Now that we have another way to enter bird sightings into eBird in Wisconsin, we wanted to clarify when you should be using the atlas portal.
The new atlas portal should be used for any checklists where you observed a behavior that warrants a breeding code for one or more species. Use the traditional Wisconsin eBird portal for any checklists where no Possible, Probable, or Confirmed codes were observed. (Review the list of breeding codes here.)
Whether you use the Atlas eBird portal (this page), the traditional Wisconsin eBird portal, or the main eBird website, your username and password remain the same, and your species will be added to your eBird account and appear in the totals on the My eBird tab. Currently, we have it set so that if you are using My eBird on the atlas portal, the count of checklists only refers to atlas checklists, and if you go to Manage my Checklists, it only shows atlas checklists. If you visit the Wisconsin eBird portal or main eBird website, My eBird should show all checklists, both atlas and non-atlas.
If you have any questions about which portal to use, how to enter data, or the atlas project in general, you can find details in the handbook and materials on the atlas website. Another important resource is the Online Discussion Forum where you can ask questions and read threads on questions others have asked. Also, every county has a County Coordinator in charge of helping direct atlas surveys within a county and answer questions that users have.
Thanks for joining us in what will likely be the largest citizen science project ever in Wisconsin!
