In order to ensure that your fledge watch reports will be read and understood by the largest possible audience, please follow these guidelines:

• Write clearly. Remember that your audience is global. Avoid slang or abbreviations that would not be understood by people outside of the Rochester Area. A good rule of thumb for abbreviations is to spell out the abbreviation the first time you use it. Then if you use it again you can abbreviate it. Example: Write out “New York State Department of Environmental Conservation” the first time you use it. The next time you use it, you can abbreviate it to NYS DEC.
• Write only what you know. Tell us what you saw. Include the names or band colors of the falcons if you were able to positively identify them. Otherwise, it’s perfectly OK to say that you saw an unidentified “fledgling” or “juvenile”.
• Avoid Speculation. This is especially important if you didn’t see all of the fledglings. It is very possible that you won’t see all of them. That doesn’t mean anything is wrong, just that they’re laying low. Engaging in speculation makes others worry needlessly. Keep your report as positive as possible.
• Avoid “Pet names” or too much personalization of the falcons. Many of you are members of the Rfalconcam Forum or other forums where nicknames may be used for the falcons. Remember that most people reading these reports will not understand these nicknames, so please avoid using them. Also, while it’s nice to think of the falcons in human terms, remember that they are wild animals and document their actions accordingly.
• Use your spell checker! Again, these reports may be read by a global audience whose understanding of English may be limited. Try to use proper spelling and grammar. This is especially true for the use of apostrophes– Remember: plural words don’t get apostrophes, possessives do (except for “it”, but that’s a topic for another day!)
• Be sure to include the date and time of your fledge watch shift in the title of your post.  You can also begin the title with a short “headline” or description.  Be creative!
  Example: Zephyr Breezes Through Fledging, Wed. June 20 10:00AM – 12:00PM
• Be sure to sign your post, either in the title or at the end, so we know who you are!

A couple of final notes:

• We may edit your post for spelling, grammar or content.
• As always, if you have any questions send them to jess@rfalconcam.com!

One last piece of advice… HAVE FUN and Happy Fledge Watching!!!!!