We are all familiar with the first BB atlas of Québec published in 1996 ... now it is time to update the information and Regroupement QuébecOiseaux, Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service and Bird Studies Canada have joined forces to work on the second Atlas of the breeding birds of Québec ... Bird protection Quebec will be playing its poart as well and members will be invited to participate in this major undertaking.
Just over 25 years after the start of fieldwork for the first Québec atlas, Bird Studies Canada, Regroupement QuébecOiseaux, and Environment Canada have joined forces to work on the second Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Québec. While the first atlas was largely limited to the southern part of Québec, this time every effort will be made to cover the whole of the province, making this one of the largest avian research projects ever undertaken in the province.
Fieldwork for the atlas will begin in spring 2010, and will be conducted over a period of at least five years. Once completed, the second atlas will provide up-to-date information about the distribution and abundance of bird species nesting in Québec, and a measure of the changes that have occurred over the past two decades. This powerful tool for the conservation of bird populations in Québec will also identify hotspots of avian biodiversity, and help determine whether populations of species at risk are declining or increasing.
If you’re interested in participating in the atlas, making a donation, or obtaining further information, please visit the Québec breeding bird atlas website, which will be regularly updated.
For now, we ask you to read the following announcement from the organsiers:
[An English translation of the original text follows]
Le deuxième Atlas des oiseaux nicheurs du Québec s’en vient!
Connaissez-vous l’Atlas des oiseaux nicheurs du Québec?
Paru en 1995 et véritable « Bible des oiseaux du Québec », cet ouvrage (Gauthier & Aubry 1995) nous a permis de cartographier la répartition des espèces d’oiseaux du Québec méridional. De 1984 à 1989, près de 1000 bénévoles ont contribué à récolter des données pour ce premier atlas.
Vingt ans plus tard, le Regroupement QuébecOiseaux, le Service canadien de la faune d’Environnement Canada et Étude d’oiseaux Canada s’associent afin de réaliser un deuxième Atlas des oiseaux nicheurs du Québec.
On s’en doute, de nombreux changements sont survenus au cours des deux dernières décennies au sein des populations d’oiseaux. Par exemple, l’Urubu à tête rouge, le Cardinal rouge, le Dindon sauvage et la Mésange bicolore sont toutes des espèces qui ont connu une expansion vers le Nord. À l’inverse, peut-être découvrirons-nous que d’autres espèces sont en régression dans certaines régions.
Les atlas nous permettent de mesurer ces changements. Les données serviront à la recherche et surtout, s’avèreront des outils très utiles pour la conservation et le suivi des populations d’oiseaux du Québec.
Seul ou en groupe, débutant ou expérimenté, vous pourrez tous participer à ce grand projet. Participer à l’atlas, c’est pratiquer une activité d’observation où l’on se donne comme défi de trouver des indices de nidification pour le plus grand nombre d’espèces.
Pour réaliser ce projet, nous avons besoin de votre participation. À partir du printemps prochain (2010) et pour les cinq prochaines années, le projet d’atlas sera sur les lèvres de tous les ornithologues du Québec!
Surveillez les annonces dans votre club et le magazine QuébecOiseaux pour connaître le déroulement des activités de l’atlas.
Bon atlas!
Benoit Laliberté
Adjoint à la coordination - Atlas des oiseaux nicheurs du Québec
The Second Breeding Bird Atlas of Québec is on its way!
Who hasn’t heard of the Atlas of the breeding birds of Québec?
Edited by Gauthier and Aubry, and published in 1996, this monumental work is a veritable encyclopedia of the birds of Québec. Between 1984 and 1989, nearly 1000 volunteers collected atlas data that allowed the mapping of the distribution of breeding bird species in Southern Québec.
Twenty years later, Regroupement QuébecOiseaux, Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service and Bird Studies Canada have joined forces to work on the second Atlas of the breeding birds of Québec.
We expect to find that changes have occurred in the distribution of a number of species during the last two decades. For example, the ranges of the Turkey Vulture, the Northern Cardinal, the Wild Turkey and the Tufted Titmouse have all undergone a northward expansion. In contrast, we may also discover that the ranges of certain species have contracted.
The data collected for the second Atlas will allow us to measure these changes, providing a powerful tool for the conservation and monitoring of bird populations in Québec. Furthermore, the data will also be used for a wide range of other avian research programs.
As you know, atlassing is birdwatching with a particular goal: finding breeding evidence for the largest number of species within a given area. To conduct this project, we need your help. Beginner or experienced birdwatcher, alone or as part of a group, everyone can participate. As of next spring (2010) and for the next five years, we hope that the atlas project will unite all the birdwatchers in Québec!
For further information, and to follow the development of the project and the activities associated with the Atlas, keep an eye open for advertisements and articles in your club’s newsletter, the magazine QuébecOiseaux and the website of Regroupement QuébecOiseaux.
We hope that we can count on your participation.
Happy atlassing!
Benoit Laliberté
Assistant coordinator - Atlas of the breeding birds of Québec
The Second Atlas of the breeding birds of Québec is on its way!
Who hasn’t heard of the Atlas of the breeding birds of Québec?
Edited by Gauthier and Aubry, and published in 1996, this monumental work is a veritable encyclopedia of the birds of Québec. Between 1984 and 1989, nearly 1000 volunteers collected atlas data that allowed the mapping of the distribution of breeding bird species in Southern Québec.
Twenty years later, Regroupement QuébecOiseaux, Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service and Bird Studies Canada have joined forces to work on the second Atlas of the breeding birds of Québec.
We expect to find that changes have occurred in the distribution of a number of species during the last two decades. For example, the ranges of the Turkey Vulture, the Northern Cardinal, the Wild Turkey and the Tufted Titmouse have all undergone a northward expansion. In contrast, we may also discover that the ranges of certain species have contracted.
The data collected for the second Atlas will allow us to measure these changes, providing a powerful tool for the conservation and monitoring of bird populations in Québec. Furthermore, the data will also be used for a wide range of other avian research programs.
As you know, atlassing is birdwatching with a particular goal: finding breeding evidence for the largest number of species within a given area. To conduct this project, we need your help. Beginner or experienced birdwatcher, alone or as part of a group, everyone can participate. As of next spring (2010) and for the next five years, we hope that the atlas project will unite all the birdwatchers in Québec!
For further information, and to follow the development of the project and the activities associated with the Atlas, keep an eye open for advertisements and articles in your club’s newsletter, the magazine QuébecOiseaux and the website of Regroupement QuébecOiseaux.
We hope that we can count on your participation.
Happy atlassing!
Benoit Laliberté
Assistant coordinator
Atlas of the breeding birds of Québec