Breeding bird populations of selected grasslands in east central North Dakota -- 1977 - Kentucky blue grass prairie and mixed prairie I-V, VIII
Abstract has not been submitted
American Birds↗
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Breeding bird populations of selected grasslands in east-central North Dakota -- 1974 - Kentucky bluegrass prairie and mixed prairie I-V, VII
Abstract has not been submitted
American Birds↗
Using Christmas Bird Count data in analysis of population change
The scientific credibility of Christmas Bird Count (CBC) results depend on the development and implementation of appropriate methods of statistical analysis. The key to any successful analysis of CBC data is to begin with a careful review of how the limitations of the data are likely to influence the results of the analysis, then to choose methods of analysis that accommodate as much as possible the limitations of the survey. For our analyses of CBC data, we develop a flexible model for effort adjustment and use information from the data to guide the selection of the best model. We include geographic structuring to accommodate the regional variation in number of samples, use a model that allows for overdispersed poisson data appropriate for counts, and employ empirical Bayes procedures to accommodate differences in quality of information in regional summaries. This generalized linear model approach is very flexible, and can be applied to a variety of studies focused on factors influencing wintering bird populations. In particular, the model can be easily modified to contain covariates, allowing for assessment of associations between CBC counts and winter weather, disturbance, and a variety of other environmental factors. These new survey analysis methods have added value in that they provide insights into changes in survey design that can enhance the value of the information. The CBC has been extremely successful as a tool for increasing public interest in birding and bird conservation. Use of the information for bird conservation creates new demands on quality of information, and it is important to maintain a dialogue between users of the information, information needs for the analyses, and survey coordinators and participants. Our work as survey analysts emphasizes the value and limitations of existing data, and provides some indications of what features of the survey could be modified to make the survey a more reliable source of bird population data. Surveys only remain useful if they adapt to current needs, while still maintaining consistency with historical goals.
American Birds↗
The status of the light-footed clapper rail
Only 12 California marsh areas are presently believed to be inhabited by the Light-footed Clapper Rail, and eight of these appear to support only 5-15 birds apiece. Tentative estimates for the other four are: Anaheim Bay 200, Upper Newport 30-35, Los Penasquitos 30, and Tijuana Estuary 150. These estimates, admittedly very rough, indicate a total Light-footed Rail population on only about 500 birds. Recognizing that rails are secretive and hard to inventory, the actual count could be somewhat higher, but I feel it is most unlikely that the number could be more than 750 birds altogether. Reductions in Light-footed Clapper Rail populations can be attributed almost entirely to loss of habitat. An estimated 26,000 acres of saltmarsh once existed between Santa Barbara and the Mexican border. At present there are approximately 8500 acres, much of which has been degraded by pollution, water diversion, and restriction of tidal flow. Of those areas currently occupied by Clapper Rails, few can be considered to have a very secure future. Of the four major areas only Anaheim Bay appears to be relatively safe from future habitat destruction. Tijuana Estuary, Los Penasquitos Lagoon, and Upper Newport Bay are all threatened by commercial developments that could reduce or destroy local rail populations. I have not visited Baja California, but I believe there is still a substantial population of Clapper Rails in the marshes around San Quintin Bay. Taxonomists do not agree on the subspecific identity of these birds, but some feel they are representatives of the Light-footed race. If so, it is fortunate to have a relatively secure (for now) reservoir of these birds, but whether the Light-footed Clapper Rail survives within the United States may well be decided within the next few years.
American Birds↗
Methods for capturing and banding Kalij Pheasants
We developed methods to capture and band Kalij Pheasants ( Lophura leucomelanos ) in their introduced range at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where they are not hunted and are relatively tame. Kalij were wary of foreign structures, such as traps, but readily took cracked corn bait and entered baited traps, provided they were introduced to them gradually. The majority of Kalij on the study site (53 of 64 birds) were captured using three trap designs: open-door trap, large box trap with hinged door, and drop trap. While the open-door trap was more mobile and easily set up in cramped forest spaces, only groups of as many as five birds could be captured at a time. The large, more cumber-some box traps captured groups of up to eight birds, whereas drop traps successfully captured only one bird at a time. Females were more difficult to capture than males. Band size was 7A for males and 6 for females.
Hawaii↗
Forty-third breeding bird census [On selected prairies in east-central North Dakota -- 1979 - Kentucky blue grass prairie and mixed prairie I-V, VIII
Abstract has not been submitted
American Birds↗
Long-term trends in breeding birds in an old-growth Adirondack forest and the surrounding region
Breeding bird populations were sampled between 1954 and 1963, and 1990 and 2000 in an old-growth forest, the Natural Area of Huntington Wildlife Forest (HWF), in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Trends were compared with data from regional North American Breeding Bird Surveys (BBS) and from a forest plot at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire. Trends for 22 species in the HWF Natural Area were negative, eight were positive, and one was zero; 20 were significant. Fifteen of 17 long-distance migrants declined, whereas 7 of 14 short-distance migrants and permanent residents declined. Most (74%) HWF Natural Area species, despite differences in sampling periods and local habitat features, matched in sign of trend when compared to Adirondack BBS routes, 61% matched northeastern BBS routes, and 71% matched eastern United States BBS routes, while 66% matched Hubbard Brook species. The agreement in population trends suggests that forest interior birds, especially long-distance migrants, are affected more by regional than local factors. The analysis indicated that bird trends generated from BBS routes may not be as biased toward roads as previously suggested.
Wilson Journal of Ornithology↗
Land cover differentially affects abundance of common and rare birds
While rare species are vulnerable to global change, large declines in common species (i.e., those with large population sizes, large geographic distributions, and/or that are habitat generalists) also are of conservation concern. Understanding if and how commonness mediates species' responses to global change, including land cover change, can help guide conservation strategies. We explored avian population responses to land cover change along a gradient from common to rare species using avian data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and land cover data from the National Land Cover Database for the conterminous United States. Specifically, we used generalized linear mixed effects models to ask if species' commonness affected the relationship between land cover and counts, using the initial amount of and change in land cover surrounding each North American BBS route from 2001 to 2016. We quantified species' commonness as a continuous metric at the national scale using the logarithm (base 10) of each species' total count across all routes in the conterminous United States in 2001. For our focal 15-year period, we found that higher proportions of initial natural land cover favored (i.e., were correlated with higher) counts of rare but not common species. We also found that commonness mediated how change in human land cover, but not natural land cover, was associated with species' counts at the end of the study period. Increases in developed lands did not favor counts of any species. Increases in agriculture and declines in pasture favored counts of common but not rare species. Our findings show a signal of commonness in how species respond to a major dimension of global change. Evaluating how and why commonness mediates species' responses to land cover change can help managers design conservation portfolios that sustain the spectrum of common to rare species.
Global Change Biology↗
The breeding bird survey, 1966
A Breeding Bird Survey of a large section on North America was conducted during June 1966. Cooperators ran a total of 585 Survey routes in 26 eastern States and 4 Canadian Provinces. Future coverage of established routes will enable changes in the abundance of North American breeding birds to be measured. Routes are selected at random on the basis of one-degree blocks of latitude and longitude. Each 241/2-mile route, with 3-minute stops spaced one-half mile apart, is driven by automobile. All birds heard or seen at the stops are recorded on special forms and the data are then transferred to machine punch cards. The average number of birds per route is tabulated by State, along with the total number of each species and the percent of routes and stops upon which they were recorded. Maps are presented showing the range and abundance of selected species. Also, a year-to-year comparison is made of populations of selected species on Maryland routes in 1965 and 1966.
Special Scientific Report - Wildlife↗
Atlantic Flyway review: Region V
Because of the change in regional boundaries, Region V now includes Piedmont and Coastal Plains areas of the southeastern states from Maryland to the Gulf of Mexico, bordered on the west by Interstate Rt. 81 and US Rt. 220. Maryland's mountain stations are now reporting through Region IV (NASS 2:184-187). Region V welcomes three new stations this year: Colesville and Sandy Spring in the Maryland Piedmont and Long Beach on the coast of North Carolina. The Round Bay and Bellevue Stations were not operated in 1976 and banding was too sporadic at Irish Grove Wildlife Sanctuary for their contributions to be included in this summary. Station activities for 1976 are summarized in Table 1. Banding effort (net-hours] was the lowest since 1970, but the 20,560 birds banded in Region V were only 3 percent below the 8 year average of 21,138. The number of birds per 100 net-hours for all stations combined was 38.5, which is similar to the other high seasons of 1969, 1970 and 1974.
North American Bird Bander↗
Yellow birds stand out in a crowd
Highly visible auxiliary markers, such as neck collars, nasal saddles, patagial tags, and leg streamers, are used regularly and effectively with banding in studying migration and distribution of large birds (e.g. waterfowl, birds of prey, wading birds). Simply stated, a large bird can accommodate a marker that is large enough to be seen readily by an observer but still small enough not to alter behavior or impair flight (see Marion and Shamis 1977 for review). Such is not true with smaller birds, and consequently information on their migration routes and distribution is usually poorer than for larger birds. The use of colored leg bands increases the frequency of detection of small birds that have been banded; however, a large percentage of such marked birds is usually still overlooked. Only by using highly visible techniques, such as plumage dyes and bleaches in conjunction with leg bands, can one obtain significant numbers of sightings of small birds. Here we present information from sightings of large numbers of marked Dunlins ( Calidris alpina ) and Western Sandpipers ( C. mauri ) that dramatically demonstrates this.
North American Bird Bander↗
Use of survey data to define regional and local priorities for management on National Wildlife Refuges
National Wildlife Refuges must manage habitats to support a variety of species that often have conflicting needs. To make reasonable management decisions, managers must know what species are priorities for their refuges and the relative importance of the species. Unfortunately, species priorities are often set regionally, but refuges must develop local priorities that reconcile regional priorities with constraints imposed by refuge location and local management options. Some species cannot be managed on certain refuges, and the relative benefit of management to regional populations of species can vary greatly among refuges. We describe a process of 'stepping down' regional priorities to local priorities for bird species of management interest. We define three primary scales of management interest: regional (at which overall priority species are set); 'Sepik Blocks' (30 min blocks of latitude and longitude, which provide a landscape level context for a refuge); and the refuge. Regional surveys, such as the North American Breeding Bird Survey, provide information that can be summarized at regional and Sepik Block scales, permitting regional priorities to be focused to landscapes near refuges. However, refuges manage habitats, and managers need information about how the habitat management is likely to collectively influence the priority species. The value of the refuge for a species is also influenced by the availability of habitats within refuges and the relative amounts of those habitats at each scale. We use remotely-sensed data to assess proportions of habitats at the three geographic scales. These data provide many possible approaches for developing local priorities for management. Once these are defined, managers can use the priorities, in conjunction with predictions of the consequences of management for each species, to assess the overall benefit of alternative management actions for the priority species.
Book chapter↗
Contributions of the Conservation Reserve Program to populations of breeding birds in North Dakota
Previous studies have shown that habitat provided by the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a feature of the 1985 farm bill, is used by many birds. The present study quantitatively assesses the importance of the CRP by estimating changes in breeding-bird populations of North Dakota projected if CRP land would revert to cultivation. Of 18 species that were common in CRP or crop fields or both, 12 were more abundant in CRP habitats. Six of these species had suffered significant population declines during 1967-1990, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. In contrast, none of the six species that were more common in cropland than in CRP fields had declined significantly. Termination of the Conservation Reserve Program and a return of enrolled land to cultivation is projected to cause population declines in North Dakota exceeding 17% for Sedge wren (Cistothorus platensis), Grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), Dickcissel (Spiza americana), and Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys).
The Wilson Bulletin↗
Conservation reserve program: benefit for grassland birds in the northern plains
During the past few decades numbers of some species of upland-nesting birds in North America have declined. Duck species such as mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), northern pintail (A. acuta) and blue-winged teal (A. discors) have declined since the early 1970s and have remained low since 1985 (Caithamer et al. 1993). Some grassland-dependent nonwaterfowl species also have declined since 1966, as indicated by the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) (Robbins et al. 1986). For prairie-nesting ducks, population declines can be attributed mostly to low recruitment, partially as a result of low nest success. Klett et al. (1988) concluded that nest success (probability of ≥1 egg of clutch hatches) in much of the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region was inadequate to maintain populations of the five most common upland-nesting duck species studied, and that predators were the most important cause of nest failure. Over the years, as grassland areas have been converted to cropland, ducks have concentrated their nesting in the remaining areas of available habitat, where predators such as red fox (Vulpes vulpes), striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) and badger (Taxidea taxus) forage (Cowardin et al. 1983). The reasons for declining populations of grassland nonwaterfowl birds are not clear but the loss of suitable grassland-nesting habitat probably is an important factor. Currently, approximately 95 percent of the land in North Dakota is used for agricultural purposes, of which over 60 percent is used for annual crop production (Haugse 1990). Of the grassland that remains, 95 percent is used for livestock production. This probably had a severe impact on grassland bird species that seek idle grass cover for nesting. The 1985 and 1990 U.S. Farm Bills include provisions under the Food Security Act to fund a cropland-idling program called the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Over 36 million acres have been enrolled nationwide in the CRP since 1985 (Osborn 1993), and up to 25 percent of cropland in some counties has been converted primarily to grass. In North Dakota, nearly 3 million acres have been enrolled. Over 90 percent of the CRP plantings in North Dakota are grass and grass-legume mix composed primarily of wheatgrass (Agropyron spp.), smooth brome (Bromus inermis), alfalfa (Medicago saliva) and sweetclover (Melilotus spp.). Mixes of these species have been reported to attract high densities of nesting ducks (Duebbert and Kantrud 1974). According to the CRP provisions, the land must remain idle for the 10-year contract period, with the exception of emergency provisions for haying or grazing. CRP appears to have great potential for benefiting many species of grassland-nesting birds. There have been efforts to document the importance of the CRP to migratory birds in the Upper Great Plains of the U.S. Kantrud (1993) studied duck nest success in CRP cover and concluded that nest success was higher than in planted cover on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs). Johnson and Schwartz (1993a) measured the use of CRP fields by nonwaterfowl birds and reported that several species have responded positively by colonizing CRP fields. They concluded that CRP has the potential to help reverse the population declines of several species. We investigated the importance of CRP to upland-nesting ducks and certain other grassland-nesting birds. For ducks, we compared nest success in CRP cover with nest success in planted cover on WPAs in the same period (1992-93) and with that of an earlier period (1980-84). For nonwaterfowl, we used BBS data to compare the trends in populations of certain species found in CRP, for the periods 1966-86 (pre-CRP cover establishment) and 1987-92 (post-CRP cover establishment) in North Dakota.
North Dakota, South Dakota↗
Movements of radio-marked California Ridgway's rails during monitoring surveys: Implications for population monitoring
The California Ridgway's rail Rallus obsoletus obsoletus (hereafter California rail) is a secretive marsh bird endemic to tidal marshes in the San Francisco Bay (hereafter bay) of California. The California rail has undergone significant range contraction and population declines due to a variety of factors, including predation and the degradation and loss of habitat. Call-count surveys, which include call playbacks, based on the standardized North American marsh bird monitoring protocol have been conducted throughout the bay since 2005 to monitor population size and distribution of the California rail. However, call-count surveys are difficult to evaluate for efficacy or accuracy. To measure the accuracy of call-count surveys and investigate whether radio-marked California rails moved in response to call-count surveys, we compared locations of radio-marked California rails collected at frequent intervals (15 min) to California rail detections recorded during call-count surveys conducted over the same time periods. Overall, 60% of radio-marked California rails within 200 m of observers were not detected during call-count surveys. Movements of radio-marked California rails showed no directional bias ( P = 0.92) irrespective of whether or not playbacks of five marsh bird species (including the California rail) were broadcast from listening stations. Our findings suggest that playbacks of rail vocalizations do not consistently influence California rail movements during surveys. However, call-count surveys may underestimate California rail presence; therefore, caution should be used when relating raw numbers of call-count detections to population abundance.
Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management↗
An integrated population model for bird monitoring in North America
Integrated population models (IPMs) provide a unified framework for simultaneously analyzing data sets of different types to estimate vital rates, population size, and dynamics; assess contributions of demographic parameters to population changes; and assess population viability. Strengths of an IPM include the ability to estimate latent parameters and improve the precision of parameter estimates. We present a hierarchical IPM that combines two broad‐scale avian monitoring data sets: count data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and capture–recapture data from the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program. These data sets are characterized by large numbers of sample sites and observers, factors capable of inducing error in the sampling and observation processes. The IPM integrates the data sets by modeling the population abundance as a first‐order autoregressive function of the previous year's population abundance and vital rates. BBS counts were modeled as a log‐linear function of the annual index of population abundance, observation effects (observer identity and first survey year), and overdispersion. Vital rates modeled included adult apparent survival, estimated from a transient Cormack‐Jolly‐Seber model using MAPS data, and recruitment (surviving hatched birds from the previous season + dispersing adults) estimated as a latent parameter. An assessment of the IPM demonstrated it could recover true parameter values from 200 simulated data sets. The IPM was applied to data sets (1992–2008) of two bird species, Gray Catbird ( Dumetella carolinensis ) and Wood Thrush ( Hylocichla mustelina ) in the New England/Mid‐Atlantic coastal Bird Conservation Region of the United States. The Gray Catbird population was relatively stable (trend +0.4% per yr), while the Wood Thrush population nearly halved (trend −4.5% per yr) over the 17‐yr study period. IPM estimates of population growth rates, adult survival, and detection and residency probabilities were similar and as precise as estimates from the stand‐alone BBS and CJS models. A benefit of using the IPM was its ability to estimate the latent recruitment parameter. Annual growth rates for both species correlated more with recruitment than survival, and the relationship for Wood Thrush was stronger than for Gray Catbird. The IPM's unified modeling framework facilitates integration of these important data sets.
Ecological Applications↗
Estimating indices of range shifts in birds using dynamic models when detection is imperfect
There is intense interest in basic and applied ecology about the effect of global change on current and future species distributions. Projections based on widely used static modeling methods implicitly assume that species are in equilibrium with the environment and that detection during surveys is perfect. We used multiseason correlated detection occupancy models, which avoid these assumptions, to relate climate data to distributional shifts of Louisiana Waterthrush in the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data. We summarized these shifts with indices of range size and position and compared them to the same indices obtained using more basic modeling approaches. Detection rates during point counts in BBS surveys were low, and models that ignored imperfect detection severely underestimated the proportion of area occupied and slightly overestimated mean latitude. Static models indicated Louisiana Waterthrush distribution was most closely associated with moderate temperatures, while dynamic occupancy models indicated that initial occupancy was associated with diurnal temperature ranges and colonization of sites was associated with moderate precipitation. Overall, the proportion of area occupied and mean latitude changed little during the 1997–2013 study period. Near-term forecasts of species distribution generated by dynamic models were more similar to subsequently observed distributions than forecasts from static models. Occupancy models incorporating a finite mixture model on detection – a new extension to correlated detection occupancy models – were better supported and may reduce bias associated with detection heterogeneity. We argue that replacing phenomenological static models with more mechanistic dynamic models can improve projections of future species distributions. In turn, better projections can improve biodiversity forecasts, management decisions, and understanding of global change biology.
Global Change Biology↗
Human-induced contaminant impacts on migratory birds: Lessons from the North American eared grebe ( Podiceps nigricollis )
The effects of aquatic contaminants generated by soda ash mining processes on the North American eared grebe ( Podiceps nigricollis ) population illustrates important issues associated with human-induced habitat degradation on the health of migratory species. Eared grebes have been extensively studied in their staging and breeding habitats, but little is known about their 2- to 3-day migratory periods. During migration, few bodies of water are available to the birds for refuge between freshwater breeding areas in Canada and hypersaline lakes (e.g., Great Salt Lake in Utah or Mono Lake in California) to which they migrate. One geographic refuge area includes a series of "tailings" ponds associated with soda ash mining operations in southwestern Wyoming. The ponds range from 100-1200 acres, with water containing high concentrations of sodium decahydrate (Na 2 CO 3 •10H 2 O). At cool temperatures (generally < 40°F) sodium decahydrate precipitates out of the water and crystallizes on solid objects in the ponds or on the water surface. Bird mortality on these ponds has been recognized since the early 1970's, and the mining companies have developed hazing strategies and rehabilitation programs in order to minimize mortality. In order to determine causes of grebe mortality and devise strategies to reduce mortality, a field epidemiologic investigation was developed with the following objectives: 1) to determine whether eared grebes have quantifiable physiologic abnormalities associated with exposure to soda ash mine pond water; 2) to evaluate physical effects of sodium decahydrate crystallization on grebe survival; 3) to establish cause of death based on necropsy of deceased grebes; 4) to determine long-term survivability of eared grebes after exposure to the pond water; and 5) to evaluate water quality and determine whether aquatic invertebrates are present in the ponds as a possible food source.
California, Utah↗