Photo: Northern Pintails, Angela Vogel/Audubon Photography Awards
The second Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas, known as VABBA2, is one of the largest citizen science projects in Virginia’s history. Over the last five years, more than 1,400 volunteer birders, including many ASNV members, have gathered data on breeding activity of over 200 species throughout the Commonwealth, resulting in over 6 million records.
The VABBA2 is a joint effort of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (formerly Game and Inland Fisheries), Virginia Tech and the Virginia Society of Ornithology (VSO).
In speaking of the field collection work, Dr. Ashley Peele of Virginia Tech and VABBA2 coordinator, said “We’ve ended our final year very strongly, despite constraints presented by Covid-19. This means that after five years of intense data collection, we are in an excellent position for moving forward with the next stage – data cleanup, review, and analysis for the Atlas datasets.” This stage will compile the raw data into readily useable information.
Although its final form is still being determined, the VABBA2 will provide accessible science-based information on avian population and habitat distributions, species maps and accounts, and a range of other topics. This data will support positive environmental regulation, species conservation, rural land preservation, public lands acquisition and management, climate change actions and much more. You can learn more about the atlas project here.
As a member chapter of the Virginia Society of Ornithology, ASNV is pleased to support the next phase of VABBA2. We invite you to join us in helping launch the final stage of the Atlas project through your donation, either online or by sending a check to the VSO at P.O. Box 5994, Williamsburg, VA 23188. Thank you!