This project in Pennsylvania is for the birds, and the birds could benefit from your help
A project that's definitely for the birds is in search of people.
Pennsylvania’s Third Bird Atlas program is underway. It’s a five-year project seeking help from community scientists to document breeding and wintering species across the state.
This atlas will build on the efforts of previous projects in the 1980s and early 2000s and relies on volunteer birders from all over the state. The state has been divided into 4,937 blocks that are each roughly 3 square miles. Participants can choose a block where they can monitor bird activity.
The Erie Bird Observatory has shared the following information on how the public can get involved:
You’ll identify the species that you observe, count how many individuals there are and watch for breeding behaviors.
Checklists are short, done in limited areas and time periods ― less than a mile and less than 30 minutes, for example.
Visit ebird.org/atlaspa for information about Atlas blocks and how to report breeding behaviors. The portal features a Quick Start guide and contact information for coordinators, with more information and resources to be added as the project progresses.
Paper forms are available, but use of the app is recommended as a way to see block boundaries.
Everyone is eligible to participate. Observations can be made on public land or on private land where permission has been granted.
For more details, visit the PA Bird Atlas Discussion Group on Facebook.
Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website's homepage under your login name. Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors, and Instagram at whipkeyoutdoors.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: How to participate in Pennsylvania's Third Bird Atlas project
