Program Description:

It has been 20 years since the last breeding bird atlas in New York State and a lot has changed! The third atlas will take place from 2020-2025 and involve thousands of volunteers from across the state. This talk will cover the history of the atlas, the importance of atlas data, and how you can get involved. Learn how the third atlas will differ from previous atlases, including how we will be using eBird for data entry. eBird will make it easier to track progress and allow anyone to enter data anywhere. Atlasing is a great excuse to explore new areas and provides an intimate look into the daily lives of birds. Whether you are a beginner or advanced birder, this unique opportunity will strengthen your birdwatching skills while contributing valuable data to a large conservation-oriented project.

Speaker: Julie Hart

Julie is a native Vermonter who became a birder while working as a bird conservation intern with National Audubon, Audubon New York, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. She traveled for several years doing field work, including studying Common Loons (NH), Common and Roseate Terns (ME), Golden-winged Warblers (NY), Kokako (New Zealand), Black-capped Petrel (Haiti), and Ivory-billed Woodpecker (AR), before returning to VT to serve as the coordinator for Mountain Birdwatch with the Vermont Center for Ecostudies. After several years chasing Bicknell’s Thrush around the mountains of the Northeast and Hispaniola, she moved to Wyoming where she received her Master’s degree studying the impacts of climate change on Cassia Crossbill in southern Idaho. Then in Europe, Julie learned about different habitats, wildlife, and conservation issues while participating in long-term “ringing” efforts. She returned to coastal CT to work as the database manager for Yale’s Map of Life project before settling in Albany to coordinate the third Breeding Bird Atlas in NY. Along the way she participated in two bird atlases, as a technician for the VT atlas and as a volunteer for the CT atlas, and considers atlasing her favorite type of birding.