hi scott,
i agree comletly with you statement for the BEST source of information on
arrivals and departure.also where it is unusual to find certain species, is
our WASNEWS. I been copy our newsletter and sent it to a friend on the east
coast.


GODWIT at worldnet.att.net

----------
> From: S&C Richardson <salix at halcyon.com>
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: Arrival dates
> Date: Sunday, September 21, 1997 5:26 PM
>
> Nancy Taylor wrote:
> > >I would like to find more information on arrival and departure dates.
> > >The reference reading list in Wahl and Paulson refers to journals such
> > >as _American Birds_ and _Western Birds_, and gives the addresses to
> > >subscribe. Would either of these journals be appropriate for this
info?
>
> ...and Michael Price wrote (did he ever!) about record-keeping methods
that
> could lead to one's own database on arrivals and departures. But if
you're
> after immediate bird-movement-info gratification, you would do well to
seek
> compilations prepared by others.
>
> For Washington, the best source of information on arrivals, departures,
and
> occurrences is _WOSNews_, the newsletter of the Washington Ornithological
> Society. Russell Rogers combs lots of sources to prepare reports that
cover 2
> months at a time. Rarities certainly draw attention, but RR has been
careful to
> include other reports, too. Spring summaries might include report dates
for
> Violet-green Swallows from various locales, for example, allowing the
reader to
> get a good idea about what to expect when.
>
> The bi-monthly newsletter devotes about 3 of its 12 pages to "Washington
Field
> Notes." After collecting a year of newsletters, a year-ful of reports can
be at
> your fingertips.
>
> To answer Nancy's specific questions about American Birds and Western
Birds...
>
> American Birds is no longer. It shifted back to its (original?) name
_National
> Audubon Society Field Notes_, which soon will be taken over by the
American
> Birding Association (except for the CBC issue, which NAS will continue to
> publish). In whatever form it takes under ABA, it will be a useful
reference,
> but space limitations severely limit what goes in. You won't find swallow
dates
> in there, under normal circumstances.
>
> Western Birds is the journal of the Western Field Ornithologists and
publishes
> scientific articles but not bird records (except supreme rarities).
>
> Wahl and Paulson didn't slight WOSNews/Washington Ornithological Society
when
> compiling that list of references; the organization came into being after
their
> book was published.
>
> Membership in WOS is $20 annually ($25 for families) and includes several
other
> benefits. The nonprofit's address is: Washington Ornithological Society,
PO Box
> 31783, Seattle WA 98103.
>
> --
> Scott Richardson, WOSNews Editor
> northeast Seattle
> salix at halcyon.com