Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas 2
Newsletter
May 13, 2011
Hello Atlasers,
Executive Summary

Sunday is May 15, which marks the opening of many Safe Dates. Our progress to data has been impressive, but
there are really only 8 weeks of high-quality Atlasing left in the project. That time will fly by, and I’d suggest
getting a jump on your field work.

There are some cool tables below showing where we stand at the beginning of this, our last, field season.

Please contact your Regional Coordinator, or reply to me, if you can’t finish a block for which you have been
assigned. Please.

Please consider supporting the Atlas Bird-a-thon team. All the money will go into creating our final Atlas website
and paper document. Everyone who donates $100 or more gets a signed print from David Sibley, which is pretty
cool, and only available to folks who support OUR team. You can find our secure fundraising page at:
o http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/joan-walsh/bird-a-thon2011atlas-a-thon

The blog is active again – be sure to check us out at…
o http://massaudubonblogs.typepad.com/massbirdatlas/

Remember, you can find all the checklists, and the handbook at
o http://www.massaudubon.org/birdatlas/bba2/methods/index.php

You can find all the Block Results Details, Missing species, Block Assignments, and Block Maps at the data entry
site after you login at:
o http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bba/index.cfm?fa=explore.ProjectHome&BBA_ID=MA2007
The Finer Points
Here are some tables documenting where we stand at the beginning of our last Atlas season.
One of the bits in the first table is the Unassigned Blocks column – many of these are state border “shreds”, but there
are a few blocks in Bristol that are mostly land, and can use your help. Email jgalluzzo@massaudubon.org if you can
help.
Also, if you have been assigned a block it is Mission Critical that the block is completed in 2011. By the end of this season
all blocks will be marked complete.
Blocks and Documents
County
Assigned
Blocks
Blocks
Unassigned Unreviewed FieldCards Incidentals
Completed
Blocks
Docs
Open
Open
Rare
Species
Unreviewed
Sightings
Barnstable
72
54
3
0
5
0
971
0
Berkshire
112
66
3
0
8
1
534
0
Bristol
60
39
20
7
9
0
321
26
Dukes
22
3
12
0
0
0
449
0
Essex
77
57
1
0
9
0
1032
0
Franklin
84
71
0
1
9
0
672
2
Hampden
83
37
0
3
6
4
276
40
Hampshire
59
49
0
2
3
2
408
2
Middlesex
96
0
1
9
0
0
661
21
Nantucket
19
0
0
0
0
0
175
0
Norfolk
44
0
0
6
6
0
233
36
Plymouth
89
53
6
11
14
6
865
12
Suffolk
13
0
0
1
0
1
105
1
179
168
0
11
3
1
1067
56
1009
597
46
51
72
15
7769
196
Worcester
Totals
Table two gives you an overview of the species found in each county – clearly there is more work to be done on
Nantucket and da Vineyard, but they are likely to have lower species totals. If you are looking for a real challenge, help
to putt the average up in Hampden County, where it probably should be a few species higher.
Sightings and Species
Number of
County
Reviewed
Sightings
Spp CO
Spp PR
Spp
PO
Species
Blocks
Blocks w/
Data
Obs
submitting
Avg Spp /
block
Barnstable
4441
120
18
11
174
75
70
76
63
Berkshire
7787
134
10
12
160
115
108
60
72
Bristol
3513
111
21
10
150
80
70
52
50
Dukes
1480
87
15
24
145
34
31
26
47
Essex
6051
143
14
14
187
78
78
88
77
Franklin
7525
135
13
12
163
84
84
86
89
Hampden
5311
123
13
11
154
83
83
52
63
Hampshire
5166
136
10
8
164
59
59
83
87
Middlesex
7446
127
14
12
167
97
96
113
77
Nantucket
583
64
13
14
106
19
16
14
36
Norfolk
3038
110
12
11
145
44
43
49
70
Plymouth
5585
135
19
15
184
95
92
72
60
630
92
6
20
120
13
13
29
48
Worcester
15198
134
14
15
178
179
179
83
84
Totals
73754
1055
1022
Suffolk
Cheers,
Joan
Joan Walsh
Director of Bird Monitoring
Mass Audubon
Blog massaudubonblogs.typepad.com/massbirdatlas/
BBA2 Web massaudubon.org/bba2/methods