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Note: This book will be available in December
2008.
 Both
an indispensable scientific work and a beautiful collection of art, The
Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State documents and illustrates
the current distribution of breeding birds within the state and the significant
change in bird distribution that has occurred since the publication of
The Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State, edited by Robert F. Andrle
and Janet R. Carroll, in 1988. Each species account features a black-and-white
illustration of the bird, color maps of the current (2000-2005) breeding
distribution and of the twenty-year change in distribution, and an overview
of the species' breeding range, habitat preferences, history in the state,
trends in distribution, and conservation implications. The book not only
chronicles shifts in bird distribution but also celebrates the 244 species
that breed within the state's borders by showcasing majestic landscape
paintings of family groups and original artwork of each species.
Long-term changes in the distribution of bird populations can be driven
by habitat alteration caused by development, deforestation, and climate
change, but significant change also occurs in the short term. Based on
comprehensive, statewide research efforts conducted from 2000 to 2005,
this landmark volume shows the surprising amount of change in the distribution
of breeding birds in New York that has taken place in the last twenty
years: a few species no longer breed in the state (e.g., Loggerhead Shrike),
a few breeding species were gained (e.g., Merlin and Black Vulture),
and over half of the species changed their distribution in the state,
some dramatically. The consistency of survey methods in the two atlas
efforts, including census of the same 5,333 survey blocks, allows for
statistically significant comparisons.
In all, 1,187 volunteers spent 140,000 hours in the field, making this
a substantive work of citizen science with broad applications for bird
research and environmental management. In addition to the species accounts,
there are chapters on methodology, results, habitats, land use, history
of New York birding and ornithology, conservation, and appendixes of
rare breeders as well as an updated table of the seasonal timing of breeding
that completes this monumental work. The documented changes in bird distributions
and land use in this stunning celebration of New York's birds will be
of critical interest to both birders and conservationists.
Published in association with the New York State Ornithological Association
and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in cooperation
with the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Cornell
University, Cornell University Department of Natural Resources, Cornell
Lab of Ornithology, and Audubon New York.
Advance Praise for The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York
State:
The
beautiful Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New
York State reveals striking changes in the distribution
and density of the state's birds over the two decades since the state's
pioneering first atlas. As the first-ever resurveyed state bird
atlas, this monumental work demonstrates the power of volunteer citizen
scientists to track the accelerating and significant changes in the natural
world around us.” – Frank
Gill
About the Authors
Kevin J. McGowan is an ornithologist and editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
and the Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University.
Kimberley Corwin is a wildlife biologist at the Department of Natural
Resources, Cornell University, and the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation.
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Posted
9/24/08 