BREEDING BIRD ATLAS 2

Between 1974 and 1979 hundreds of participants from throughout the state conducted the first Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas (Atlas 1) During this five year period all the species of breeding birds that called Massachusetts home were recorded. Atlas 1 represented the first effort in North America to systematically map the distribution of all the breeding birds in a state or province.

Since 1979 dramatic changes have taken place in the state’s landscape. Changes in the landscape drive changes in our wildlife, including our breeding birds. To understand the relationship between landscape alteration and changes in our breeding birds, we can measure the distribution and abundance of our breeding birds and compare that information to historic information. A Breeding Bird Atlas is one of the best tools for measuring these changes in bird distribution over time.

In April 2007 Mass. Audubon began the state’s second Breeding Bird Atlas (Atlas 2).  Over the course of five years, from 2007 to 2011, hundreds of participants recorded breeding birds all over Massachusetts including Cape Cod. 

Preliminary results are being worked on.  Check the Atlas blog for updates http://www.massaudubon.org/blogs/massbirdatlas/.

To learn more about Mass Audubon's Breeding Bird Atlas, go to the Atlas web site at http://www.massaudubon.org/birdatlas.

In addition, Mass Audubon has published The State of the Birds report (released September, 2011).  To view the online version go to http://www.massaudubon.org/StateoftheBirds/index.php

DO YOU HAVE OWLS?

To help locate owls for the state's Breeding Bird Atlas, Mass Audubon's website has a new "Owl Reporter." http://www.massaudubon.org/owls/

Help Us Find Massachusetts' Owls

Join our state-wide effort to document owl populations in Massachusetts! 

Owls are everywhere. Some species can be found in dense forests or small wood lots. Others may prefer swamps, or open marshes, grasslands, or even residential neighborhoods. 

Do you have owls in your neighborhood? It is very possible, but because they are nocturnal they often go unnoticed. Usually the best indication that there is an owl in the area is its call. 

Have you heard or seen an owl but need some assistance identifying it? We have provided photos and recordings of the seven species of owls that nest in Massachusetts.

Once you have identified your owl, please use our Owl Reporter to plot the location and date of the sighting. http://www.massaudubon.org/owls/report/sign_in.php

As always, please take care not to disturb any owl you find. 

Your owl location information will be included as a valuable subset of a larger database for Mass Audubon's five-year, statewide Breeding Bird Atlas project, a volunteer-based effort designed to map the distribution of all the breeding birds in the Commonwealth.