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There’s one Breeding Code on the list that doesn’t really have anything to do with breeding, and that’s F (Flyover). Birds coded as F are treated as “Observed” in the atlas context – occurring in the block but not warranting a breeding code.
As the season starts to slow down and we all begin to review our checklists collected during 2017, we thought it would be informative to share with everyone the results of the data review of 2015 and 2016 data. In general, we’re seeing lots of good information rolling in, but there are a few common pitfalls that everyone should be aware of.
Wondering how to code a certain behavior for a certain species? You asked for it, here it is — a complete guide to which codes are good for which species and which aren't.
There is still plenty of activity and atlas codes to be found, especially confirmations. Although it’s not as easy to assume breeding as it has been for the past couple months, atlasers will still be rewarded with confirmations for the next couple weeks.
We’re now in the middle of the breeding season, with pretty much all of our breeding species either nesting or raising young. It’s easy to see a bird is breeding if it’s on a nest or carrying food but other breeding behaviors are harder to decipher.
Although we're now in the prime of breeding season, not everything using appropriate habitat should be given codes. Exceptions include gulls, terns, pelicans, cormorants, herons, waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, and some songbirds.
This 4-part series titled “Tricky Coding” will address the most confusing situations from last year and serve as a study guide and reference for when these situations arise again. Being familiar with these articles will help everyone improve the quality of the Atlas data.
It's spring and everybody's ready to get outside and see some birds. But what's breeding now?
