Here are two maps of the state of Kansas. Each map is filled with spots. In figure 1, each spot marks a county in which the spotted sandpiper has been spotted. In figure 4, each spot marks a county in which the spotted towhee has been spotted. Both maps were prepared by the Kansas County Checklist Project. Their work, they say, “is intended to reflect the current records of bird sightings on file, somewhere, for each county. It is hoped that birders will print out these lists, use them in their birdwatching trips and report bird sightings not on the list to the appropriate individuals/organizations.” Much of project’s data is available on the web at www.ksbirds.org/checklist/maps/County_records.htm.
(That’s an excerpt from the article “Dots and Spots,” Published in AIR 14:5.)