Date: 2/10/26 10:30 am From: Wim van Dam via groups.io <wim.van.dam...> Subject: Re: [sbcobirding] The SB Breeding Bird Study and the California Bird Atlas
Thanks Mark. Fun fact: California Scrub Jays often make a few false nests,
before they make their real, functioning one.
Wim
Ritter, L. V. (1983b). Nesting ecology of scrub jays in Chico, California.
Western Birds 14:147-158.
On Tue, Feb 10, 2026 at 9:43 AM Mark Holmgren via groups.io <maholmgren33=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> 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.
>
>
>
> Very helpful descriptions of breeding behaviors, and cautions surrounding
> them, are at https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/about/breeding-codes. And
> take the quizzes to learn how to correctly apply the codes.
>
>
>
> Mark Holmgren
>
>
>
