The Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas Website is Going Live on October 31st!

Image from Homepage of Virginia Bird Atlas

Thumbnail Image: Black Vultures by Todd Kiraly commemorate the spooky release date!

The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), the Virginia Society of Ornithology (VSO) and the Conservation Management Institute at Virginia Tech (CMI) are pleased to announce the launch of the Virginia Bird Atlas website on October 31, 2025!  The website will present data collected during the First Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas (1984-1989) and the Second Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas (2016-2020).  

The new website - vabirdatlas.org - will be rolled out in two phases.  The first phase, going live on Oct. 31, will include information about the project, all 203 species accounts accompanied by stunning photography, a guide on interpretation of accounts, an acknowledgement section to highlight the 1500+ individuals and organizations who contributed to the Atlas project, and discussion on Atlas Methods and Results.  There is also a section devoted to those species that have been identified as "Species of Greatest Conservation Need" by DWR.

The second phase, planned for launch in early 2026 will include information on methodology behind the data models, summaries of survey effort, and geographic coverage during the Atlas data collection.  It will also include tables generated to show the timing of breeding behaviors across species, as well as more information on geography and habitats of Virginia, and conservation of Virginia’s bird populations. 

Because the Atlas is published as a website, it allows for periodic updates.  One eagerly anticipated future addition is the inclusion of a Research and Education page.  This page will highlight projects that further the mission of the Atlas by incorporating Atlas data into new studies and conservation efforts.  We are excited to see what new projects may spin off from the VABBA efforts!

We invite you to visit the Atlas website and let us know what you think using the Contact Us page on the Atlas website.