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Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Pennsylvania
Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Pennsylvania Author:Andrew Wilson Twenty years after the first Atlas of Breeding Birds in Pennsylvania was published, the Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Pennsylvania brings our knowledge of the state s bird populations up to date, documenting current distribution and changes in status for nearly two hundred bird species. More than two thousand dedicated birdwatchers completed... more » the surveys of birds in 4,937 blocks across the state from 2004 to 2009. The data amassed provide a comprehensive understanding of the distribution of each species and show in detail the changes in distribution since the first Atlas. Additionally, a highly trained survey crew carried out bird counts at more than 34,000 locations statewide. These counts tabulated not just species, but individual birds, in a manner that enabled for the very first time precise estimates of the actual statewide populations for more than half of the 190 breeding species detected during the Atlas. In all, more than 1.5 million sightings were compiled during the second Atlas, providing an unprecedented snapshot of the bird life of Pennsylvania perhaps even of any comparably sized region in the world.
The data gathered and summarized for the second Atlas were used by the more than forty contributing authors in writing comprehensive and authoritative species accounts. Each account is illustrated by a stunning photograph, usually taken somewhere within Pennsylvania. Up to three maps per species show in fine detail the current distribution based on the second Atlas, changes in distribution since the first Atlas, and, for more than one hundred species, detailed maps of abundance. In addition, a chart shows forty-year population trends. Introductory chapters describe and discuss recent changes in climate and bird habitats within Pennsylvania and provide other information used by the species account authors to inform their detailed accounts.« less