Welcome to the Maritimes Breeding Bird Atlas

Cross those crossbills off your list!

Birds can tell us a lot about the environment in which we live.  Because they are sensitive to environmental stressors and occupy virtually all terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats, knowing where birds are and what habitats they use can help us assess ecosystem health.  The Maritimes Breeding Bird Atlas is a five-year project to determine the distribution and abundance of all bird species breeding in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.  Since 2006, 1,000 volunteers have spent 31,000 hours combing the Maritimes in search of breeding birds...and we're not done yet.  There are still many areas to cover and many birds to report!

Join the effort!  Anyone with a pair of binoculars and bird watching experience, or even a desire to learn about birds, can participate.  You don't need to be an expert--we just ask that you are confident in the identification of the birds  you report.  Register Online or call us at 1-866-5atlas5.

Atlas Latest News

January 12, 2010 - 2009 Data Entry Deadline

Well, 2010 is upon us (yikes!) and that means we need to plan for our final year of field work. To make plan the coming field season we need to know what has been surveyed and what hasn’t, and the only way to know that is if you’ve submitted your data. If you are  entering your data online, all 2009 data must be entered by January 31st. So if you have data left to enter please slot some time into your busy schedule in the next few weeks. If you are submitting paper forms, please get them in the mail as soon as possible. Once all the data is in, we will be able to see where to focus our efforts this summer.

Plus don’t forget to fill out those rare/colonial bird forms. As you enter your data Maritimes rare, regionally rare and colonial 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.

Please contact the Atlas office with any questions/comments/concerns or if you need to be reminded of your user number or password, or try the Data Entry FAQ under “Resources > Instructions” (drop-down menu is at the top of the page). Thanks for all your efforts and Happy New Year!

Photo: Spruce Grouse by Becky Stewart

January 12, 2010 - Crossbills: Bravely breeding when no other bird will


Red Crossbill, photo by Mike Wisnicki

The following article originally appeared in the Atlas Latest News on January 07, 2009 but we're posting it again in light of the many questions the office has received about Crossbills in the past few weeks.  If you haven't seen or heard any crossbills yet, keep your ears and eyes open because it seems like 2010 may be our "Crossbill Year".

Despite an abundance of winter birds in the Maritimes (chickadees, grosbeaks, finches etc…), only two passerine species regularly breed in January: White-winged and Red Crossbill. So, what is it about the crossbills that allow them to breed in the winter while other songbirds must wait until spring? Crossbills forage on the seeds in conifer cones, using their crossed mandibles to wedge open cone scales and their tongues to lift the seeds out. Much of the crossbills’ breeding behaviour and ecology can be understood in terms of their exploitation of this food source. Because cone crop availability is erratic, crossbills are nomads, traveling to take advantage of developing cone crops and breeding whenever food sources are sufficient for egg production. Since crossbills do not require insects for breeding (nestlings are fed partially digested seeds), breeding occurs year round. In the Maritimes, White-winged Crossbills generally breed in two bouts: from early January to April and from July to October, while Red Crossbills primarily breed in January through April. For atlassers, this means that much of the crossbills’ breeding activities falls outside of the typical atlassing period (i.e., June and July).

During the first Maritimes Atlas (1986-1990), White-winged Crossbills were detected in 536 atlas squares; most records were from the summer and fall of 1988 when the spruce cone crop was particularly heavy. The breeding evidence observed was primarily singing males (S) and birds on territory (T). Fledged young (FY) were reported in 100 squares but only 3 nests were found over the entire five year period. Red Crossbills were detected in 159 squares with breeding confirmed (FY) in 25 squares. No Red Crossbill nests were found during the first Atlas effort. Thus far, during the second Atlas, White-winged and Red Crossbills have been recorded in 295 and 88 squares, respectively. I’m going to bet we can find them in a lot more! So, where should we look and what breeding evidence codes should we use to describe these detections?

Both species are found in coniferous forest (spruce, hemlock, fir etc…) when trees have an ample cone crop. Breeding males will often sing while circling overhead—this behaviour should be recorded as “S” or, “D” if a female is also present. The Red Crossbill’s song is a series of short warbled clicks and whistles while the White-winged Crossbill’s song is filled with longer trills and warblers and is, in some ways, reminiscent of the American Goldfinch’s song. Keep your eyes peeled for females carrying nesting material (this may also be a good way to find crossbill nesting sites). Also, note that you won’t see Crossbills carrying food because adults carry food for young is carried in their crop, but, you may see males feeding females (D) or parents feeding recently FY (young are heavily streaked). So, the next time you are out walking or cross-country skiing in the woods, look and listen for breeding crossbills…you may even be the first to find a crossbill nest during this atlas effort.

Photo: Female White-winged Crossbill by Clyde Barrett

January 12, 2010 - 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 this summer is encouraged to help out (once your Maritimes square is complete of course). And don’t worry if you don’t make it to Quebec this summer, there will be at least 4 more years to participate once the Maritimes Atlas is complete.

January 12, 2010 - Maritimes Atlas First Edition Newsletters Now Available Online

For anyone feeling nostalgic for, or just curious about, newsletters from the first Maritimes Breeding Bird Atlas, you’re in luck because they are now available online. You can read articles documenting atlassing trips, tips for atlassers, check out some great artwork in them, and remember how the first atlas came together. The newsletters can be viewed and downloaded from the Atlas Newsletter page.


 

Thank-you to the many photographers who have given us permission to use their photographs for various Atlas publications and on the Atlas website. We really appreciate it

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