Random Routes for MBBSMBBS routes are positioned without reference to known birding "hot spots"! They are intended to provide an unbiased record of bird populations. And they can lead to unexpected discoveries!
Then, in each sixth of the county, a route was identified that fit these criteria . . .
Then a second random point was selected in each sixth of the county. A second route was identified that fit the same criteria, except that it included the second random point and it maintained a direction perpendicular to the first route. Each route was named after its starting point. Some routes pass through suburban or urban areas -- it is important to survey these habitats too!
Two routes were added (bringing the total to 14) in order to fill conspicuous gaps in the random sampling (even stratifying the county into sixths left some big holes in the sampling!).
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