There are a few news items from the third Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas (Atlas-3) which is now into year two of five:
***Sappy Hour - February 23 at 7:00 pm (tomorrow!)*** The next Sappy Hour is devoted to the standard surveys of the Eastern Screech-Owl and Northern Hawk Owl and to early season atlassing. Migrant birds are trickling back into the province and some residents are starting their breeding behaviours. We’ll discuss what breeding evidence you should be recording over the next month. The event will take place on Zoom webinar (register using the link - https://birdscanada-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_m_Er8vY2Tiy0IIAjR3Uc9g) and will also be streamed to Facebook Live ( www.facebook.com/ONBreedingBirdAtlas/live). The event will be recorded for those who cannot attend either on Facebook or Zoom and will be available on our YouTube channel. ***February newsletter*** The February newsletter was emailed to registered atlassers last week and will be posted to the website soon. It covers free access and camping in provincial parks, black parties and square bashes in the north, owl surveying, next Sappy Hour, summer job opportunities, and year-1 highlights from Atlassers. Past newsletters are available at: https://www.birdsontario.org/newsletters/ ***Summer job opportunities with the Atlas*** The Atlas is hiring experienced field staff to conduct bird surveys in Central and Northern Ontario beginning in May 2022. For more information see https://www.birdscanada.org/wildlife-technician-ontario-breeding-bird-atlas-project/ ***Monthly Challenges*** Don't forget to watch for each month's challenge for a chance to win great prizes! https://www.birdsontario.org/challenge/ For the February challenge: By Feb 28th, make sure you have submitted at least 1 checklist including a ‘pin’ (GPS CoordinateS) of a significant species. Each additional checklist increases the chance of winning Chris Earley’s field guides! All checklists submitted from the beginning of Atlas-3, up until Feb 28th are eligible. View https://youtu.be/RtyBEnZB7YM to learn how to document and pin a location for significant species. ***Atlas-3 videos*** All of the previous Sappy Hours along with recordings of various tutorials are available at any time on the Atlas-3 YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC378lRI2UmxlCE3PMJG0D7A Still need to register for Atlas-3? Visit https://www.birdsontario.org/ -- Ontbirds and Birdnews are moderated email Listservs provided by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) as a service to all birders in Ontario. Birdnews is reserved for announcements, location summaries, first of year reports, etc. To post a message on Birdnews, send an email to: [email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Birdnews Moderators by email at [email protected]. Please review posting rules and guidelines at http://ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines During the COVID-19 pandemic, all Ontario birders should be taking extra precautions and following local, provincial, and federal regulations regarding physical distancing and non-essential travel. To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
