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DURHAM, NC—Grab your binoculars, guide books, hiking boots, and best birding friend for a weekend of non-stop atlasing from June 28-30. North Carolina, along with states from New York to Puerto Rico, are participating in the fourth annual for birders of all skill levels to connect with and win prizes. 

The North Carolina Bird Atlas is a state-wide community science initiative to map breeding and overwintering birds in our state so we can better understand resident birds and the habitats they need. We’re in the final two breeding seasons of the North Carolina Bird Atlas and we need your help to make them count. , 171 North Carolina atlasers participated in the weekend and spent 582 hours identifying 173 species, recording 12,575 breeding behaviors, averaging 7.4 checklists per person with a total of 1,192 checklists. Let’s submit more checklists this year! 

“The weekend gives us a significant amount of data for the atlas during one of the most important times of the year, the breeding season,” said Scott Anderson, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Science Support Coordinator. “We need as many birders as possible getting out to under-birded areas of the state and submitting checklists with breeding observations during Big Atlas Weekend and beyond.” 

The goal is to get birders to visit as many as possible to confirm what birds are breeding and where. There will be a virtual , where participants will learn more about atlasing and the challenges for the weekend. Challenges and prize opportunities will span all skill levels from beginner to veteran atlasers. 

Participating is simple: start any time after Friday at 6pm, stop at least one minute before Midnight on Sunday, June 30, tag the North Carolina Bird Atlas when posting to and to inspire others.  

Here are this year’s challenges: 

• Submit nocturnal checklists (between 20 minutes after sunset and 40 minutes before sunrise).
• Submit a in a block. ​
• Submit atlas checklists in an incomplete block. Check the status of blocks