20180310

Summer Bird Counts

MESSAGE:  SBCs (Summer Bird Counts) are important. They contribute many decades of year-by-year knowledge about birds breeding in CT, and they complement the new 2018-2020 CT Bird Atlas (and you can contribute your field data to both projects simultaneously, if you want -- to any CT Atlas block, even if you have not adopted any Atlas block/s yourself). More details on the mechanics of doing this will be coming next week, at this website, or email questions to robben99@gmail.com.

Note, however, that these two studies (SBCs and the CT Bird Atlas) are independent. You may contribute to one without contributing to the other. Or you can contribute to both simultaneously (in SBC locations where they overlap). It is your choice.



A SBC Summer Bird Count is essentially a CBC Christmas Bird Count run in June (during the local bird breeding season) instead of December. It almost always uses the same 15-mile diameter circle and many of the same birding crew who already are familiar with the area from doing the CBC in December (plus any other birders who want to contribute to one or more SBC). It counts birds and tries to identify which species are breeding.

New York and Connecticut started these Summer Bird Counts in the early 1970s, and they have spread to several other states, including California.  CT currently has 8 SBCs, more than any other state. The following draft map shows the 8 SBC Summer Bird Count 15-mile circles in yellow. The two on the coast are Greenwich-Stamford and New Haven. Inland SBCs, from left to right, are New Milford/Pawling, Woodbury-Roxbury, Litchfield Hills, Barkhamsted, Hartford, and Storrs.  These SBC circles are superimposed on the new 2018 CT Bird Atlas grid of "blocks", framed in red ( for a more expandable map of Bird Atlas blocks go to : Bird Atlas Block Maps ). Note that each SBC circle touches at least 22 Atlas blocks, and the synergies are being worked out between the Atlas team and the SBC team.  See the excellent article by Chris Elphick: Summer Bird Counts and the Connecticut Bird Atlas project

To expand this map, click on it. Press ESC key to return...

Note that the Greenwich-Stamford circle has been extended to a square (it is the only SBC circle which was changed), with the same 15-mile length and width as the CBC circle was, but slightly larger area than the circle was. 

These 8 SBCs will be run again in June 2018 (see the weekly schedule below), and SBC observers are encouraged (although it is optional for them) to also report their sightings TWO ways: primarily into the SBC compilers, and if possible also into the new CT Bird Atlas, as follows:

  • If the SBC birder is entirely within an Atlas block for a clearly defined period of time (hours of effort), and records breeding codes for every species, then a regular Atlas field card is appropriate (and in many ways better because effort data will be recorded - Bird Atlas - Targeted Block Visits ), otherwise use the simpler Incidental method of Atlas reporting ( Bird Atlas - Incidental observations ).     Make sure that the area you report (e.g., to SBC and to BirdAtlas - via eBird) is completely within only one SBC circle and within only one Atlas block (not straddling more than one SBC circle or more than one Atlas block).

From an Atlas point of view the two big things are:  (a) to keep separate lists for observations in different Atlas blocks and (b) to assign breeding codes to each species. 





CT SUMMER BIRD COUNTS, FOR JUNE 2018:



FIRST WEEKEND IN JUNE 2018:   June 3 (one day only)
  • Woodbury-Roxbury*, June 3.  Contact: Russ Naylor, 44 Church St., Woodbury, CT 06798; 203 841-7779.  RESULTS RECEIVED.

SECOND WEEKEND:   June 9-10
  • Greenwich-Stamford, June 9-10.  Contact: Thomas Burke, 235 Highland Rd., Rye, NY 10580; 914 967- 4922,  thomaswardburke@gmail.com, and Gary Palmer, 34 Field Rd., Cos Cob, CT 06830; 203 661-4897, gejlpalmer@yahoo.com
  • Hartford*, June 9-10.  Contact: Jay Kaplan, 71 Gracey Rd., Canton, CT 06019; 860 693-0157, jaybrd49@aol.com    RESULTS RECEIVED.
  • Litchfield Hills, June 9-10.  Contact: David Tripp Jr., 298 Park Ave., Unit 2, Torrington, CT 06790; dtrippjr@gmail.com
  • New Haven*, June 9-10.  NEW date.  Contact: Steve Mayo, 27 Tuttle Court, Bethany, CT 06524; 203 551-1707, rsdmayo@sbcglobal.net   RESULTS RECEIVED.

THIRD WEEKEND:   June 16-17
  • New Milford / Pawling*, June 16-17.  Contact: Angela Dimmitt, PO Box 146, Sherman, CT 06784; 860 355-3429, angeladimmitt@aol.com   RESULTS RECEIVED.

FOURTH WEEKEND:   June 23-24
  • Barkhamsted, June 23-24. John Marshall and DaveRosgen. Contact: John Marshall, 60 Wilson Dr., Watertown, CT 06795; 203 232-4393, johnmarshall47@gmail.com
  • Storrs*, June 23-24.  NEW date. Contact: Steve Morytko, 288 Varga Rd., Ashford, CT 06278; 860 680-5728, smorytko@yahoo.com    RESULTS RECEIVED.


Further info related to the CT Summer Bird Counts will be available at the 2018 COA Bulletin:
Bulletin-Summer-2018.pdf

 and at THIS new website (where you are now) :


COMPARING "CT. SUMMER BIRD COUNTS" WITH THE "CT. BIRD ATLAS" :


Both projects aim to record birds breeding in the state of CT, using a system of breeding codes to indicate breeding evidence and probability of breeding. The eight SBCs in CT estimate the numbers of each species within each SBC area (each a 15-mile circle) and sub-areas. The CT Bird Atlas records presence and non-presence of a species in each of its 601 blocks (each about 3x3miles), along with the maximum level of breeding evidence observed (numbers of each species may also be reported, optionally).

TIME COVERED:
The CT SBCs have been run every year for decades (limited to specific 2-day periods in June - see the dates above for 2018). The new CT Bird Atlas covers 2018-2020 (and will accept reports for any and every day of the year).

AREA COVERED:
The CT Bird Atlas covers every square inch of Connecticut, while the CT SBCs cover only eight areas (each being 15x15 miles, mostly as 15-mile diameter circles, matching the corresponding areas for the winter-time CBCs Christmas Bird Counts).

SUB-AREAS:
The CT Bird Atlas breaks the state of CT down into 601 rectangular "blocks", each of which is about 3x3miles. Each 15x15mile SBC area (almost all are circles) is broken into multiple sub-areas, each with its own leader/captain.

REPORTING YOUR FIELD OBSERVATIONS:
Each project has its own data entry forms, which you can use to capture and report your field observations. And you can also use eBird as an alternate/complementary way to enter data, especially for the CT Bird Atlas.



HISTORY OF CT. SUMMER BIRD COUNTS :


There is a long fascinating history of the Summer Bird Counts, going back to the 1970s, and that will be summarized in a future article, including the central/leadership role of Joe Zeranski and many others, both in the past and continuing now.  More to come.

Part of that history is already available in this 2010 paper:
SBC Summer Bird Counts used as environmental early warning radar