Methodology and research area

The Bird Atlas of Southeastern Poland 2014-2021

The Bird Atlas is a project undertaken with the help of the latest programming tools and GIS (Geographic Information System) structures to provide data representation on maps.

The goal of the project is to gather information on the current distribution of breeding and wintering avifauna in southeastern Poland and assess its population. The 2014-2021 Atlas repeats the research conducted between 1985-1991 (Atlas of Breeding Birds of Małopolska) and during the winter seasons from 1984/1985 to 1999/2000 (Atlas of Wintering Birds of Małopolska). However, it utilizes data collection and analysis methods that did not exist or were not widely used in our country at that time. The initiative aims to provide a foundation for comparing population changes in the coming years and implementing a continuous program to monitor changes in our avifauna.

Area and Research Schedule
The research area for the atlas covers three large physiogeographic units: the Małopolska Upland, Podkarpacie, and the Carpathians, as it did previously. The boundaries of these units have undergone minor modifications since the previous atlas. Field research during the breeding season was conducted over seven seasons (2014-2020), while winter research took place in the seasons 2014/15 to 2020/21.

Po zakończeniu procesu weryfikacji poprawności obserwacji przez autorów odpowiedzialnych za poszczególne gatunki, obecnie trwa etap opracowywania rozdziałów gatunkowych. Szacowany termin wydania monografii to 2025 r.

Methodology
Contemporary atlas projects, which investigate the distribution and population of species, typically utilize data collected through two different types of field surveys:
1. Qualitative Surveys (referred to as "atlas checks" in our project) - these surveys aim to gather as much comprehensive information as possible about the species occurring in a specific atlas grid.
2. Quantitative Surveys- these surveys aim to provide data that can be used to generate population estimates or information on the spatial distribution of population density.

The "Bird Atlas of Southeastern Poland 2014-2021" project was based on the collection of data for both types of field surveys. Observers who committed to survey a specific atlas grid in a given breeding or winter season were expected to conduct both qualitative and quantitative surveys in that grid.