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The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State Hardcover – Illustrated, December 15, 2008
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Both an indispensable scientific work and a beautiful collection of art, The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State documents and illustrates the current distribution of breeding birds within the state and the significant change in bird distribution that has occurred since the publication of The Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State, edited by Robert F. Andrle and Janet R. Carroll, in 1988. Each species account features a black-and-white illustration of the bird, color maps of the current (2000-2005) breeding distribution and of the twenty-year change in distribution, and an overview of the species' breeding range, habitat preferences, history in the state, trends in distribution, and conservation implications. The book not only chronicles shifts in bird distribution but also celebrates the 244 species that breed within the state's borders by showcasing majestic landscape paintings of family groups and original artwork of each species.
Long-term changes in the distribution of bird populations can be driven by habitat alteration caused by development, deforestation, and climate change, but significant change also occurs in the short term. Based on comprehensive, statewide research efforts conducted from 2000 to 2005, this landmark volume shows the surprising amount of change in the distribution of breeding birds in New York that has taken place in the last twenty years: a few species no longer breed in the state (e.g., Loggerhead Shrike), a few breeding species were gained (e.g., Merlin and Black Vulture), and over half of the species changed their distribution in the state, some dramatically. The consistency of survey methods in the two atlas efforts, including census of the same 5,333 survey blocks, allows for statistically significant comparisons.
In all, 1,187 volunteers spent 140,000 hours in the field, making this a substantive work of citizen science with broad applications for bird research and environmental management. In addition to the species accounts, there are chapters on methodology, results, habitats, land use, history of New York birding and ornithology, conservation, and appendixes of rare breeders as well as an updated table of the seasonal timing of breeding that completes this monumental work. The documented changes in bird distributions and land use in this stunning celebration of New York's birds will be of critical interest to both birders and conservationists.
Published in association with the New York State Ornithological Association and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in cooperation with the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Cornell University, Cornell University Department of Natural Resources, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Audubon New York.
- Print length714 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherComstock Publishing Associates
- Publication dateDecember 15, 2008
- Reading age18 years and up
- Dimensions8.75 x 1.75 x 11.25 inches
- ISBN-10080144716X
- ISBN-13978-0801447167
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Review
"The beautiful Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State reveals striking changes in the distribution and density of the state's birds over the two decades since the state's pioneering first atlas. As the first-ever resurveyed state bird atlas, this monumental work demonstrates the power of volunteer citizen scientists to track the accelerating and significant changes in the natural world around us."
Review
The beautiful Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State reveals striking changes in the distribution and density of the state's birds over the two decades since the state's pioneering first atlas. As the first-ever resurveyed state bird atlas, this monumental work demonstrates the power of volunteer citizen scientists to track the accelerating and significant changes in the natural world around us.
About the Author
Kevin J. McGowan is an ornithologist and editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University. Kimberley Corwin is a wildlife biologist at the Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Product details
- Publisher : Comstock Publishing Associates (December 15, 2008)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 714 pages
- ISBN-10 : 080144716X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0801447167
- Reading age : 18 years and up
- Item Weight : 5.25 pounds
- Dimensions : 8.75 x 1.75 x 11.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,235,115 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #495 in Ornithology (Books)
- #1,223 in Outdoors & Nature Reference
- #2,184 in Ecology (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Kevin J. McGowan is a professional ornithologist and avid birder. He currently creates online courses about bird biology and bird identification for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Bird Academy, academy.allaboutbirds.org.
Kevin has studied the biology of American Crows since 1988, following the life stories of over 2,500 individually-marked crows.
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This second atlas, twenty years after the publication of the first, is the result of five years of survey work by the birders of the Empire State, editing by Kevin McGowan and Kimberley Corwin, the support and cooperation of the New York State Ornithological Association (of which I am a proud member), the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, the Cornell University Department of Natural Resources, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Audubon New York. The acknowledgments section of the book is twelve pages long, with seven of those being a list of the over twelve hundred birders who took part in the 2000-2005 Breeding Bird Atlas Survey, from which comes the data for the book. Fifteen different artists' works are in the well-illustrated book, which includes a very nice cover painting of a perched Merlin clutching a dead White-throated Sparrow (incidentally, Merlins went from being found breeding in none of the survey blocks in the 1980-85 survey to being possibly, probably or confirmed breeding in 131 in the new survey).
But what is a survey block? Well, the Breeding Bird Atlas Survey methodology led to the entire state being divided into precisely 5,333 blocks, each measuring five kilometers on a side. This is actually two less than in the first survey because one of the blocks from the first survey was found later to be entirely in Canada (oops!) and one block, that had held only a small bit of sand in the early eighties by the twenty-first century held only water. What the atlas does is take the raw data from all of those blocks from all over the state and present it in a very pretty package.
The book has so much in it I am amazed it does not burst its bindings. What species shows up in the most atlas blocks? The American Robin, which appears in 98.2% of the blocks, dethroning the Song Sparrow. Other interesting tidbits are that while eight species increased their presence in the state by 1,000 blocks or more, only one species, the Brown Thrasher, decreased by 1,000 blocks or more. Each bird that breeds in the state has its own two page summary, one page of which is mostly text describing the history of the bird in the state and also a black-and-white drawing or painting of the bird. The second page of each species listing is two maps which show the results first of the 2000-05 atlas work and the second which overlays that data with the data from 1980-85. Also on the second page is a table showing raw data, and, often, a line graph with data that shows trend lines for the species from Breeding Bird Surveys (different than the atlas surveys). Interspersed in the species accounts are full-color, two-page paintings that show birds in their specific environments that are often gorgeous.
In addition to all of the data from the surveys the book used tons of other information: there is a 32-page "Literature Cited" section at the back of the book. There are also three appendices at the end of the book: one looks at "Rare, Improbable, and Historic Breeders" and gives shorter species accounts of them, the second gives the most up-to date information on the breeding biology of the species in the state (eg number of broods, incubation period, nesting period, and the date range for eggs, nestlings and fledglings), and the third lists the common and scientific names of the plants and animals listed in the text. This book is thorough! And I haven't even bothered to detail the amazing array of information in the first six chapters of the book prior to the species accounts!