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Welcome to Maryland BirdReporter! Efficient reporting of sightings of rare and unusual species provides opportunities for others to see the bird. It may also help provide sufficient documentation to allow the MD/DC Records Committee to make a quick and accurate assessment of the acceptability of the sighting. The excellent communications and cooperation concerning this year's sighting of the probable Kelp Gull in Southern Maryland is a case in point.

Therefore, MOS presents below a handy listing of all those organizations or individuals who should be notified as quickly as possible should you see a rare or unusual bird in Maryland. For your convenience hotlinks are provided where appropriate and available. Rare Bird Alerts that serve the Mid-Atlantic area should also be notified.

Which species sightings should you report? See the MD/DC Records Committee Review List for further information. You will also want to consider reporting sightings of species which occur before or after their typical arrival or departure dates, or which are located in unusual habitats.

The MD/DC Records Committee	Phil Davis, Secretary	(PDavis@ix.netcom.com)
The Baltimore Bird Club Birdline	Peter Lev, Compiler	(plev@home.com)
The Voice of the Naturalist	Voice Compiler	301/652-9188, X3101 (voice) 301/951-7179 (fax) (voice@capaccess.org)
Mid-Atlantic Region ABA NA Birds	Todd Day, Editor
The Season Reports MD Birdlife	Bob Ringer, Compiler	6272 Pinyon Pine Ct. Eldersburg, MD 21784 410-549-6031 (ringler1@adelphia.net)
Discussion Groups¹ MDOsprey, (see http://mdosprey.home.att.net) Bird Chat, (birdchat@listserv.arizona.edu) Marvadel, marvadel@egroups.com
County Rare Bird Alerts (RBAs) Harford, Les Eastman, (les@birdtreks.com) Allegany, Ray Kiddy, (rrkiddy@hereintown.net)
¹Discussion group submissions are restricted to subscribers. If you do not subscribe to a list, ask a friend who does to post the message for you. As a last resort for a significant sighting, you may send your message to the Web Site Director for submission to MDOsprey only.

A short report of your sighting should include: your name, the species seen, location (be as precise as possible, list Delorme coordinates if possible). In case the compiler has additional questions, you may also wish to leave a phone number where you can be reached.

After you report to the RBAs, send a more detailed report to the MD/DC Records Committee. See the Records Committee's Documentation Guide to reporting and other instructions for a formal submission.

New listings for RBAs and corrections should be sent directly to the Web Site Director.