May, June and early July are the months of maximum breeding bird activity. Ravens and mourning doves start breeding in March and continue through May, while robins, cardinals, killdeer, ruffed grouse and many other species get going in April and may have more than one brood over the summer months. In May the migrants start breeding, and so by the end of that month there are breeding birds everywhere, at every stage of the cycle.

The Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas No. 3 (BBA#3) is in its second year of a 5-year monitoring period. The Atlas monitoring is done every 20 years to try to determine the state of bird populations. The BBA project has developed a simple code which allows keen amateurs and professionals to report observations consistently.

Join us to learn how to spot birds that are breeding (it’s not just nests and nestlings) and contribute to the Atlas work. We will provide you with protocols and lots of background information and the outing will be an opportunity to learn on the ground with experienced birders.
We will gather on a couple of Saturday mornings in early June and early July to do a ‘square bash’. Find out what a ‘square’ is in Breeding Bird Atlas lingo, and how to spot breeding birds. It is a fascinating past-time for those who love birds.

Square Bash #1: Durham Square

Date and Time: Sometime in the week June 4 – 12, date to be finalised in late May – watch the website for details, 7 – 8am start, negotiable depending on registration

Square Bash #2: Allan Park Square

Date and Time: Sometime in the week June 18 to July 10, date to be finalised in late May – watch the website for the chosen date, 7-8am start, negotiable depending on registration.
Register with John Reaume or Nikki May through saugeenfieldnaturalists@yahoo.ca and more details on meeting place (we will carpool) will be provided in late May.