Completed blocks now displayed

We are happy to announce there are now several ways to see which blocks are complete.

But first of all, what does “complete” mean? We estimate a block will be complete when:

1. At least 20 hours are spent in a block, actively surveying, spread over multiple visits.
2. At least 80% of the species found in the block during the first Atlas are detected.
3. At least 50% of the species detected are confirmed as breeding.
4. All habitat types within the block have been visited (if access was available).
5. Surveys were completed at different times of year.
6. At least 2 night visits have occurred.

These are just guidelines, and certain blocks will need fewer or more hours before they are complete. For more details on these guidelines, check out page 20 of the Atlas Handbook.

A completed block is not closed, so if your home or favorite birding spot is in a complete block, you can continue to enter checklists, BUT with over 1,200 blocks to cover, being aware of which blocks are already complete can help us all direct attention to the blocks that need it most.

Two ways to see completed blocks

1. In Atlas eBird tables (accessible from the Explore a Region page in Atlas eBird)

Completed blocks should be noted on every table in atlas eBird, including

at the state level:

at the county level:

and on the block page itself:

2. On the Block Request Tool (accessible from the Handbook and Materials page)

This is currently the only way to view the completed blocks on a map. You can also view which blocks have a principal atlaser committed to them, and which blocks are wide open and need someone to take them on.

We are anticipating in the future we will have a better effort map showing how many hours are into each block.

You may have noticed we are currently sitting at 14% completed blocks, when ideally we should be near 40% complete at the end of year 2 of 5. It’s not quite as dire as it looks because we have a lot of effort into partially complete blocks — nevertheless in 2017 we should all have a strong focus on bringing nearly complete blocks to officially complete. You’ll be hearing more about this in the months to come.

In the meantime, enjoy your CBCs and stay warm!