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General Technical Report

Title: Monitoring bird populations by point counts

Author: Ralph, C. John; Sauer, John R.; Droege, Sam, technical editors.

Date: 1995

Source: Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-149. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 187 p.

Station ID: GTR-PSW-149

Description: This volume contains in part papers presented at the Symposium on Monitoring Bird Population Trends by Point Counts, which was held November 6-7, 1991, in Beltsville, Md., in response to the need for standardization of methods to monitor bird populations by point counts. Data from various investigators working under a wide variety of conditions are presented, and various aspects of point count methodology are examined. Point counts of birds are the most widely used quantitative method and involve an observer recording birds from a single point for a standardized time period. Statistical aspects of sampling and analysis were discussed and applied to the objectives of point counts. Symposium participants agreed upon standards of point counts that should have wide applicability to a variety of habitats and terrain.

Key Words: Bird counts, bird populations, census methodology, evaluation, monitoring, point counts, sampling of populations, standards of censusing

View and Print this Publication (6.4 MB)


Front Matter and Preface

Front Matter 63 KB
Preface 63 KB

Evaluation of Point Count Methods

Effects of Point Count Duration, Time-of-Day, and Aural Stimuli on Detectability of Migratory and Resident Bird Species in Quintana Roo, Mexico 451 KB
Lynch, James F.
Sample Size and Allocation of Effort in Point Count Sampling of Birds in Bottomland Hardwood Forests 1.1 MB
Smith, Winston P.; Twedt, Daniel J.; Cooper, Robert J.; Wiedenfeld, David A.; Hamel, Paul B.; Ford, Robert P.
Detectability of Forest Birds from Stationary Points in Northern Wisconsin 406 KB
Wolf, Amy T.; Howe, Robert W.; Davis, Gregory J.
Comparison of Point Count Sampling Regimes for Monitoring Forest Birds 1.0 MB
Buskirk, William H. ; McDonald, Jennifer L.
Point Count Length and Detection of Forest Neotropical Migrant Birds 1.5 MB
Dawson, Deanna K.; Smith, David R.; Robbins, Chandler S.
Analysis of Sample Size, Counting Time, and Plot Size from an Avian Point Count Survey on Hoosier National Forest, Indiana 364 KB
Thompson, Frank R.; Schwalbach, Monica J.
Fixed-Radius Point Counts in Forests: Factors Influencing Effectiveness and Efficiency 515 KB
Petit, Daniel R.; Petit, Lisa J.; Saab,Victoria A.; Martin, Thomas E.
Influence of Survey Length and Radius Size on Grassland Bird Surveys by Point Counts at Williams Lake, British Columbia 511 KB
Savard, Jean-Pierre L.; Hooper, Tracey D.
Evaluating Point Count Efficiency Relative to Territory Mapping in Cropland Birds 700 KB
Cyr, André; Lepage, Denis; Freemark, Kathryn
Modification of Point Counts for Surveying Cropland Birds 756 KB
Freemark, Kathryn; Rogers, Catherine
Design of a Monitoring Program for Northern Spotted Owls 542 KB
Bart, Jonathan; Robson, Douglas S.
Monitoring Birds in a Regional Landscape: Lessons from the Nicolet National Forest Bird Survey 606 KB
Howe, Robert W.; Wolf, Amy T.; Rinaldi, Tony
An Overview of the Ontario Forest Bird Monitoring Program in Canada 376 KB
Welsh, Daniel A.

On- and Off-Road Comparisons

Evaluation of Bias in Roadside Point Count Surveys of Passerines in Shrubsteppe and Grassland Habitats in Southwestern Idaho 295 KB
Rotenberry, John T.; Knick, Steven T.
A Comparison of Bird Detection Rates Derived from On-Road vs. Off-Road Point Counts in Northern Montana 1,754 KB
Hutto, Richard L.; Hejl, Sallie J.; Kelly, Jeffrey F.; Pletschet, Sandra M.
Comparison of Birds Detected from Roadside and Off-Road Point Counts in the Shenandoah National Park 699 KB
Keller, Cherry M.E.; Fuller, Mark R.

Statistical Aspects of Design and Analysis

Point Counts of Birds: What Are We Estimating? 413 KB
Johnson, Douglas H.
Statistical Aspects of Point Count Sampling 395 KB
Barker, Richard J.; Sauer, John R.
Effects of Sampling Strategy, Detection Probability, and Independence of Counts on the Use of Point Counts 198 KB
Pendleton, Grey W.
Point Counts Modifications and Breeding Bird Abundances in Central Appalachian Forests 1.6 MB
Gates, J. Edwards
Experimental Design Considerations for Establishing an Off-Road, Habitat-Specific Bird Monitoring Program Using Point Counts 373 KB
Hanowski, JoAnn M.; Niemi,Gerald J.
Mapping of Bird Distributions from Point Count Surveys 784 KB
Sauer, John R.; Pendleton, Grey W.; Orsillo, Sandra

Conclusions

Managing and Monitoring Birds Using Point Counts: Standards and Applications 357 KB
Ralph, C. John; Droege, Sam; Sauer, John R.

Appendixes

Appendix A--Field Sheets Involving Mapping of Birds and the use of 'Tick' Marks 156 KB
Appendix B--Families and Common and Scientific Names of Bird Species 616 KB
References 254 KB

Citation

Ralph, C. John; Sauer, John R.; Droege, Sam, technical editors. 1995. Monitoring bird populations by point counts. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-149. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 187 p.