Atlas Helps Maryland Birders Move Beyond Naming A Bird To Knowing It

By Michael Burke, Chesapeake Bay Journal

Originally published on Friday, March 13

March is a funny month. Sometimes spring seems here to stay. Then, a cold blast barrels through, and mud puddles turn icy and warm coats are needed.

It was late March 2019, and the weather couldn’t make up its mind. It started dreary and damp, but the clouds were clearing and the temperature was rising. We took advantage of the brightening skies to take a walk around a local park.

“Peter-peter-peter.” The melodic whistle was coming from the budding trees on our left, but we were having trouble finding the bird Apparently, it understood our dilemma, because it kept singing until I sang out, “Found him!” For a birder like me, birdsong seals the deal: It’s spring!

The tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is a common and widespread songbird of the Eastern United States.

Starting in early spring and continuing well into summer, titmice sing often and loudly. The males sing to define their territory and attract mates, and then to tell others, “This space is taken. Move on.”

Pewter gray on top and pearl white below, the titmouse has a relatively large head with a jaunty crest and thick neck. It has big, round black eyes and a pronounced black patch on its forehead. Along its sides and toward the undertail, the bird has peach-to-rusty colored feathers. The sexes look alike.

A bird singing in the spring is a good sign that it’s on its breeding territory. And determining where birds breed is immensely important to ornithologists and backyard birders alike. The data are used to inform public policy, identify birds at risk and even track climate change.

Amazingly, most of this information is gathered by citizen scientists under the careful guidance of professionals. Right now a new, 5-year-old effort is under way in Maryland and the District of Columbia to collect breeding bird data from every corner of the state and district.

Observations will be recorded in a Breeding Bird Atlas. This is the third such effort here and is often referred to as BBA3.

The Maryland Ornithological Society initiated the process in January 2019. In collaboration with the state’s Department of Natural Resources, a steering committee was formed, consisting primarily of working scientists.

The group designated a person to serve as county/city leader for every jurisdiction. They further divided each county into more than 1,300, 3– to 5-square-mile blocks. The atlas will rely on hundreds of volunteers to gather the data.

For the first time, this year the data will be submitted through the hugely popular eBird computer app. I use this app on my cellphone when birding. It automatically tracks my location, distance traveled and time. Last March, for example, I entered one tufted titmouse. At the end of my trip, I had a complete record of every bird I was able to identify during our quarter mile, 25-minute walk.

The atlas has a special portal for eBird entries. It operates normally, but now my data goes into the atlas, which will pinpoint my “block” as well as my species counts and the breeding behaviors I observe.

Gabriel Foley, atlas coordinator, told me that he hopes birders will use the app. During the last effort, the atlas was based on a bit less than 200,000 paper records. The ease and ubiquity of using eBird should lead to more than a million data points for the atlas. Such “big data” is vital to understanding abundance, distribution and timing of breeding.

We now know that the tufted titmouse is expanding its range northward, edging into southern Canada. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Maryland’s state bird, the Baltimore oriole, may also be moving north in response to climate change. The atlas should give us a clearer picture.

Birders who would like to help (“We need you!” Foley said.) should contact their county/city coordinator. For a complete list of coordinators, maps, breeding codes and much more, visit eBird.org/atlasmddc/.

Most birds in the Chesapeake breed during April and May (and a few into June). But there are a number of early breeders. Eagles and owls start breeding in winter. All of our woodpeckers start breeding as early as mid-March, as well as the tufted titmouse we saw. Chickadees and Carolina wrens may even start by March 1.

The singing titmouse last March was establishing his territory. Titmice are cavity nesters, so he was looking for an abandoned woodpecker hole, a natural cavity in a tree or a birdhouse. He was also trying to attract a mate.

Once they pair off, the female does all of the work of building the nest. Papa is busy bringing his mate food while she incubates the eggs and protects the nestlings, a process that takes more than a month. When the young fledge, most will begin to disperse. Occasionally, one young bird will stick with its parents the following year and may help feed the next generation of chicks.

Birding at its best is more than simply seeing a titmouse. A closer look, revealing mating behavior, nest building, feeding and interactions, turns individual birds into fully realized living creatures. They have their own rich lives, personalities and quirks.

The atlas will add immeasurably to our knowledge of the 220 or so species that breed in Maryland. It will also lead inquisitive birders to look more closely and understand more deeply the lives of these wonderful creatures. That’s a great benefit to birds and birders alike.

So, when you’re done reading the Bay Journal, grab your binoculars, put on your citizen-scientist hat, and head out birding. The Breeding Bird Atlas and more importantly, the birds need you. And you just may discover that you benefit as much as they do.

The Chesapeake Bay Journal is a nonprofit news organization covering environmental issues in the Bay region. Sign up for a free subscription at BayJournal.com.