What Kind of Atlasser Am I:
Block Owner

What is an Atlas Block?
An Atlas Block is a 10-mile square area determined using the Delorme Pennsylvania Atlas & Gazetteer, a USGS topographic map (one topo map comprised six equal-sizes Atlas blocks), or using the block finder on this website. The state of Pennsylvania is divided into 4,937 blocks for the Atlas, a few hundred of which are not contained wholly within PA. For the 2nd PBBA, only the PA portion of these so-called "border" blocks will be surveyed. When you report your data for the 2nd PBBA, it will be important to note in which block you observed your PA breeding birds.

What is a Block Owner?
An “owner” of an atlas block is any Atlas volunteer assigned to the block and is expected to be the person primarily responsible for spending enough time within the block (spread out across the breeding season and across as many habitats as can be found and accessed within the block) to generate a nearly complete list of the breeding bird species present in that block.

Strategy for Block Owners
By visiting an Atlas block several times during a given nesting season, and, especially, by visiting as many of the habitats as may be present in a block, a "block owner" will quickly build a list of most (>75%) of the nesting birds for that block. Exactly how many and which species are represented will, of course, be a reflection of the ecological factors that generally influence bird distributions, e.g., elevation, latitude, longitude, and available habitat types. Uncommon, rare, or otherwise difficult-to-detect species, will naturally make up the majority of “missed” species in a given block, and some of these may require special surveying efforts.

As a general guideline, Atlas volunteers will be able to see lists of the birds found in their blocks during the first Atlas (1984-1989). Importantly, the list of species generated in the second Atlas will correspond to the list from the first Atlas to varying degrees, depending on differences in coverage levels between the two Atlas efforts, natural changes in the distribution of bird species (e.g., range contractions or expansions related to population dynamics), and changes in bird occurrences related to habitat loss or habitat change over the last twenty years. Thus, we do not expect the species lists for blocks to be the same between the first and second Atlas efforts. In fact, documenting any differences or changes is the primary purpose of repeating the Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas effort after twenty years!

How Much Time Should I Spend in My Block?
Block owners are expected to spend at least 25 atlassing hours within the block over the five year atlas project. This coverage can be obtained in one or all five years. Atlassers should visit all accessible habitat types found within the block several times throughout the season. By visiting all of the habitat types found within the block, the owner can expect to build a list of >75% of the species in the block.

How Do I Become a Block Owner?
If you are interested in owning a block, but do not have access to the internet, contact a Project Coordinator at the main office or a Regional Coordinator in your area of the state.

If you do have internet access, you can register as a volunteer, then, on your "My Home" page, select the "View Regions and Blocks" tab. You will be directed to a PA map; select the area where you want to do your atlassing, and you will be given the option to request ownership of a specific unowned block, or request that available block(s) be assigned to you. A Regional Coordinator will review your request and contact you.