Bird Studies Canada

Distribution and Abundance of Ovenbird in Ontario

Organization
Bird Studies Canada

Author
Andrew Couturier

ESRI Software
ArcGIS 9.1

Data Sources
Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas

Description
The Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas documents the distribution and abundance of breeding birds in the province of Ontario with the invaluable help of more than two thousand volunteer scientists.  The project is a partnership among Bird Studies Canada, Ontario Nature, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment Canada, and the Ontario Field Ornithologists. 

The maps shown here demonstrate two main types of information gathered by the project, "Breeding Evidence" and "Relative Abundance", for a bird species that nests on the litter-rich floor of mature forests.  This project represents the second chapter of atlassing in Ontario, the first round having been completed from 1981-85. 

Like the first Atlas, the second promises to be an extremely valuable contribution to their understanding and appreciation of the birds of Ontario.  The Atlas is expected to be published in September of 2007 and can be ordered from the Atlas website: http://www.birdsontario.org/

Acknowledgements
The author thanks the many dedicated volunteer scientists that have contributed data to the project during its five year lifespan and the advisory committee members that have provided guidance on spatial statistics and kriging methods.  Bird Studies Canada thanks ESRI Canada for supporting the Atlas through the ESRI Conservation Program.