First Atlas (1981-1985)

The first Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas was carried out from 1981-1985, and involved the efforts of over 1,300 volunteers who collectively carried out more than 120,000 hours of field work. This resulted in a data base of over 400,000 bird-locality records, giving unprecedented information on the breeding distribution of birds in Ontario.

click to read first atlas online

These results were summarized in the 1987 publication Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario, edited by M. D. Cadman, P. F. J. Eagles, and F. M. Helleiner, which was jointly produced by the Federation of Ontario Naturalists and Long Point Bird Observatory. This book is now out of print, but many naturalist clubs and libraries have copies, as do most of the participants in the first atlas and many other Ontario naturalists. You can also read it online here

Maps and data from the first atlas

You can view maps from the first atlas here.

Data from the first atlas is also available through the Atlas Download Page