As we are nearing the end of the third month of New York Breeding Bird Atlas III, I want to share three important news items that will make atlasing easier now and in the coming months.
1. There has been some confusion about when to use the New York Breeding Bird Atlas portal in eBird. To eliminate this confusion, the Atlas Steering Committee has made the following decision: *You should use the portal for all checklists in NY from now through 2024 when you are following block boundaries and actively keeping an eye out for bird breeding behavior (and noting codes for behaviors you find).* 2. Birders also have been unsure about when to add breeding codes to their eBird checklists, especially during the winter months. To make things easier for field observers, the Atlas Steering Committee has simplified the instructions for applying breeding codes: *You should use breeding codes every time you observe breeding behavior, whether it’s peak breeding season or not.* 3. Finally, the ability to see Atlas block boundaries is currently available in eBird Mobile on Android devices and in beta testing on iOS. This will make a huge difference in letting us know what Atlas block we are in at all times. Taken together, these three items should make atlasing much easier as spring migrants start returning and breeding behavior ramps up in the coming weeks and months! In addition, while many people turn to outdoor activities to cope in these turbulent times, please follow the recommended guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If you have any questions about any of these items, or anything else related to the Atlas, please let me know. Happy atlasing, Julie -- Julie Hart, Project Coordinator *NEW YORK BREEDING BIRD ATLAS III* *PARTICIPATE* Website <https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=c8d6c650-94f0fe6e-c8d43f65-000babda0031-6934d6a512b40f2c&q=1&u=https%3A%2F%2Febird.org%2Fatlasny%2Fabout> | Newsletter <https://mailchi.mp/a6c58a33437d/nybbaiiisignup> *FOLLOW* Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/nybba3/> | Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/nybbaiii/> | Twitter <https://twitter.com/nybbaiii> *SUPPORT* Store <https://www.zazzle.com/store/nybbaiii> | Donate <https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=tPYqacOnC6V6g_icb8rE7VF0NeOxZDhVbMUR_iOE_dpykMM7-RvqmRTpwtn6zUzgqbGhh0&country.x=US&locale.x=US> -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
