BREEDING BIRD ATLAS 2

 Between 1974 and 1979 hundreds of participants from throughout the state conducted the first Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas (Atlas 1.) During this five year period all the species of breeding birds that called Massachusetts home were recorded. Atlas 1 represented the first effort in North America to systematically map the distribution of all the breeding birds in a state or province.

Since 1979 dramatic changes have taken place in the state’s landscape. Changes in the landscape drive changes in our wildlife, including our breeding birds. To understand the relationship between landscape alteration and changes in our breeding birds, we can measure the distribution and abundance of our breeding birds and compare that information to historic information. A Breeding Bird Atlas is one of the best tools for measuring these changes in bird distribution over time.

In April 2007 Mass. Audubon began the state’s second Breeding Bird Atlas (Atlas 2.) Hundreds of participants recorded breeding birds all over Massachusetts including Cape Cod. Though not all areas of the Cape were covered during the first year of Atlas 2, preliminary results show that 118 species were recorded (92 species were confirmed breeding, 16 species were probable breeders, and 10 species were possible breeders.)

Atlasing is easy and enjoyable, and anyone, regardless of skill level, can participate. The more ambitious observers may spend long hours covering a wide variety of habitats in their area, but many others will provide valuable data from incidental observations in their own backyard. And the greater the number of participants, the more thorough and valuable the results will be.

To volunteer, or for more details, contact

Mary Keleher (508-477-1473; maryeak@yahoo.com

Blair Nikula (508-432-6348; odenews@odenews.org

Sharon Riley (508-432-2207; pwrile@aol.com

Or, check MassAudubon’s web site at http://www.massaudubon.org/birdatlas/bba2/index.php

Breeding Bird Atlas Review Meeting

Come find out what breeding birds were recorded throughout Cape Cod during the first year of Mass. Audubon’s Breeding Bird Atlas 2 Project. 

Join Mass. Audubon Coordinator, Joan Walsh, and Cape Cod area Regional Coordinators, Mary Keleher, Blair Nikula, and Sharon Riley, for a review of the results from 2007. We will discuss practical techniques for observing birds, how to confirm their breeding, and how participants can record this information online.

This will be an informal question-and-answer meeting. Please come with questions you may have concerning the project. The meeting is for current volunteers as well as future volunteers. All are welcome to attend, ask questions, and find out how to participate in this important project.