Please note: Field work for Wayne County is now complete. 

Introduction
The goal of a Breeding Bird Atlas is to map the distribution of each species that nests in a region.  The field work for the first Michigan Breeding Bird Atlas (MBBA) took place in 1983-1988.  Twenty years later, it is again time to Atlas Michigan's birds.  Comparing the two periods will allow identification of range and population changes, and provide critical information on how to manage and protect Michigan's birds.

Partipants aim to observe the highest level of breeding status in an Atlas block, which is a quarter township (nine square miles).  The Michigan Atlas headquarters is the Kalamazoo Nature Center (616-381-1574).  In addition, each region or county of the state has a coordinator; in Wayne County, that person is Julie Craves of the Rouge River Bird Observatory at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.  She can assign blocks in the county, answer questions, provide some forms, and will be responsible for gathering the data from participants, proofing it, and submitting it to MBBA HQ.  She also maintains this web site.

Wayne County is predominantly urban, and has undergone drastic changes in last century.  Not only will the MBBA II help us compare population changes over the last 20 years, but your submission of additional information gathered while Atlassing will help complete a project comparing breeding bird populations in Wayne Co. since 1915.  By providing information on these selected species, you will be contributing data critical to habitat conservation and the understanding of long-term population trends in county birds. 

This web site is not intended to provide comprehensive instructions.  Please refer to the Michigan Breeding Bird Atlas Participant Handbook, available from Michigan Atlas headquarters.