Have you heard of the 3rd Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas? Its goal is to map the distribution and relative abundance of Ontario’s approximately 300 species of breeding birds – from as far south as Middle Island in Lake Erie, to Hudson Bay in the north. The data is collected over a five-year period (2021 to 2025) and will provide essential information for researchers, scientists, government officials and conservation professionals. It will guide environmental policies and conservation strategies for years to come …and you can help!
For the Atlas, the province is divided into 10×10 km squares and then birders find as many breeding species as possible in each square. The squares are further grouped into Regions for administrative purposes. Region 25 consists of 45 squares that encompass most of the Mississippi River watershed from its source down to, and including, Mississippi Lake.
One of the goals of the Atlas in Region 25 is to ensure that each of the 45 squares gets adequate coverage. The best way to do that is to have a reasonably experienced birder become Principal Atlasser for a square. While any birder can, and is encouraged to, contribute to any square, assigning a specific square to a Principal Atlasser gives the best chance for each square to be adequately covered.
The 3rd season of the Atlas has just started and, as of March 8th, only 26 of the 45 squares in Region 25 have Principal Atlassers assigned. Perhaps you live in the region itself or close by. Maybe you have a cottage in one of the squares. If you would like to help, please contact Rémy Poulin, the Coordinator for Region 25 (Silver Lake), at: silverlake@birdsontario.org You can also find more information on the Atlas at: www.birdsontario.org
