64 Mount Wilson NE 91 Mt. Wilson Summit and nearby trails
63 Burbank SW 49
62 Azusa SE 40
62 Valyermo CW 54
62 Waterman Mountain NW 79 Angeles Crest Highway: closed at mile 54 but open to hikers
61 Pasadena NE 49 Arroyo Seco, Millard Canyon, Sunset Ridge
61 San Dimas NW 50 Bonelli Regional Park
60 Mint Canyon SW 45
The number on the left gives the species coded. The number to the right of the block name indicates hours of diurnal effort. Prominent birding locations are listed to the right of the number of hours.
(The columns might align better if you use the Courier font.)
With all this effort, how many Atlas blocks are complete?
Criteria for completing a block will be announced in year 2, but we can gain some insight by considering protocols adopted for completing the first LA County Breeding Bird Atlas in the 1990s:
A target number of species was estimated for each block by expert birders. For each block, surveyors were instructed to:
Code 90% of the target number.
Confirm 50% of the number coded.
If we adopt those criteria, then more than 20 blocks in LA County have already been completed in 2026. Here are the top 20:
Species Block
107 San Dimas NE
94 Burbank SE
93 Pasadena CE
92 San Fernando SE
87 Van Nuys CW
82 Hollywood NE
82 Los Angeles NW
82 El Monte SE
80 Valyermo NW
80 Venice NE
77 Pasadena SE
76 Newhall CW
74 Mount Wilson SW
74 Whittier SE
72 Long Beach CW
72 Ontario NW
71 Mount Wilson SE
70 San Dimas CE
71 Pasadena CW
66 Los Alamitos CW
All of these blocks already have more species coded than during the first atlas in the 1990s.
As you can see from the table above, many also have hundreds of hours of effort.
Although more species coded and confirmed in these blocks would be welcome, in effect, they're already done, so it would be more useful for the atlas to devote effort to other blocks that lack coverage. Hundreds of blocks in Los Angeles County aren't even close to finished, so please consider covering other areas.
Although it's now early August, there are still families with young birds throughout the area, so atlassing is definitely still productive.
In addition, many blocks still need coverage for resident species that you can code with "H" to indicate adults in suitable habitat for breeding. This requires knowledge of status and distribution, which many birders have. If you're not sure, though, don't assign a breeding code.
Birds coded as possible (H for suitable habitat or S for singing) are definitely useful to the atlas: they establish that the species is present in the block and help count toward the metrics for completing blocks. The H breeding code as been significantly underutilized this year so please consider including it with future lists and even going back over previous lists to add it. This is particularly valuable in blocks very few species.
We're making really good progress in Los Angeles County but there's still a lot of work to do. Please join us! We'd love to have your help!
and then click on the rectangle stating "Join Project" on the lower left.
From a smartphone using the eBird mobile app, select "Choose Projects" on the home screen and then select the California Bird Atlas. If you don't see "Choose Projects" then you may need to update to the latest version of the app.
Regards,
Lance
One of your friendly Bird Atlas regional coordinators
