On Saturday, June 13, 2026 we welcomed 22 of our 173 species account authors to Birds Canada Headquarters in Port Rowan for a morning of birding and a writing workshop. With this event, the Species Account writing phase of the Atlas-3 publication is officially underway! 

We began the morning with a bird walk around the Headquarters office, led by expert birders from our community. We saw 42 species, and highlights from the walk included great views of nesting Cliff Swallows and a Baltimore Oriole nest with both adults spotted nearby! After stretching our legs and priming our brains, we moved indoors for the workshop.

We presented a first look at some preliminary Atlas results, then dove into the species account writing guidelines. We explored the structure of an account, what to include in each section, key resources for gathering species-specific information, and the overall writing timeline. Attendees left with Ontario bird ID pamphlets to support their continued learning – and an eagerness to begin writing!

On June 16, another 87 account authors joined us for a virtual version of the writing workshop. Participants came prepared with thoughtful and insightful questions that will help guide their writing process. 

We are so excited for the writing phase and are committed to supporting authors every step of the way. Authors – please check your email for the resource folder we shared, and keep an eye out for additional species-specific materials coming soon. We’re looking forward to staying connected during “Author Hours” where we will be hosting a virtual drop-in space for account authors to ask questions and co-work on their writing!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for these events, whether in-person or online. It was inspiring to see your continued enthusiasm and dedication to Atlas-3! This initiative would not be possible without your help. And a special thank you as well to TD Friends of the Environment Foundation for supporting this event and helping us connect with our community.