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Owls, Rails and Whip-poor-wills

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.

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Owls, Rails and Whip-poor-wills

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  1. Owls, Rails and Whip-poor-wills New Opportunities for Volunteer birders!

  2. 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.

  3. What are the “gaps”? • Wetland Birds • Nocturnal Species • Rare birds – NHI Endangered/Threatened Species • Colonial Waterbirds • “Boreal Birds” – distribution • Forest interior songbirds (Cerulean Warbler, etc.) • Improvements to the federal breeding bird survey.

  4. 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.

  5. Marshbird Monitoring Objectives: • 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.

  6. Surveyors Needed! • 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!

  7. A C B B D C A D E E • Routes • 1- 8 stations • usually along shoreline • Stations • 100 m radius semi-circle • minimum distance between • birds: 250m • amphibians: 500m

  8. MMP survey stations • Stations • 100 m radius semi-circle • minimum distance between • birds: 250m • amphibians: 500m

  9. Bird Survey Protocol • Birds • two visits/year • late May-early July • before sunset • 10 min point counts • counts (inside radius, aerial foragers) • tally (outside) • tape playback

  10. 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.

  11. Nightjar Monitoring Objectives: • Generate long-term population trend data for nightjars in order to help determine conservation status. • Generate data for range-wide population/habitat modeling to help direct conservation efforts.

  12. 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.

  13. Pilot Nightjar Survey for 2007 • 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’.

  14. Contextual Bird Monitoring: Filling the “gaps” Nocturnal Owls • Northern Saw-whet Owl, Eastern Screech Owl, Barred Owl, Great-horned Owl, Long-eared Owl • Not well monitored by Federal BBS due to nocturnal behavior and different phenology of breeding. Photo by Dennis Malueg

  15. Owl Monitoring Objectives • 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. Photo by Dennis Maleug

  16. Western Great Lakes Owl Survey • 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.

  17. How do I get involved? • Attend the upcoming Citizen-based bird monitoring symposium! March 2008 – University of Wisconsin - Green Bay • Contact Andy Paulios, WBCI Coordinator for more information. (Andy.Paulios@wisconsin.gov) • Check the WBCI website (www.wisconsinbirds.org) for details on individual programs or to sign up for the WBCI list-serve. • Submit your birding observations to eBird at www.ebird.org/WI.

  18. Citizens make the bird world spin!

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