Make it a Big (Atlas) Year: New Years Resolutions for 2020

By Glen Mittelhauser

Its a prime time to tell the stories of change in our bird populations.
-Andy Clements, Director of the British Trust for Ornithology

2020 will be the third year of the Maine Bird Atlas project.  With the end of the project looming in the distance, there is still much that needs to be done to complete the data collection phase of the project.  While bird observations in any part of the state are of value, checklists from priority blocks are of paramount importance as priority block completion will insure even reporting from all regions of the state.  For this new year, see if you can add one of the ideas below to your resolutions list.

• Submit 5 checklists a month from your bird feeder.
• Do you have a favorite winter nature place (FWNP)? Visit your FWNP once or twice this winter and look for birds and enter your results into Maine eBird. 
• Submit 30 checklists for priority blocks.
• Adopt and complete an untouched priority block.
• Choose a priority block in a remote area of Maine that you have always wanted to check out and apply for one of MBBAs Remote Travel Grants to offset the cost of travel and camping.
• Find and confirm a rare breeder.