Bird Atlas - breeding season starts

It may not seem it with this cold snap, but the Breeding Season has arrived for the Bird Atlas.

Online returns for the first winter season have been made for 97 tetrads, 90 of which have had both visits recorded. I have had paper returns for an additional 7 tetrads so far. This is a great start to the Atlas project in the region. Hopefully the breeding season will be equally successful.

Look out for breeding evidence this season. The codes can be found on several of the instructions sheets and the handy card for use in the field.

For TTVs, please note the instructions about breeding codes and colonies on the instructions sheet - this can be seen at http://www.bto.org/birdatlas/taking_part/ttv_instructions-lres.pdf

To reduce costs, I have only sent paper forms to observers who returned the data on paper as it is preferable to use the online system. However, paper forms for the breeding season TTVs are available on request.