Hi Folks,
Recently, some folks have raised questions about whether they should log
Atlas data to the same areas this year OR move on to a new area. I thought
I would address this and a couple related questions.
First, remember that the Atlas is not focused on repeat sampling. Once a
species has been confirmed as a breeder, it doesn't need to be
're-confirmed' the next year. Once an Atlas block has been completed, you
don't need to keep visiting it. In fact! *We'd far rather you move on to
a new Atlas block, once you've met the key benchmarks for block completion*
.
These benchmarks can be found in the Atlas Handbook
<http://amjv.org/resources_vabba2/VABBA2_Handbook_Draft_Final_4.pdf> on
pages 29-31. The most important goals to shoot for are: (1) you've spent
at least 20 hours surveying in your block, (2) these visits were spread out
over the breeding season, (3) included different habitats present within
your block, and (4) that a couple night visits were carried out.
Continuing to add data to a heavily birded area isn't a bad thing, but
generating data for a new area is a huge help to the project. If your
interested in where to Atlas, consider visiting an area, preferably a
Priority block, that has little or no data logged within it. You may be
surprised how easy it is to find such a block near your home base.
To check out what blocks are already signed up for, visit the Atlas Block
Explorer at: *http://vafwis.dgif.virginia.gov/BBA2/BlockExplorer/
<http://vafwis.dgif.virginia.gov/BBA2/BlockExplorer/>*
To see what data has already been logged to the Atlas eBird portal, visit
the 'Explore Data' page at: *http://ebird.org/ebird/atlasva/explore
<http://ebird.org/ebird/atlasva/explore>*
Always feel free to email us with questions about where to Atlas.
Thanks much to all the folks contributing Atlas data this Spring. We're
really excited to see what data we can generate in our second field
season! Stay warm this week and be careful if you venture out to bird in
the icy conditions.
All the best,
Ashley Peele, PhD
Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas Coordinator
Conservation Management Institute - Virginia Tech
Office: 540-231-9182
Fax: 540-231-7019
