North Carolina creating first-ever state bird atlas, wants public’s help

A tiny obscure bird called the seaside sparrow lives only along the coast and could be in trouble.

No one knows for sure.

North Carolina is starting a five-year survey of birds to form the state’s first bird atlas, in large part to learn more about species that might be in decline and their habitats.

As part of the survey, amateurs and experts can sign up to observe all birds, from eagles to sparrows, in close to 1,000 specific areas across the state, said Scott Anderson, bird conservation biologist with the state’s Wildlife Resources Commission.

The data collected during the study will help prioritize conservation efforts for the most imperiled North Carolina birds, Anderson said.

A survey published in Science Magazine in 2019 reported that North American bird species had declined by three billion since 1970. That finding was part of the motivation to start a bird atlas in North Carolina, Anderson said.

“It’s been years in the making and is very important to the future of bird conservation in our state,” Anderson said.

In a state database, biologists list 103 species they are concerned about and 77 they don’t know enough about. Some birds, including the seaside sparrow, fall into both categories. The atlas should help fill in the knowledge gap, Anderson said.

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The state has 937 areas for which it needs volunteers to observe birding activity. Each area is roughly 10 square miles and cover environments including downtown Manteo and Elizabeth City and wide open spaces such as Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.

“It will be in the fields and on the farms,” Anderson said. “It’s urban and it’s suburban. It’s all across the state.”

Volunteers can record what they find beginning March 1 on eBird, an online, user-friendly database.

This count is different from others that have been going on annually for decades, such as the North American Breeding Bird Survey or the Great Backyard Bird Count happening this week.

Rather than trying to observe as many species as possible, birders should slow down, watch individual birds closely and note their habits such as what they are eating and what materials they use for nest building, he said.

For more information go to www.ncbirdatlas.org.

Jeff Hampton, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com, 757-446-2090