Background

Twenty-five years ago, Massachusetts was the first state in the country to organize a Breeding Bird Atlas. The organizers at Mass Audubon divided the state up into a grid using the USGS topographic maps. (The grid has 970 blocks; each block about 3 miles on a side.) Then hundreds of volunteers searched for every species of breeding bird they could find in each block. Most states now have, or are working on, a breeding bird atlas. Taken together, these atlases help folks understand the habitat requirements for nesting birds throughout in our state, region, and continent.

But 25 years is a long time - think of the changes to our landscape in that time. And so the second atlas (Atlas 2) has begun. And we need your help.

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The 2010 Atlas Year

While the first three years (2007-2009) were incredibly successful, there is still work to be done in our own Hampshire-Franklin Counties area and nearby in Hampden and Berkshire Counties. A new (excellent) source of information is the Atlas Blog http://massaudubonblogs.typepad.com/massbirdatlas/ and check out the following:

For new atlasers only: Folks Who Need to Register

For new and experienced atlasers, especially those who want easy links to the new safe dates, breeding codes, and easy-to-download maps: Answers to Frequently Asked Atlas Questions

How-to guide: Getting Information about a Block

Some tips on how to get breeding evidence for lots of different species: Tips (thanks to Jim Berry for this)

For atlasers with blocks in the two-county region: Franklin Hampshire Atlas List

For atlasers in the region who want species sorted by safe date: Franklin Hampshire Sorted by Safe Date

If you want to do some background reading on the behavior of the breeding birds you are likely to see, the most useful book is: The Birder’s Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds, Paul R Ehrlich, David S. Dobkin, and Darryl Wheye, Simon & Schuster. 1988. The Atlas 2 handbook (see massaudubon site above) is also an excellent resource.

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