The second annual Big Atlas Weekend was a success with 360 atlasers in NY documenting 190 species and submitting 1501 checklists the weekend of June 24-26! We held several challenges in different categories and randomly selected from eligible checklists to choose winners. Winners received a free course of their choosing from the Cornell Lab’s Bird Academy. Joel was recognized for submitting a complete atlas checklist in an incomplete block. Congratulations, Joel!
Name
Joel Strong
Hometown or county
Appleton, Niagara County
How you started birding
Ever since I can remember, I’ve always loved all things outdoors and would often disappear for hours at a time traipsing through the woods or ditch behind our house in Niagara County and would often take a bird guide with me to figure out what I was looking at. It wasn’t until college at SUNY-ESF, however, that I had my first summer job with birds, helping a graduate student that was studying the effect of Pine False Webworm outbreaks on the size of breeding bird territories in the Adirondacks. That’s when I first learned to identify birds by song, and I continued to learn new species even after that job. A trip to Amherst Island with our student chapter of The Wildlife Society also stands out as an experience that further fueled the birding flame when we had the privilege to see seven owl species in a single day! I would say that I’ve been “seriously” birding and keeping a year list for about 10 years when the company I worked for in Florida decided to start a friendly “Big Year” competition, and shortly after, I started using eBird to help keep track of when and where I saw each species.
Favorite birds
It’s so hard to pick favorites and I get asked that question a lot. I would certainly put Burrowing Owl in my top 5 (what’s not to love about owls, let alone one that nests underground!?) along with Cedar Waxwing, Bee Hummingbird, Common Raven, and Spoon-billed Sandpiper. As a group, I would say shorebirds are my favorite to watch and pick through with a spotting scope during their epic migrations through our region.
Motivation to atlas
I love birding and fieldwork as well contributing to science and conservation. Atlasing checks all those boxes and provides a great reason to get out birding in the summertime and discover some new breeding areas for different species. On top of that, it’s been a great learning experience to deepen my understanding of our local breeding residents.
Favorite atlasing area
There are a lot of great blocks to atlas around Niagara County that offer lakeshore, grasslands, and woodlands, but my absolute favorite has been the Akron NW block, which includes parts of Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area and Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. This diverse block includes grasslands, woodlands, wooded swamps, and marshes. During the first year of the atlas, I spent many days and nights exploring these areas with Willie D’Anna and documented a lot great breeding activity we don’t typically get to see in the rest of the county. One of the most memorable mornings was when we explored some of the marshes by kayak and crossed paths with fledgling Least Bitterns!
Most rewarding part of atlasing
Knowing that the atlasing effort will be used to guide conservation efforts and shed light on population trends is rewarding in itself. Additionally the “lister” in me really enjoys every time you get that confirmation code on the checklist and get a block that much closer to completion.
Favorite atlasing discovery
The Newfane NW priority block only contains a small fraction of potential breeding area (the majority is Lake Ontario). Yet within this tiny sliver of land that includes a known breeding area for Clay-colored Sparrows, I have discovered nesting American Kestrels, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Common Ravens, Cooper’s Hawks, Pine Warblers, and Golden-Crowned Kinglets. It’s been amazing to see the diversity of birds successfully breeding in a such a small area.
Advice for someone “on the fence” about participating
Just try it! It has never been easier to participate, especially with all the improvements to the eBird app. It’s as easy as switching your portal on the eBird app and selecting an appropriate breeding code from the list of options. Atlasing is a terrific way to deepen your understanding and appreciation of our local, breeding birds, which will make you a better birder and, at the same time, contribute to an amazing project that will benefit the birds we love!