Although it is too soon to begin surveying atlas blocks in earnest, a few species have begun to nest and atlas data have started to flow in. For example, last weekend I saw a common raven fly across the Merritt Parkway in Orange (block 94F) with a stick in its beak – carrying nest material (atlas code CN). I was a little surprised about the location, but I checked with local birder Frank Gallo who confirmed that there is pair that nests on a cell tower nearby. Continue reading “Nesting ravens”
Atlas web site launched
Data collection for the Connecticut Bird Atlas begins this year and the full web site went live this weekend, so we have a lot of new information available. We will use this blog to post updates about the project over the next few years. Here are a few introductory comments taken from our initial email to volunteers. Continue reading “Atlas web site launched”
Our History
Scientifically-designed bird atlases began in the UK in the 1960s. Dozens of bird atlases have been produced since, at scales ranging from counties, to countries, to continents.
For a list of projects in the US, click here. Most projects have focused on breeding birds, but some have tackled winter or migration patterns. Most simply document where each species occurs, but some also estimate abundance. And, while the focus has largely been on documenting distributions, most have also made some attempt to explain the distributions in relation to habitats, land use, and other factors. Increasingly, atlases are being repeated with a primary goal of determining whether and how bird distributions are changing. Continue reading “Our History”