Monitoring of b irds of European i mportance Methods in Bavaria Prof. Dr. Volker Zahner

1. Monitoring of birds of European importance Methods in Bavaria Prof. Dr. Volker Zahner

2. Bird monitoring methodsin SPAs • Monitoring goals • What is monitored? • Target species • Area ranking • How do we monitor? • Area selection • Design • rare species • large scale • small scale (+ modelling) • forest inventory • Evaluation • Species in the forest and non-forest habitats

3. Monitoring goals • Important • Bird • Areas • Special • Protection • Areas by Directive

4. Goals: • Conserve our natural heritage • Protect viable populations of bird species (Annex I) Instruments: • Evaluate SPA‘s quality • Develop action plans • Coherent European network

5. Target species Annex I species breeding pairs numbers Habitat structures forest inventory Area ranking not all species of Annex I are monitored in all SPA‘s for each species the 5 most important areas are monitored on landsape level the two most important species occurrence is monitored What is monitored?

6. = 6 monitored species per SPA How do we monitor? • e.g. 16 species of Annex I BD in • SPA Male Karpaty, only few are monitored • List of monitored birds: • Ficedula albicollis • Dendrocopus medius • Pernis apivorus • ..........................

7. - time of the year Owls Mrz Apr Mai Jun Aegolius funereus Woodpeckers Effort • woodpeckers and owls are monitored at the same time of the year... Dendrocopos medius Songbirds Ficedula albicollis

8. - daytime Owls Aegolius funereus 10 pm ...but at different times a day. = 2 visits per day Woodpeckers Dendrocopos medius 5 am Songbirds Ficedula albicollis 4 am

9. On which scales do we monitor? 500.000 ha Landscape rare species 5.000 ha SPA 500 ha large scale Stand 5 ha small scale Microstructures 0,5 ha

10. Rare species(birds of prey, storks, rare passerines) Information • Where are potential habitats? • Where are former records? Methods • mapping the whole area • 3 visits, recording • nest sites • mating activity • territorial behavior

11. Why do we monitor on different scales? Deciduous forest Mixed forest Coniferous forest Forest types Niche Middle Spotted Woodpecker Black Woodpecker

12. How do we monitor on different scales? Species Size of a sampling area Count points Larger scales Black Woodpecker 500 ha 30-35 Nightjar150 ha 12 Smaller scales (modeling) Flycatchers 30 ha 30 Size of SPA < 1.500 ha 1.500 – 10.000 ha 10. – 20.000 ha > 20.000 ha Size of a sampling area 500 ha > 20 % > 15 % > 10 %

13. Large monitoring scales (most woodpeckers, owls) SPA x 10% = xx ha Area of SPA 500 ha Size of sampling area Target species: Number of sampling area Grey-headed Woodpecker Number of count points 5 31 point

14. Grey-headed WoodpeckerPicus canus Grauspecht - Picus canus • Habitat • old broadleaf stands (beech,oak) • old tress with damages (fungus) • laying dead wood • forest edges • 0.2 -0,5 breeding pairs/100 ha

15. 500ha 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 We monitor on large scale • >10% of each SPA should • be monitored • If Woodpeckers are monitored • 500 ha squares are choosen

16. We monitor on large scale 25.000 ha SPA x 10% = 2.500 ha 2.500 ha: 500 ha = 5 squares 4

17. 4 2,236 m trails and logging roadsas transect lines

18. transect linescross country 4

19. large scale monitoring (most woodpeckers, owls) Methods • 500 ha = 16 ha per point • = 31 stop counts = 12 000 m • working with sound imitation • walking on • fixed transect lines • along trails or logging roads 200 m 200 m 400m Effort • ~ 5 min per stop / species • 15 min point to point • only mornings = 2 days per species, per visit • 3 visits in the breeding season • = 6 days in total per species 16 ha

20. Small scale monitoring with modeling modelling suitable habitats Target species: Area of SPA Number of suitable sampling areas Collard flycatcher ? Size of sampling area 30 ha 30 points

21. forest inventory Small scale monitoring with modeling • What are the habitat needs? • with GIS, database or map • where are e.g. • broadleaf trees • oak >80 Y., beech >100 years • canopy openings • dead wood • tree cavities

22. Small scale monitoring(passerines) • Mapping methods like „large scale“, but: • modelling suitable habitats • mapping these habitats in 30 ha samples, 30 ha = 30 stop counts • > 10% of suitable habitats 50 m 50 m 100m

23. Forest inventory net data are collected, every 10 years information about soil (Nightjar) rejuvination species composition (woodp.) age social strata canopy closure snags deadwood Forest inventory

24. mapping and evaluation Species of the forest habitatsEvaluation of habitat and population • Conserving a favorable status of • species • habitats favorable status of population • number of breeding pairs • population trend habitat quality • number of cavities • network of habitats

25. Species of the forest habitatsCollard flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) • Habitat • old trees with large treetops • cavity richness • snags • warm microclimate • ~10 breeding pairs/10 ha

26. Species of the forest habitats Middle spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos medius) • Habitat • old broadleaf stands • old trees with bark structure • snags • 0.5 -4 breeding pairs/10 ha

27. Habitat • big nesting tree • meadows, fields, forests • streams, ponds • Methods • mapping all nest sites • 3 visits (march - mid. april) • 10-18 bp/ 100 km2 r = 1km Species of the non-forest habitatsRed Kite (Milvus milvus)

28. Support: • globally threatened species • priority for LIFE- Nature funding • Habitat „modelling“ • Large reedbeds (>20 ha) • former records • Methods • 3 visits (april -may) • 2 hours befor dawn or after dusk • number of boomig males Species of the non-forest habitats Bittern (Botaurus stellaris)

29. Species of the non-forest habitats Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) • Habitat „modelling“ • streams • ponds • Methods • mapping >10% • 3 visits (mid.march - mid.june) • 5 km transect lines are mapped (random sampled) • 2-4 pairs/ 5 km

30. Conclusions Conclusions instruments and methods are the same between forest habitats and non-forest habitats, scales are different