Transcript Owls, Rails and Whip-poor

Owls, Rails and Whip-poor-wills
New Opportunities for Volunteer
birders!
Coordinated Bird Monitoring
• NABCI led effort to implement
new monitoring programs to
“fill in the gaps” of bird
monitoring.
• WBCI is working at the state
level to implement new
contextual bird monitoring
programs in a coordinated
manner.
• WBCI is also working to
prioritize key adaptive
management questions to
better conserve key bird
populations.
What are the “gaps”?
1. Wetland Birds
2. Nocturnal Species
3. Rare birds – NHI Endangered/Threatened
Species
4. Colonial Waterbirds
5. “Boreal Birds” – distribution
6. Forest interior songbirds (Cerulean Warbler,
etc.)
7. Improvements to the federal breeding bird
survey.
Contextual Bird Monitoring:
Filling the “gaps”
Secretive Marshbirds
• Rails, Coot, Moorhen, Bitterns,
and Grebes
• Not monitored by existing
Federal Breeding Bird Survey
due to nature of roads and
wetlands.
• Very difficult to assess
population status of many of
these species especially in
light of changing wetland
conditions.
Marshbird Monitoring
Objectives:
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Generate abundances of target
marshbird species in different wetland
habitat types.
Measure long-term population trends
of target species as a meaure of
ecosystem health.
Generate performance measures for
adaptive management of wetland
maintainence and restorations.
Surveyors Needed!
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Volunteers will be needed for a
pilot program starting in May
2008.
There is a required field training
component (early May) plus at
least one but likely two field visits
in late May – early July.
We’re looking for people
interested in getting “into” the
marsh by foot, kayak, canoe, etc.
Need to be a good birder, but not
an expert!
Stations
Routes
• 100 m radius semi-circle
• minimum distance between
• 1- 8 stations
• usually along
shoreline
- birds: 250m
- amphibians: 500m
A
B
B
C
C
D
D
A
E
E
MMP
survey
stations
Stations
• 100 m radius semi-circle
• minimum distance between
-birds: 250m
-amphibians: 500m
Bird Survey Protocol
Birds
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two visits/year
late May-early July
before sunset
10 min point counts
counts (inside radius,
aerial foragers)
• tally (outside)
• tape playback
Contextual Bird Monitoring:
Filling the “gaps”
Nightjars
• Common Nighthawk and
Whip-poor-will
• Not well monitored by the
Federal BBS due to nocturnal
behavior of these species.
• Anecdotal evidence suggests
that both species may be
declining in WI and across
larger portions of their range.
Nightjar Monitoring
Objectives:
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Generate long-term
population trend data for
nightjars in order to help
determine conservation
status.
Generate data for rangewide population/habitat
modeling to help direct
conservation efforts.
What to Expect on a Nightjar
“foray”
Time of Year:
• Surveys are run Late May – Late June
• Each route is run once during that timeframe
• routes are run when the moon is at least half full and above the
horizon.
• Each route has ten stops and takes about 1-2 hours to complete.
Data Recorded:
• Volunteers record calling WHIP and CONI during each 1-minute
interval of a five-minute point count.
• Other nocturnal “creatures” are noted and may be recorded in the
future.
• No need to be an expert birder, just need a good navigator, data
recording skills, and a keen ear for a small number of species.
Pilot Nightjar Survey for 2007
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WBCI initiated a pilot nightjar
survey with the help of the NE
CBM network and SE PIF.
In total 22 routes were run from
most portions of the state.
59 Whips were recorded along
with 10 CONI.
Most volunteers had fun listening
to nightjars, owls, frogs/toads and
even a few unexpected mammals!
Next year we plan to expand the
survey to include more routes
across the expected range of the
species’.
Contextual Bird Monitoring:
Filling the “gaps”
Nocturnal Owls
• Northern Saw-whet Owl,
Eastern Screech Owl, Barred
Owl, Great-horned Owl, Longeared Owl
• Not well monitored by Federal
BBS due to nocturnal behavior
and different phenology of
breeding.
Photo by Dennis Malueg
Owl Monitoring
Objectives
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Photo by Dennis Maleug
Generate population data on
most species of owls to
determine long-term
population trends and status.
Generate data for range-wide
population/habitat modeling
to help direct conservation
efforts.
Western Great Lakes Owl
Survey
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Surveys are run three times a spring from mid-March
through early May.
Surveys take place during the “dark” along roads.
Each survey route consists of ten stops.
Volunteers records owls heard during each two-minute
stop along with distance and direction.
Each volunteer is required to complete an online
training session.
How do I get involved?
1. Attend the upcoming Citizen-based bird
monitoring symposium! March 2008 –
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
2. Contact Andy Paulios, WBCI Coordinator for
more information.
([email protected])
3. Check the WBCI website
(www.wisconsinbirds.org) for details on
individual programs or to sign up for the WBCI
list-serve.
4. Submit your birding observations to eBird at
www.ebird.org/WI.
Citizens make the bird world spin!