The BCN Survey is a large database of information collected by the birders of the Chicago Region. Three years after our first initiative to analyze the data from the BCN Survey, we have performed a second round of analysis thanks to additional funding from Chicago Wilderness. A key goal of this analysis is to learn the regional trends of our various bird species and refine and improve upon the accuracy of the results from the 1997-2004 breeding bird trends analysis. With the additional years of data and incorporation of habitat variables, we improved our accuracy by almost 50%. In addition to the species trends, in this round we have also developed a conservation list of species that should receive special attention.

Once again we would like to thank all of our volunteer monitors who have contributed countless hours in the field! This analysis would not have been successful without the data, insights, and spirit of this knowledgeable and dedicated field crew. If you aren't already a monitor for the BCN Survey, we hope that you will join us.
Your contributions can help us identify important habitat, improve current management practices, monitor the continued effects of threats like West Nile Virus, set regional priorities through Chicago Wilderness, and work with land managers to protect areas where birds are breeding. Just two visits of a couple hours at a preserve each summer can provide a wealth of information for us.

And remember, even if you don't have time to monitor a site on a regular basis, we encourage you to enter your casual bird sightings on the BCN eBird website.