Those who participated in the first atlas project will remember how long it took to get data entered, analyzed, and published.  Thanks to the miracles of the Internet, this time the resuts will be much easier to follow.  Steady and frequent entry of data provide an at-a-glance look at blocks which still need some attention as well as the results of breeding status for species throughout the state.  We are also pleased to have available the data from the first Breeding Bird Atlas which can be overlayed on the current maps for a visual picture of any changes in species distribution.

In order to be considered complete, a block must have at least 20 hours of effort given to it.  By selecting "Block Completion" from the menu, you will see a map with color-coded blocks.  Green have been completed, yellow started but not finished, and red are in serous need of some work.  Clicking on a pin gives you some detail about the hours already recorded, the county and block name, as well as a link to the page with a more detailed map of the block.  Use the + and - symbols on the map to zoom into an area.

Choose "Project Details" from the menu and you will get a list of all blocks with a summary of the hours, species recorded, and records entered in each block.  You may either page through the entire list or filter by county.  Clicking on the links on the header of the table will sort the entries in a number of different ways so it is easy to see which blocks have had the best coverage or which have recorded the most species.

Click on the "By Block" tab to select a particular block for more detail.  The initial screen shows a summary of trips, hous and species recorded as well as if the habitat has been verified or updated.  By clicking on the bar that says "Show Trip Details" more information is available on trips and coverage.

Perhaps the showcase of our Breeding Bird Atlas project is the species detail accessed by clicking on the "By Species" tab. Once you have chosen a group and a species, a map is presented with color-coded pins showing this project's recorded distribution and breeding status.  By clicking on the pin you can see further detail on the location, highest level of evidence, earliest date recorded and the observer.  Clicking the checkbox for the 1990 overlay creates pins showing the distribution of the species during the last atlas project.   Any photos of the species will be in the gallery below the map.

Clicking the checkbox to "Show 1990 Overlay" will give you a picture of the records from the last atlas project.  As the current project moves forward, it should be exciting to see at a glance how changes in Iowa's landscape have affected our breeding birds.  Check back often to watch the progress.

Atlasers are invited to upload any photos of breeding birds taken on location in a block.  If there are photos available, they will be listed beneath the map with location, photographer, and additional information.  Click on the thumbnail for a better view.