In May, most species return from the south and start building nests right away. Every block where you report a bird building a nest (NB or B) or carrying nesting material (CN) gives you one chance to be NY BBA III Atlaser of the Month. Check out this checklist for a nice photo sequence of an American Robin building a nest. Robins are fun to watch nest building; they bring in new material and then sit and twist and turn and shimmy to fit the nest to their body.
The winner of the May challenge will be drawn randomly from all eligible submissions. If you win, you’ll be featured on the atlas homepage, and get some atlas gear!
Throughout the atlas we will hold monthly challenges. These friendly competitions are designed to help you become more familiar with birds and their breeding behaviors. In 2020, the first year of the atlas, our focus is on helping you get in tune with nature by keying you in to which birds are breeding throughout the year.