The MOU seasonal report form has recently been updated and revised in accordance with the latest version of the Minnesota checklist (January 2004). The many changes in taxonomic sequence introduced by the 44th Supplement to the AOU checklist substantially alter which species are shown on the first 3 pages of the 8 page form. Please give special attention to these changes while entering your data on the new forms.
A team of volunteers works on the compilation for spring and fall migration (currently, the summer and winter seasons are compiled entirely by one person). The pages are separated from one another during the spring and fall compilation process, so it,s very important that all contributors use the same version of the form (the separation of pages from one another is also the reason that we request that you enter your name, base county, and season/year on pages 1, 3, 5, and 7). Please note that *all previous versions of the seasonal report form are now obsolete* and cannot be used for submitting Spring 2004 data (the old forms can still be used for Winter 2003_04 data). The new forms were mailed out today to the 110 regular contributors to The Season. Anyone wishing to become a regular contributor to The Season can request the new form by contacting me at the address shown in each issue of The Loon, or at the e-mail address shown in this message. The new seasonal report form will be posted and available for downloading at the MOU web site by about the middle of March. Go to <http://biosci.cbs.umn.edu/~mou/docs.html> and click on "View" the Seasonal Report PDF file. On behalf of Karl Bardon, Paul Budde, Jim Lind, and Terry Wiens, thanks to all who contribute to The Season and especially those who respond to our requests for additional information and documentation. -- Peder H. Svingen - [email protected] - Duluth, MN
