Winter Atlasing

December 2023 Update

by Jane Graves,
Regional Coordinator for Cayuga, Cortland, Onondaga, Ontario, Oswego, Seneca, Wayne, and Yates counties

To all the folks who have contributed to the NY Breeding Bird Atlas – THANK YOU!

As we head into the final field season of NYSBBAIII, I encourage atlasers to go beyond their local birding sites and visit incomplete priority blocks. While owl observations are no longer required to complete a priority block, they are desired. The majority of Atlas priority blocks do not have owl reports.

If you find owls while participating in Christmas Bird Counts, please submit them through the Atlas portal even if they occur in non-priority blocks.

As a reminder, Great Horned Owls start nesting in late January, and are engaged in courtship activities for several weeks before that; Eastern Screech-Owls and Barred Owls typically begin to nest in mid-to-late March; Northern Saw-whet Owls breed somewhat later, beginning in early April.

The following is a county-by-county list of incomplete priority blocks in which no owls have been reported.

You can view these blocks on Google Map here.

Cayuga: Auburn CE; Cato NW; Genoa CE; Owasco NW; Scipio Center CE; Scipio Center NW; Sempronius NW; Skaneateles NW; Victory CE.

Cortland: Truxton CE.

Onondaga: Brewerton CE; Camillus CE; Cicero CE; DeRuyter NW; Jordan CE; Marcellus CE; Otisco Valley CE; Otisco Valley NW; South Onondaga CE; South Onondaga NW; Spafford CE; Syracuse East NW; Syracuse West CE; Tully NW.

Ontario: Bristol Center NW; Canandaigua CE; Canandaigua Lake NW; Canandaigua NW; Clifton Springs CE; Clifton Springs NW; Geneva North NW; Honeoye Falls CE; Naples NW; Phelps CE; Rushville CE; Rushville NW; Stanley NW.

Oswego: Dugway NW; Fulton NW; Hannibal CE; Hannibal NW; Mexico CE; Mexico NW; New Haven NW; Orwell CE; Orwell NW; Oswego East CE; Oswego East NW; Richland CE; Richland NW; Worth Center CE.

Seneca: Geneva North CE; Seneca Falls NW.

Wayne: Lyons NW; Macedon CE; Montezuma NW; Newark CE; Newark NW; Palmyra CE; Palmyra NW; Rose CE; Savannah CE; Savannah NW; Sodus CE; Sodus NW; Victory NW; Williamson CE; Williamson NW.

Yates: Dresden NW; Dundee CE; Dundee NW; Keuka Park NW; Penn Yan CE; Potter CE