Some Atlassing Ethics

Be a Good Ambassador for the 2nd PBBA
Most of your atlassing will probably be done from public roads and on public lands. Permission to enter posted private land must be obtained from the property owner. Tell the owner about the Atlas project and what you are trying to accomplish, and how long and how often you would like to visit the property. It would be courteous and create goodwill to say thanks and report on your findings before you leave or at the end of the breeding season.

Never pass up an opportunity to encourage someone you meet to become an Atlas volunteer. Share you’re Atlassing experiences, and carry a few spare forms (Backyard Birdwatcher, Farmer, and Field Cards with Inserts, handbooks) that you can distribute. Be sure to have your 2nd PBBA Atlas Volunteer I.D. card with you, and place the car placard in your windshield to allay concerns of anyone who sees your car parked along the road while you are away from it atlassing.

Always Be Respectful of the Birds
It is best if you can establish evidence of breeding birds by unobtrusive observation. Disturb the birds as little as possible. Do not approach nests too closely or flush nesting birds repeatedly. Simply make your observations, then move away from the area to make your notes. Do not knowingly keep birds from moving freely to and from their nests to feed young or incubate eggs, especially when it is cool or raining.

“Pishing” can be used to confirm species whose songs or calls you are unsure of. At a site within an Atlas block that you own, playing of tapes may be done judiciously in order to determine the presence of selected, otherwise difficult to detect species (e.g., nocturnal, wetland, some rare or local conservation interest birds). Tapes should not be played for longer than 10 minutes and should not be played in the same place more than once. Do not use tapes to make repeated observations of the same bird or to get a better look at a bird that you already have detected by more conventional (less disturbing) means. Do not use tapes to detect species in blocks to which you are contributing incidental records, as the block owner may already have used tape playback there.

Remember, when birding for the Atlas, you are trying to observe birds that are actively breeding; undue disturbance at this time of their annual cycle could lead inadvertently to nesting failures.

Obviously, the greatest care of all should be taken when observing very rare, endangered, or threatened species—contact your Regional Coordinator or the Project Coordinators to determine how to proceed if you suspect nesting by one of these species but cannot confirm it.