NOTE: National Audubon’s Instructions for the Climate Watch Planner tool are HERE. National Audubon step by step instructions are HERE. They explain more and give more detail. The description on this page is a step-by-step cookbook simplified suggested procedure specific to AFT’s Bird Square Program. As you get familiar with tool you may want to change what you do.
- In your web browser go to the tool at https://gis.audubon.org/climatewatch/claimasquare.html
Tool should show a map of North America with aerial image
2) Decide on a county that you potentially want a square in and type that county’s name and Tx in the address bar upper left corner on the image. (Not URL bar) Click search icon
The tool should zoom on the map to the county
3) Click on the Layers widget (icon of three stacked squares, first left below address icon)
A list of layers with species names which have check boxes next to them will appear
4) Click the box next to the species you want as target bird. This determines the kind of habitat you will survey. As examples, if you pick Red-breasted Nuthatch your habitat will be forest, if you pick Eastern Bluebird your habitat will be grasslands with trees. You can pick the species of your choice from the list if it has suitable habitat in your chosen square AFT Bird Squares program requires you report on all birds you can identify during the bird count not just the target bird.
The tool should display a grid of squares. The grid show the boundaries of the squares as white lines. Some of the squares may be colored. The color depends are what seasons have been already claimed. Not many squares in Texas have been claimed so no squares may be colored in some counties.
5) Click on any non-colored square you want to bird
The tool should show a pop-up.
6) Click on Edit on the bottom line.
The tool should show another pop-up
7) Type your name in the season’s box in which you wish to participate followed by tab.
The tool should show a color square
8) Type your name in the other season’s box followed by tab if you wish to survey both seasons for that square and target species.
If you do, the tool should show a red square
9) Close pop-up by clicking on the X upper right corner.
The tool should remove the pop-up
10) You are done. If you want to remove your claim of a square simply click on the square, delete your name and press tab on the keyboard. Repeat for second season if needed and close the pop-up
NOTE: If you chose just one season and want a different target species for the other season just repeat the process with second target species choosing the same square and the other season.
