longer  live in Ohio but for many years I've just
picked a few spots near where I lived or worked or played, and simply kept
my eye out for birds.  Over time I built some hefty local lists (180
species seen within 1/2 mile of our Hocking Hills cabin, 123 species
through the sunroof of my Subaru without hardly ever going off the road,
etc.).   Bird on, Ohio Birders.

Dave Horn (Massachusetts)

On Thu, Feb 25, 2021 at 8:01 PM robert lane <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> After John Petruzzi’s remarkable Gyrfalcon find in Mahoning County today,
> it seems like a good time to repeat thoughts on bird finding. With spring
> migrants about to begin arriving anytime soon, I would like to once again
> share my thoughts, about why some birders always seem to be the chosen ones
> finding the new and out of the ordinary birds, as in today’s case, John
> once again! Are they lucky to be the birder to find the rarities,
> sometimes; but most of the time they know where and when to look. They also
> explore new potential birding sites. And also, the most important factor,
> is that they are out there putting the time in, day in and day out, not
> just when there is a rarity reported. There is a definite reason that some
> people are the ones that seem to always be finding and reporting the good
> birds. The following is a modified version of a previous posting I did.
>
> The listers and chasers of the state are always primed and ready to enjoy
> and record a new life bird, a new state bird, or in the case of today, a
> new county bird. As someone who has also listed and has chased his fair
> share of birds wherever they may be, I am always grateful for the reports
> and calls when a new bird is discovered. And oddly enough, those reports
> inevitably come from the same people, time and time again. Scour e-bird,
> the listserves, and Facebook groups, and you will find that a handful of
> people find these birds and report them with vigor. Then the comments
> begin, is that person lucky, or so and so found another one. Uncanny!
> Right! In truth, not at all.  The reason these people find and report so
> many good birds is pretty darn simple: they actually go birding!!  These
> are not folks who sit around with phone in hand waiting for a buzz or a
> beep to alert them of a new target, or stare at a computer screen to tell
> them where a new bird is. These are the folks who hit their local patches
> day in and day out. Before work. After work. On weekends. Rain or shine.
> They find birds. These are the folks who understand patterns, weather,
> timing, habitats, and who possess an intense understanding of when and
> where to actually look for birds. With field experience comes the knowledge
> that a field guide (you know that dusty book nobody seems to use anymore),
> cannot teach. These are people who think about under birded areas and
> actively set out to see what they can find. They all deserve a hearty round
> of applause for their contributions to not only science and the
> understanding of our feathered friends, but for your own state/county lists
> as well.  You folks know who you are, and I, for one, am incredibly
> grateful. So with spring migration looming on the horizon, I challenge all
> the listers and chasers of the state to do the unheard of: Go out and bird
> people! Just go out and bird! Get out in the field and actually observe
> birds. Take note of flight styles, plumage, feeding behaviors, songs and
> calls, and the habitats of the most common birds, so that when
> something seems visually different, like the Gyrfalcon today, or you hear a
> new sound, you will actually notice it and hopefully identify it. Let's all
> try to take some of the weight off of these diligent rarity finders, and
> maybe bolster your own rep in the process. Here's to another
> great rewarding season of birding.
>
> A final thought. With the unfortunate circumstances that we are all
> suffering thru right now, getting out in the fresh air and birding is a
> perfect way to take your mind off of all the stress we now have in our
> lives.
>
> Bob Lane / Pinellas County, Florida & Mahoning County, Ohio
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
>
> Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
> Please consider joining our Society, at
> www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php. Our thanks to Miami University for
> hosting this mailing list.
>
> You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
> listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or
> comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]
>
>

______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.


You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]