Why Should I Become an Atlasser?

Thank you for your interest in becoming an Atlasser for the 2nd PBBA. We’re confident that you’ll have fun and find it rewarding to contribute to the project.

The 2nd PBBA Depends on Birders
A recent U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey lists Pennsylvania as the state with the third largest number of birders, close behind New York. The survey estimates that 2.7 million Pennsylvanians travel a mile or more from home for the express purpose of viewing birds and/or make a concerted effort to observe and identify birds seen around their homes. Out of this group, there are perhaps several hundred to a thousand or more across the state who avidly pursue birding as a serious hobby. It is upon this group of highly motivated, experienced, and skilled birders– you know who you are!– that the success of the 2nd Atlas will largely depend, but there is lots of room (and lots of need!) for the other 2.69 million PA birders to contribute to the Atlas.

Atlassing Helps Improve Skills for All Levels of Birders
As many veterans of the 1st PBBA can attest, atlassing is a great way to improve your birding skills and to learn first hand about the Interesting breeding behaviors of birds. Even those who may not feel they are expert birders can acquire better identification skills and a more thorough understanding from their own firsthand experiences observing the breeding behavior of Pennsylvania’s nesting birds. Taking an active role in the 2nd PBBA by working in one or more Atlas blocks through project completion will provide rich opportunities for skill development.

Atlassing Creates New Birders!
A major goal of the 2nd PBBA will be to invite the participation, at any level and to whatever degree possible, of ten thousand or more people, drawn both from those 2.7 million Pennsylvania birders and the ranks of friends, family, and neighbors who have not previously professed or demonstrated any interest in birds whatsoever! Incidental observations are valuable - whether it is an observation made by a grade school class of a Killdeer nest next to the soccer field, a family caught up in the drama of watching an American Robin pair raise its brood in a nest built over the porch post, or a traveler on the Pennsylvania Turnpike who spots a Red-tailed Hawk. The more data we get about our breeding birds, the better - and the more people whose interest in and knowledge about birds grow as a result of the 2nd PBBA, the better as well! We hope that Pennsylvanians drawn into birding becausee of the Atlas will choose to stay involved in Pennsylvania birding by joining local bird clubs and Audubon Societies.

Atlassing Complements Existing Conservation Efforts
Data for existing projects in bird study around the state, such as the Special Areas Project, Important Bird Area, Breeding Bird Survey, and more, all will add directly into the Atlas results. Atlas efforts, in turn, will supplement these important programs—all in the name of bird conservation.

Okay, I’m Ready! How Do I Get Started?
The first step to becoming an atlasser is deciding what kind of atlasser you are? Click here to choose.