General Atlassing: Instructions and Data Sheets
Make every bird walk count! Whether you’re heading out for half an hour or planning a whole day of birding, you can put your bird sightings to work for science by submitting them to the Atlas. Instructions for General Atlassing contains the information you need to get started. Data sheets for general atlassing differ slightly between regions and can be found below:
- NL Atlas Checklist Form – Region 01
- NL Atlas Checklist Form – Region 02
- NL Atlas Checklist Form – Region 03
- NL Atlas Checklist Form – Region 04
- NL Atlas Checklist Form – Region 05
- NL Atlas Checklist Form – Region 06
- NL Atlas Checklist Form – Region 07
- NL Atlas Checklist Form – Region 08
Point Counts: Instructions and Data Sheets
Do you know your local birds by sight *and* sound? Consider signing up to conduct point counts for the Atlas! All the guidelines can be found in the Instructions for Point Counts, and you can use one of two data forms: one with the most common species already listed, or a blank form.
ZOOM Audio Recorders: Instructions and Data Sheets
 Recording a point count in Region 2. |
If you’re still learning your bird songs, consider taking out a Zoom recorder to make audio recordings of point counts for later analysis by Atlas staff. Zoom recorders are affordable hand-held recorders that produce very high quality recordings. However, they are not programmable or weatherproof, so they require an atlasser to be present to make recordings in real time. When Zoom recorders are used to make 5 minute recordings at point count stations, the recordings can be processed by a technician and serve as point count data. Use of a Zoom recorder to make point count recordings is similar to conducting in-person point counts, in that the survey stations still need to be visited during appropriate times, dates, and weather conditions (see Instructions for Point Counts for details) – but instead of conducting the point count, the observer uses the Zoom to make a 5 minute recording. Detailed instructions for using Zoom recorders to make point count recordings can be found below: Note: if you’re interested in listening to your recordings and viewing the spectrogram of the recording, download the free program Audacity. A spectrogram is a visual representation of sound frequencies and how they change over time. Spectrograms allow you to “see” the bird calls on your recording. To set up Audacity for viewing spectrograms, follow the instructions in the Audacity Settings document. |
Other Materials
- The Appendices contain in-depth details and examples not covered in the instruction manuals.
- For some species, more details of sightings are required. For these species, please fill out the NL Rare-Colonial Species Form.
- Breeding Evidence Codes
- Dashboard Sign