A quick tip for Atlas volunteers or those thinking about contributing breeding
observations to the VABBA2 eBird portal:
Many waterfowl species get frisky on migration! A relatively small number of
duck species breed in VA. But! Many species of ducks and geese engage in
courtship behavior, aggression between males, and even copulation while on
migration. If you see something like Ring-necked Ducks or Buffleheads engaged
in these breeding behaviors, it is tempting to log these as breeding codes.
However, these species don’t breed in VA and therefore shouldn’t be tagged with
breeding codes on Atlas checklists.
Here is a list of waterfowl species that ARE known to breed in VA historically:
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Black Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Vagrant breeders are always possible, but please check the Breeding Season
Guidelines or your VA Gold Book, if uncertain whether a species is likely to
breed in VA.
Almost 1000 new checklists have come in to the Atlas portal in late winter and
early spring. We appreciate the folks who are diving back in to Atlasing, even
if we weren't quite read you such an early Spring. I think this upcoming field
season is going to blow away our 2016 data collection. Thanks so much for your
efforts and keep up the good work!
All the best.
Ashley Peele, PhD
Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas Coordinator
www.vabba2.org | ebird.org/atlasva
www.facebook.com/vabba2
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Conservation Management Institute, Virginia Tech
1900 Kraft Drive, Suite 250
Blacksburg, VA 24061
(540) 231-9182 office
(540) 231-7019 fax
ashpeele@xxxxxx
