Hello Ontario birders, We still need a lot of help to reach our goals - we're officially at the half-way mark of the Atlas. The easiest way to help is to log hours in any squares you might be birding in: our goal is 20 hours of coverage during the peak breeding season (basically June) in each 10 x 10 km square. Check out our new quick start guide for the easiest way to get started with the Atlas: https://www.birdsontario.org/quick-start/ The June newsletter has been emailed to all registered participants. If you aren't yet registered, please visit https://www.birdsontario.org/ and click on the "register" button near the top left. Some of the highlights of the June newsletter are: BIG ATLAS WEEKEND Ontario is taking part in the BIG ATLAS WEEKEND again this year. This year it will be June 23-25. Find out more at birdsontario.org/big-atlas-weekend <https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.birdsontario.org%2Fbig-atlas-weekend&data=05%7C01%7Cmichael.burrell%40ec.gc.ca%7C952dbaf862464022a3e908db6d21a154%7C740c5fd36e8b41769cc9454dbe4e62c4%7C0%7C0%7C638223763452094235%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=oF7Ns39Qigp%2Bdy4OcBuiUWMXGJ61l5z83tO31DjObno%3D&reserved=0> CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MAY CHALLENGE WINNER Emily Rondel was the lucky winner of a pair of Vortex Diamondback binoculars. She was one of 156 Atlassers who submitted at least ten checklists using the NatureCounts app. In total, 390 Atlassers submitted a total of 5,710 May checklists with the app. JOIN THE JUNE CHALLENGE We have another pair of binoculars to give away; to get entered just upgrade breeding evidence of any species in any square. The more upgrades you get, the more chances you have to win! SAPPY HOUR: HOW TO WIN THE BIG ATLAS WEEKEND Our next Sappy Hour will be Tuesday June 20 at 7pm Eastern Time, and will cover a number of topics about atlassing at this time of year, including how best to plan ahead to help your chances of winning a prize on the Big Atlas Weekend (and how to help Ontario bring home the cup!). The event will take place on Zoom webinar (register using the link - https://tinyurl.com/SappyHourJune21 <https://tinyurl.com/SappyHourJune21?fbclid=IwAR2SGdH8HgRG_0tE5Yp5hGIcKB6_UdEl6e-GlXHSA_va1lk1VMWfGbDvfDE>) and will also be streamed to Facebook Live ( www.facebook.com/ONBreedingBirdAtlas/live <https://www.facebook.com/ONBreedingBirdAtlas/live?__cft__[0]=AZVm6mxbBgybrwgUe7IOdOW3cxphMfYTFlRsYBEr8XBT9IVwpYgcOF9MUrua6ZWhnfqZdFpI8K_GaTAMec6KDgNrQaJjKLDPQrDPaZxEewh6FLDemimQ810Rh9B6Rvioxm17t8mHHm3ryGv8-g8P5XZPSPWjDQdRlSekVKlQYoxswTKom6-ski2rIv3k3Az9-cg&__tn__=-UK-R> ). JOIN A MINI SQUARE BASH NEAR PETERBOROUGH Taking place over June 24/25. To register fill out the form here: https://forms.gle/QXqey3B1WxrGp5f6A BARRIERS FOR CITIZEN SCIENCE IN ONTARIO SURVEY Newfoundland Atlas coordinators would greatly appreciate it if you could take two minutes to fill out this quick survey on the barriers to participation in citizen science. The authors will be compiling this information to present to the ornithological community as an important piece of information on the inclusivity of Birds Canada’s programs. Take the survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUZashi8sHrDJewViPZaGV3-LBhw1kM7ccCh6Ir13buJu6nA/viewform Mike Burrell Ontario Atlas Coordinator