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Birding Stories

Eagle Eviction?
More....

Owls are different in a couple of ways from other birds in terms of the
atlassing strategies needed to detect them. "
read more for tips on finding BC
owls.

Dippers begin nest-building as early as late February on the South Coast and a few
weeks later in the interior and north.
Find out more.

Late April and early May are the best times to survey for
Long-billed Curlews.
Contact us
BC Breeding Bird Atlas
Bird Studies Canada
5421 Robertson Road
Delta, BC V4K 3N2
1-877-592-8527
People often ask me what they can do for bird conservation.
Join the atlas project! It is fun and the results are part of a
foundation for conservation in British Columbia for years to come.
- Rob Butler, Atlas Coordinator
Endorsements
The Canadian Intermountain Joint Venture (CIJV) Management Board recognises that the Atlas will provide a
critical foundation to bird conservation in British Columbia, and unanimously endorsed the project at their
Board Meeting on 20 November 2007.
British Columbia is an important part of the Pacific Coast Joint Venture. The BC Breeding Bird
Atlas will provide much needed information for conservation planning. The PCJV Management Board fully supports
this effort." - Tom Dwyer, US Co-Chair of the Pacific Coast Joint Venture.
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Welcome to the
British Columbia Breeding Bird Atlas!
Birds can tell us important things about our environment. Their presence and abundance provide an early warning of the state of ecosystems and their eggs and tissues track trends of contaminants in the environment.
Over 300 species of birds breed each year in British Columbia - more than any other province in Canada. Sixty-five species breed nowhere else in Canada and for several other species, British Columbia holds the majority of the world population. For these reasons, British Columbia plays a pivotal role in Canada's bird conservation efforts.
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Latest news from the atlas
Feb. 15 - 2009 was Great
Thanks to your efforts in 2009, we collected +90,000 records over
+10,000 hours atlassing. We now have over 135,000 records since the
beginning of the project.
Learn more here.
Feb. 15 - Spring Atlas newsletter request for submissions
Please share your stories, tips, and ideas for the next newsletter.
Submissions DUE MARCH 15.
Find
previous newsletters here
Feb. 15 - BC Atlas and Regional Coordinator Meeting: 1,2 May 2010
The Atlas is hosting a weekend workshop for Regional Coordinators and
an evening gathering (May 1st) for everyone - birders, volunteers,
sponsors, and anyone interested in learning about the Atlas, past,
present, and future.
More details to come later on in the spring.
Feb. 15 - Where do you want to go birding this summer?
Start planning now! Contact your regional coordinators and get advice
as to which areas need more surveying. While we haven't heard back from
funding applications yet, we hope to have grants available to subsidize
atlas-related travel this summer. The more atlassing and point counts
you can complete, the better chances of receiving a grant.
Find
mapping information here.
More details to come later.
January 15 - 2010 is here and only a few weeks remain to enter 2009 data!
The deadline to enter all data is JANUARY 31st! What will happen at
this time? ALL 2009 forms will be locked and you won't be able to add,
modify or correct any forms. If you still have 2008 data collecting dust
beside your binoculars (and we know you do!) or can't enter data online,
fill in a paper form and please get it to your Regional Coordinator soon
for review.
Plus don’t forget to fill out those rare/colonial bird forms. As
you enter your data, rare, regionally rare and colonial-nesting species
are indicated with symbols after the species name and the website will
prompt you to fill out a rare/colonial species report as you finish off
your breeding evidence form.
Where can you get help? Many places. Call the Atlas office
(1-877-592-8527), or call your regional coordinator. Ask a friend or
read the "Getting Started" instructions in the
Autumn ’09
newsletter or try the
Data Entry
FAQ under “Resources > Instructions” (drop-down menu is at the top
of the page). Please contact the Atlas office with any questions or
comments or if you need your user number or password.
January 15 - Act now to save our birds - by Margaret Atwood
Birds have always been endowed with symbolic portent – from Chekhov
to Hitchcock to Twitter. We ignore their decline at our peril. There are
glimmers of hope, but only if we act now urges Margaret Atwood. Margaret
Atwood is an honourary president within BirdLife International and
advocates for bird and biodiversity conservation and celebrates
BirdLife’s important work. Bird Studies Canada is a Canadian co-partner
of Birdlife International and Canada's leading national organisation for
the conservation and appreciation of birds. Read the whole compelling
and passionate article of the importance of birds to human culture (and
survival) past, present, and future
here.
January 15 - Quebec Catches Atlassing Fever
Regroupement Québec Oiseaux, Bird Studies Canada and Environment
Canada have partnered to map all of the birds breeding in “la belle
province” for a second time. Field work for the second Quebec Breeding
Bird Atlas will begin this summer. That means there will be four
Canadian atlases underway this summer giving birders from coast to coast
a chance to get their binoculars and contribute to science.
Like other atlas projects, the Quebec Atlas will provide up-to-date
information on the abundance and distribution of breeding birds
throughout the province. The second Quebec Atlas will also expand its’
survey coverage beyond that of the first which focused on the more
accessible and populated southern regions of the province. This time
around efforts will be made to cover the northern and remote sections of
the province. In the end the data gathered will be used to inform policy
and guide conservation action in Quebec for years to come.
Follow the
project’s progress on their website and anyone spending time in
Quebec during the summer is encouraged to help out over the next
5-years.
January 4 - A New Year of Birding Ahead
When the New Year arrives the atlas Team starts thinking about the
fun times ahead atlassing the province. We enjoy hearing about your
birding discoveries as much as we enjoy birding around the province This
is our third year of the atlas project and so you might want to start
thinking where you would like to concentrate your efforts. The bird maps
shows the coverage so far and your Regional Coordinators will have some
good ideas too. Speaking of Regional Coordinators, the Atlas Team wishes
to extend our appreciation to their superb efforts guiding the project
in their regions. We also thank you for the breeding records from last
year. And we are very grateful to all ours supporters who are part of
this important project. And remember that some species start to breed in
January. Drop us a note anytime.
Find out more in the News Archives.
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What is an Atlas
Mapping birds is quickly becoming a world-wide phenomenon. It is fun to participate of course, but the results are an invaluable foundation of information for conserving birds and their ecosystems. Not long ago, atlases were books of maps but more recently atlases have on-line versions that are interactive. The BC Breeding Bird Atlas will be on-line and we hope to have a book too. To find out more, click here.
Join the atlas!
Anyone can participate in the Atlas. All you need is a pair of binoculars and some birdwatching experience or
the desire to learn about birds. You need to be able to identify birds correctly but you do not need to be
expert - all records are welcome. All data are entered on-line and the results will appear on this web site.
After you register to the Atlas, you will receive the instructions and forms necessary.
You should also get in touch with the regional coordinator in the area(s) that you are interested.
The coordinator will recommend an area (10x10 km square) where you should plan to spend at least 20 hours over the 5 years of the project.
You are also strongly encourage to report observations done outside of your square, anywhere else in B.C.
A statement from our patron
I have had a life long interest in birds. They have brought joy to an increasing number of people around
the world but especially in Canada. In recent years I have noticed an alarming decline in many
species I once considered a common part of my world. Bird populations are of course the proverbial canary in
the coal mine. The health of their populations relates to the health of humans. The
Breeding Bird Atlas puts scientific muscle behind vague impressions. It also stimulates public awareness and
even that sense of joy I had in my youth. — Robert Bateman, Patron of the Atlas. Photo by Birgit Freybe Bateman.
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Bird of the Month

Bohemian Waxwing, photo: Doug Butler
If you're lucky, you'll be able to see hundreds, maybe thousands, of
these bohemian nomads wintering in southern BC. Being reliant on varying
food sources, namely fruit, Bohemian Waxwings will breed in different
areas year after year and won't hold a conventional breeding territory.
As a consequence they have no true song;
listen to their call here. Visible by the hundreds in the
winter, but where are they in the summer?
Check
out the Atlas map and see how few and scattered their
distribution is. Make a goal to find some in coniferous/spruce forests
in 2010!

View species maps

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