Nearly 300 atlasers turned out for the third annual Big Atlas Weekend in NY this year. They battled rain and wind and documented 192 species over 813 cumulative hours and submitted 1251 checklists! We held several challenges in different categories and randomly selected from eligible checklists to choose winners. Winners received a free course of their choosing from the Cornell Lab’s Bird Academy. Cindy won for coding a new species in a block. Congratulations, Cindy!
Name
Cindy Rogers Edwardson
Current Home
Albany, NY
How you started birding
I started really noticing birds when I was about 17 years old after watching an Eastern Kingbird catch insects one summer when I was working at Valley Forge National Park. The next summer I worked at Mill Grove, JJ Audubon’s PA home, and the curator there was an excellent birding mentor. I really didn’t have much time to enjoy my new hobby until our kids were older and I started to go on Minnesota Birding trips with our friend and expert bird guide, Kim Eckert. So I’ve been avidly birding for at least 25 years.
Favorite birds
It’s almost impossible for me to choose a favorite bird but I do especially enjoy owls, woodpeckers and warblers. Black-capped chickadees make me happy in winter when they bounce in for sunflowers seeds every day.
Motivation to atlas
We lived in Duluth, MN for 34 years and I was able to help atlas birds there. We moved here (I’m originally from Burnt Hills, NY and our kids and grandkids live in Albany County) a few months before the pandemic hit and realized that we wanted to get outdoors as much as possible during the lock down. Atlasing has provided an opportunity to get to know some of the great parks and preserves in our area.
Favorite atlasing area
I’m not sure that I have a favorite atlas area but we enjoy going back to the Mohawk Hudson Preserves, especially Hollyhock Hollow, and recording birds and breeding signs there. The Albany Pine Bush Preserve is another place we love to hike and record bird sightings.
Most rewarding part of atlasing
I love to participate in Citizen Science so I find it rewarding to know that the data I’m collecting can be useful to scientists in making discoveries. But it’s also so much fun to get out and explore the natural world around our area.
Favorite atlasing discovery
The first year we discovered a Yellow-billed Cuckoo fledgling at Grafton State Park which was a first for us. Seeing Barred Owl fledglings at Saratoga State Park stands out as a favorite atlasing discovery also.
Advice for someone “on the fence” about participating
I would encourage anyone who enjoys exploring the natural world in New York to participate in atlasing. It’s fun, rewarding, good exercise, you meet great people, and in the process you’re adding to the body of scientific data about birds that will be useful in the future. I’ve definitely become a better birder in the process as I’ve slowed down to really notice breeding bird behavior!