Surveying a block
The ultimate goal of the Atlas is to locate and confirm every species breeding in your block.  If you have offered to survey an entire block, begin by studying maps and/or aerial photographs of your survey area. Aerial photographs are available for examination at county administration offices. Study the maps or photographs to locate the various kinds of habitats: cropland, abandoned field, pond, marsh, swamp, forest, etc. Next, visit your area to familiarize yourself with the location of the habitats, boundaries, roads, and main geographic features. Finally, make a list of the species you expect to find. 

As you visit your area, look for property accessible to the general public. If there are large tracts of land which are in private ownership, determine the landowners and request permission to visit their property. Offer to provide advance notice of your visits if necessary. 

Try to visit each of the major habitats in your block at different times during the breeding season. Make sure that some of your visits are in the period mid-May through July when the majority of species are nesting. Take your field checklist with you as well as binoculars, pencil, and eraser, maps and your official vehicle notice. A notepad helps to record notes on what areas you covered, natural history observations, and bird behavior.

You can download a sign for your vehicle with the MBBA logo on it here in Word format.