Date: 2/10/26 9:43 am From: Mark Holmgren via groups.io <maholmgren33...> Subject: [sbcobirding] The SB Breeding Bird Study and the California Bird Atlas
Hi Birders,
The bird breeding season is upon us. In Santa Barbara County, we have 2
options to contribute observations of breeding. Contributing either to the
SB County Breeding Bird Study (BBS) or to the California Bird Atlas (CBA)
project is up to you. Past and future BBS observations will be shunted
into the CBA. Once you sign up with the Atlas project (and here’s how to
sign up <https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8Z3kbqiO9rw> and submit), your
breeding observations are part of your eBird checklist and only a bit of
extra work is needed on the birders part. If you choose to enter your
observations in the BBS, it requires a bit of extra observation
effort. Regardless
of which entry mode you choose, here are some tips toward better
documentation of what you witnessed.
In the early breeding period, some birds may be assessing breeding
locations. Checking out a cavity or bird box is not necessarily a breeding
observation. Carrying grass or a twig into the cavity, especially if the
behavior is repeated, is a breeding observation. Generally, if you suspect
breeding behavior, give it more observation time or return a few days later
to the site. Updates to BBS records are valuable.
Submit *what you saw*, not what you concluded about what you saw. Allow
the user of your record to make his or her conclusion based on what you
report. Here are some examples.
*Less Useful Documentation*
*More Useful Documentation*
Bird carried nesting material
Adult carried a dead leaf to which some grasses were attached into a cavity.
Bird building nest
Adults made 4 deliveries of twigs and leaves, then arranged them in the
nest each time. Both members of the pair contributed.
Carrying food
Adult carrying dragonfly still flapping its wings entered cavity 7 meters
above ground in Valley Oak.
Submitting *exactly what you saw* is helpful for another reason. Sometimes
it's difficult to distinguish whether a bird is carrying nesting material
vs. a wad of food? (This is not too important in March, but by May it's a
challenge.) Knowing that the observer's task is to describe exactly what
was seen encourages one to look a bit longer to be sure whether it's a
damselfly or a stick. Looking longer often pays off.
