Updated 11/30/07

THE MICHIGAN SEASONAL BIRD SURVEY
Get Seasonal Bird Survey Forms

The mission of the Michigan Seasonal Bird Survey is to provide a forum for the publication of bird observations in Michigan. The success of this mission depends upon volunteer birders of all skill levels throughout the state taking the time to send in a report each of the four seasons (due to the compiler by Mar 15, Jun 15, Sep 15, and Dec 15, respectively).

Your report is needed, whether you travel all over the state in pursuit of birds, or whether you report birds only from your own backyard. Results are compiled by county, and many counties have only a few regular contributors – some have none. Your sightings matter – even if you don‘t have anything rare to report.

The Michigan Bird Survey is interested in more than rarities. It keeps tabs on all species, noting the timing of migration, and the high counts (and low counts) for wintering and breeding species.

Due to the input of volunteers like you who send in their sightings, and the hard work of the seasonal compilers who put it all together, Michigan’s Seasonal Bird Survey is setting a high standard for the quality of bird reporting in the Great Lakes region.

The Seasonal Bird Survey produces a compilation of all bird species seen in Michigan each season, amassed in the form of an annotated list published quarterly in the MAS publication Michigan Birds and Natural History. The survey lists each species recorded in the state for the season, followed by the number of counties in which it was reported within three regions of the state (Upper Peninsula, Northern Lower Peninsula, and Southern Lower Peninsula). A summary of arrival and departure dates, high or low counts, notes on emerging trends or other pertinent information follows. This information is important for detecting long-term trends in bird populations.

The compilers also send in a summary for North American Birds, the national publication devoted to tracking bird populations continent-wide.

Filling out the form is easy: just fill in the blanks with the observations you’ve made. And rather than waiting until the end of the season, you can check species off by county as each season progresses. Like birdwatching itself, using this form is fun! It’s nothing like a tax form!

The form indicates which species are unusual for each season. If you’re lucky enough to see anything unusual, you will be asked to write a few words describing what you’ve seen. Really rare birds require a more complete description. The form lets you know what species require documentation.

The Seasonal Bird Survey is also in need of photos of seasonal or statewide rarities. The purpose of publishing rarity photos is to provide and share your documentation – so these photos need not be artistically or technically flawless, but merely need to provide an identifiable view of the bird in question. Good quality photos of other birds taken in Michigan during the season are also welcome.

THE FORMS

There is a cover page listed separately from the body of the form; a few formatting options are offered for each. Pick the option that works for your computer and print out the both the cover page and the body of the form. Provide as much information as you like on the form, and mail it in to the seasonal compiler whose address is provided. To ensure sufficient time to tabulate the results, submissions must be made by the 15th of the month following the end of the season.

DOWNLOADS	Winter Dec-Feb	Spring Mar-May	Summer June-July	Fall Aug-Nov
Seasonal Survey Cover Page and Form Adobe Reader file (PDF)	PDF	PDF	PDF	PDF
Seasonal Survey Cover Page only MS Word file (DOC)	DOC	DOC	DOC	DOC
Seasonal Survey Form only MS Excel file (XLS)	XLS	XLS	XLS	XLS

By contributing your sightings to the Michigan Seasonal Bird Survey you will be helping MAS and future students of Michigan’s birds understand bird distribution and migration in our state.