Hi all, As you have all been hearing, Hurricane Sandy seems as though it has the potential to bring some interesting birds to the Cayuga Lake area. While it is indeed unfortunate for them, those of us who like to see different birds than normally occur in the area will be out trying to see and document anything that blows in. I would encourage all of you to do the same, keeping in mind safety precautions.
Because this doesn't happen very often, I think it would be to everyone's advantage to keep our channels of communication VERY active this week. I am urging anyone who is out this week to PLEASE, report what you see AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Posting here to Cayugabirds-L is great, but can be frustrating when the report comes in hours later. The same goes for eBird. For those of us with smartphones, Cayugabirds-L is a real-time way to send and receive information, but for others there is a lag. For this situation, I urge anyone who will be out or who wants to keep up-to-date on storm birding to also sign up for the CayugaRBA text alert. This is like Cayugabirds except we only post unusual birds, and it comes as text messages to your phone. To sign up, visit this site: http://lite.textmarks.com/CAYUGARBA Or simply text "Join CayugaRBA" to 41411 (though then you can't set a username). Then, to post, send a message to the same number with the first word "CayugaRBA", followed by your sighting (in brief wording, as there is a character limit, so start off with the bird's name and quickly follow it with location!) For example, I would send this message to the number 41411: cayugarba sooty tern going north past myers -jmcgowan ...or something to that effect. If you have a username set you can leave off a signature, if not, it is helpful. Please note this does not replace posting to Cayugabirds or putting sightings into eBird, but it is a faster way to get the word out on a bird that may not stay around for long. Also, don't be afraid to let people know about a bird even chasing it seems impossible (a flyby jaeger on the lake, for example), because it is often possible to relocate a bird from another vantage point if you know its trajectory, and at the very least it alerts us to the potential for more like it. ALSO, don't be afraid to get the word out even if the ID of a bird is not 100%. Texting "jaeger sp." and later having to correct it to Great Skua is not a problem, and no one will fault you for it. Much better to get the word out on a false alarm than to report something amazing too late. Finally, if none of these options seem convenient for you, please don't hesitate to call or text me at 607-342-4417 or email at jw...@cornell.edu and I will be happy to get the word out about any rare birds during this storm (or really at any time.) Good luck, -Jay -- Jay McGowan Macaulay Library Cornell Lab of Ornithology jw...@cornell.edu 607-342-4417 -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
