a primer to site-level monitoring activities for volunteer coordinators

This publication is part of a Monitoring Your Wetland series available online in pdf format at:wetlandmonitoring.uwex.edu

yourMonitoring

Wetland

About Wetland Bird Surveys

The most accessible site-level monitoring activity for volunteers documenting bird

observations in a wetland is the creation of a basic inventory. A basic inven tory simply indicates presence or absence of bird species and can satisfy a general curiosity about the bird species present. An inventory can also provide a general idea of the diversity of species using the wetland, raise awareness about wetlands among volunteers and some-times document endangered or threatened bird species.

Many volunteer groups also want to conduct bird monitoring as a means of better understanding a wetland’s health. This is tricky, requiring biologist-supported activities such as density estimates and nesting productivity

surveys. Under some circumstances, how-ever, a carefully collected volunteer inventory can provide a general, if somewhat tenuous, indication of wetland health. Say, for example, inventory data collected with consistent methods over a long period of time in a wetland under-going restoration documents an increase in bird species diver-sity. It is probably safe to interpret the increase as

. . . . . . . . . .Birds

Birds lure wildlife viewers into wilder-nesses like no other animal. And as any birder who travels near and far in search

of interesting species discovers, wetlands provide outstanding birding opportunities. Many bird species descend on wetlands to feast on the amphibian, shellfish and insect buffet that hovers in and around wetland waters. Due to

an abundant availability of food, wetlands are also popular with birds for breeding, nesting

and rearing young. And migrating birds often stop in wetlands to rest and refuel.

Few wildlife monitoring activities bring volunteers flocking to wetlands the way bird monitoring does. And because bird watching is such a popular hobby, potential volunteers with at least moderate bird identification skills are usually not difficult to find. Bringing birders into a wetland to volunteer monitor increases public awareness of the importance of wet-lands, can help characterize your wetland and may document rare bird sightings.

EXPERTIS

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RES

OURCES

HIGHHIGH

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Great egret

About Wetland Bird Surveys – continued from front page a positive sign about the progress of the restoration.

Volunteer groups may want to consider narrowing the focus of their bird inventory to species more sensitive to variations in wetland quality. Marshbird species specialized to live in wetland habitats such as rails and bitterns are considered good indicator species among birds in emergent wetlands. Additionally, bird monitor-ing has historically underrepresented marshbirds, which are secretive and difficult to detect. Con sequently, wetland monitoring volunteers have an opportunity to help address an informa-tional gap in the field of orni thology by making a special effort to monitor marshbirds.

Although a wetland survey of all bird species may detect marsh birds, surveys focusing exclusively on marshbirds will detect them better. Marshbirds tend to hide in emergent vegetation and call infrequently. Without making a deliberate effort to find them, volunteers often miss marsh birds that are present, but remain hidden and silent. Marshbirds have received greater attention from bird surveying efforts in recent years, and volunteer monitoring groups can draw upon some of these efforts to inform their own marshbird monitoring. In Wisconsin, the resource wetland monitoring groups will most likely want to turn to is the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative’s Wisconsin Marshbird Survey.

The Wisconsin Marshbird Survey was cre-ated by the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative in 2008 in an effort to gather more information on marshbirds. The survey was not designed for use within non-randomly selected wetlands, but a volunteer group monitoring within a par-ticular wetland can use the survey’s protocol to collect the best possible data for their own use

and possibly for use by state ornitholo gists and wildlife managers. The primary goal of the Wisconsin Marshbird Survey program is to monitor long-term trends in marshbird popula-tions state wide. Establishing long-term trends requires a statis-tically valid sample of randomly selected survey sites, rather than data col lected for a particular wet-land. But mon itor-ing groups that carefully follow marshbird survey protocol might collect data of interest to state ornithologists as well as to their wetland con-stituency. Volunteer groups can submit data to the Wisconsin Marshbird Survey and if they have carefully followed survey protocol, the data may be used to make habitat associations, docu ment rare species occurrences and calculate detection probabilities that serve as correction factors during large-scale analyses.

This publication will focus on two of the most accessible volunteer bird monitoring activities – general inventories and marshbird inventories. When creating a marshbird inventory, volunteers will use many of the same techniques used for conducting general inventories, but with a few key differences. For general bird inventories there are no hard and fast protocols, but volunteers can adopt survey methods that maximize their ability to detect species and pro duce more complete inventories. In this publication we will summarize survey methods used to improve bird detection for a general inventory and also Wisconsin Marsh bird Survey protocols used to improve marshbird detection.

Bird monitoring has historically underrepresented marshbirds, which are secretive and difficult to detect.”

“

Monitoring Your Wetland – Birds

2

The most bare-bones equipment

and supplies needed to conduct a

survey inventorying birds might

include only binoculars, a field guide, clipboard, pencil and

data sheet. However, volun teers

might want to include additional

pieces of equipment to enhance

their ability to detect species, such

as an audio recorder for taping

calls and observations, a high-powered scope, rubber boots

and a canoe.

A high-powered scope will

enable volunteers to identify

birds within a larger range and

rubber boots and canoes will

enable them to better observe

birds not visible from dry land.

Audio recorders can enhance

detection by allowing volunteers

to document their observations

verbally rather than divert their

eyes away from the wetland to

write observations down, reducing

the chance that a species of bird

will fly by unnoticed. Volunteers

can also use audio recorders to

capture bird calls. Recorded bird

calls can help verify encounters

with unusual bird species or give

a volunteer a second chance at

identifying a bird call they could

not identify in the field.

One disadvantage of using a

recorder is that volunteers will

need to spend time transcribing

their recording after birding.

Additionally, data can be lost if

the recorder fails in the field. To

avoid this problem, volunteers

should be encouraged to stop and

check their recordings periodically

to ensure recorders are operating

properly. Also, volunteers using

recorders should still come

prepared with writing utensils

and paper in case the recorder

malfunctions in the field.

Volunteers collecting data for a

marshbird inventory will also need

pre-recorded marshbird calls

and an audio device for playing them. Secretive marshbirds cannot

be adequately surveyed without

eliciting responses using playback.

Marshbird calls can be downloaded

from the Wisconsin Marshbird

Survey Web site (see Informational

Resources on back page).

Supplies and Equipment

Ideally, a volunteer bird monitoring group should include a team leader with advanced

bird identification skills and volunteer members with moderate to advanced bird identification skills. A highly skilled birder can identify as many as 100 species of birds by sight and song. The ability to identify birds by song enables a birder to better identify birds obscured from view.

Although not necessary for a basic inven-tory, you might also want volunteers to know how to count birds. When encountering a large flock, counting can get tricky. Often the best you can do is to estimate, but there are tricks birders can use to improve their estimates. If you would like volunteers to learn how to count birds in

Survey Participants flocks in order to collect more detailed data, you may want to refer them to a Web site known as eBird (see Informational Resources on back page). Useful tips on counting can be found on the eBird Web site under News & Features in entries titled Bird Counting 101 and Bird Counting 201.

Finally, you might also need volunteers who are physically fit and will definitely want volunteers who are willing to commit. Fitness will come in useful if you have a wetland that cannot be adequately surveyed without travers-ing difficult terrain. And volunteers who are committed to show up for surveys through out the season greatly enhance detec tion of birds that might be present intermit tently.

Monitoring Your Wetland – Birds

3

Volunteers will not be able to detect all of the bird species using your wetland.

But surveys conducted frequently, at the right times and from the right locations can help ensure collected data represent many, if not most, of the bird species present.

The more frequently vol-unteers conduct bird surveys, the better. Ideally, surveys should be conducted at least once every two weeks in the spring, summer and fall, and perhaps as often as once per week during migration periods when a lot of changeover takes place. Generally, counts should begin in March or early April, when migrating birds will begin to arrive, and continue until migrations of birds heading south taper off in October. If you are more interested in inventorying breeding birds, however, this window may be reduced.

The time of day is also important. Many birds are most active, vocal and easily detected around dawn and dusk. However, the best

Surveying – When & Where

monitoring period can vary depending on the bird groups of interest. For example, while dawn is best for songbirds, ducks are active all day and marsh birds are active both at dawn

and dusk.Weather conditions

should also be considered when determining when to survey. When the weather is particularly windy or there is heavy rain, monitoring should be rescheduled for another day. As a basic rule, volunteers should not survey on days when wind speeds are faster than 12 miles per hour. High winds make

birds less likely to call, and drown-out the calls of birds that do call.

Knowing the wetland’s habitat well will help you and your volunteers select the best locations for encountering birds. Choose locations that attract lots of birds and represent the full spectrum of habitat types found within your wetland. Having the right tools on hand will also improve detection.

Basic Inventorying

Marshbird Inventorying

For marshbirds, the prime time for monitoring occurs in May and June, when they are

courting and most vocal. The ideal marshbird survey period varies slightly between northern and southern regions of the state because of later breeding periods in the north. In the northern-most third of the state, the best marshbird monitoring period occurs between May 15 and

June 30. In the remaining southern portion, the best monitoring period occurs between May 1 and June 15.

To maximize detection, volunteers should conduct at least three surveys during the marsh-bird breeding period. A ten-day time window should be designated for each of these three surveys and each window should be separated

Ideally, surveys should be conducted at least once every two weeks in the spring, summer and fall, and perhaps as often as once per week during migration periods when a lot of changeover takes place. ”

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Monitoring Your Wetland – Birds

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When observing and identifying birds, it is wise to have at least one person with

a high level of identification skills present to assist volunteers with moderate or only basic identification skills. And as mentioned earlier,

Surveying – Observing & Identifying

volunteers who learn bird calls will increase their ability to identify birds greatly. If an observer only knows birds by sight they will miss many species. Using binoculars and a field guide will also be key to identifying species.

Basic Inventorying

from the next window by at least seven days. Each survey can be conducted at any time within its time window, but ideally they should be conducted approxi mately two weeks apart from each other. Additional surveys can be conducted at any time during the marshbird calling season, but will be most beneficial if they are spread out as evenly as possible.

As mentioned earlier, the best times to monitor marshbirds are at dawn and dusk. Morning surveys should begin 30 minutes before sunrise and be complete within three hours after sunrise. Evening surveys should begin three hours before sunset and be completed by dark.

Although not necessary for conducting a basic marshbird inventory, if you would like to more rigorously follow Wisconsin Marshbird Survey protocol you will need to establish a route of permanent surveying sites. To deter mine the

number of sites that should be designated for monitoring, you will want to consider the size of your wetland and number of volunteers you can expect on a sustained basis. A pair of volunteers can survey roughly five to 10 sites in a single outing. Additionally, survey sites should be located about 400 meters or more apart from each other to prevent double counting. But for strict inventory work this may be narrowed to about 250 meters. Volunteers should note any birds that might have been double-counted. Some marshbirds such as the Pied-billed Grebes and American Bitterns can be heard from long distances. You can designate sites so that they are accessible on foot, but if you have large expanses of water not accessible by foot it may be a good idea to also designate some sites requiring a canoe. The best way to mark your sites is with wetland maps or a GPS unit.

Pied-billed grebe

MARSHBIRDS

Yellow-headed blackbird Sandhill cranes Least bittern

Monitoring Your Wetland – Birds

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Surveying – Observing & Identifying – continued from page 5

When monitoring marshbirds using Wisconsin Marshbird Survey protocol,

volunteers need to be able to identify the 19 bird species listed on this page.

Because marshbirds tend to hide from view, it is imperative volunteers be able to identify them by sight and song. And because marsh birds can also be very quiet, volunteers need to play pre-recorded marshbird calls to elicit them to call back. Great care must be taken when monitor ing birds using pre-recorded calls and should only be done in a controlled fashion by trained volunteers. Excessive playing of calls can disrupt marshbirds by encourag-ing them to expend extra energy and leave nests and young unattended when responding to pre-recorded calls.

When surveying a site, volun-teers should first listen passively for five minutes and then play the

recorded Wisconsin Marshbird Survey calls using a portable playback device and speakers. The pre-recorded call sequence will last six min utes for calls downloaded for southern Wisconsin and

five minutes for recordings down -loaded for northern Wisconsin. For documenting the species heard and observed, you can develop your own forms or download forms from the Wisconsin Marsh-bird Survey site.

Generally, volunteers con-ducting a marshbird survey should document only marshbirds, with the exception of a chance sighting of a rare bird species. By limiting their focus to marshbirds, volun-teers won’t be distracted by other species and will be more likely to detect marshbirds. However, if your wetland is small and marsh-birds are not abundant, volunteers may be able to document all bird species without being excessively distracted.

Marshbird Inventorying

PRIMARY SPECIES:

Yellow rail

Sora

Virginia rail

King rail

Least bittern

American bittern

American coot

Common moorhen

Pied-billed grebe

Wilson’s snipe

Y

SECONDARY SPECIES:

Red-necked grebe

Black tern

Forester’s tern

Marsh wren

Sedge wren

Swamp sparrow

Le Conte’s sparrow

Yellow-headed blackbird

Sandhill crane

Monitoring Your Wetland – Birds

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Canvasback (drake)

DUCKS

Ruddy duck (hen) Shoveller (drake) Redheads (drake behind hen)

Once survey data has been collected from the field, volunteer monitoring groups will

most likely want to enter their data into an on-line database known as eBird. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology at Cornell University and the National Audubon Society created eBird to serve as a universal database for observational bird data. The database allows birders and volunteer monitoring groups to document, store and share their data without having to worry about data management. In eBird, data is permanently

Data Collection & Record Keeping stored and is archived for other people to use.

Currently, the Wisconsin Marshbird Survey Web site does not offer site-level volunteer monitors a database in which to enter data, but may do so in the future. If your volunteer group collects marshbird data using Wisconsin Marsh-bird Survey protocols and wishes to contribute to the statewide survey, contact the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative survey coordinator at their Web site below.

eBird Web site http://ebird.org/content/ebird

Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative Marshbird Survey Web site

http://wiatri.net/projects/birdroutes/marshbirds.htm

Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas Web site http://www.uwgb.edu/birds/wbba

Monitoring Your Wetland – Birds

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INFORMATIONAL RESOURCES

Cornell University Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society eBird Web site This Web site provides many useful tips on birding and provides a universal database for birders and volunteer monitoring groups to document, store and share their data without having to worry about data management. http://ebird.org/content/ebird

Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative Marshbird SurveyThis survey was not developed for monitoring marshbirds at the site-level, but many of its protocols can be adapted for use in site-level monitoring. In addition to its protocols, the survey also provides data recording sheets, marshbird calls that can be downloaded for use in the field and information about marshbird monitoring workshops held throughout the state. http://wiatri.net/projects/birdroutes/marshbirds.htm

Wisconsin Breeding Bird AtlasThe atlas includes distribution maps of bird species and breeding areas, a bird call library and other useful informational resources about Wisconsin birds. http://www.uwgb.edu/birds/wbba

a primer to site-level monitoring activities for volunteer coordinatorsyourMonitoring

WetlandThe Monitoring Your Wetland series includes 9 sections:

•IntroductiontoWetland Monitoring

Birds

•SmallMammals

•Dragonflies&Damselflies (Odonata)

•FrogsandToads(Anurans)

•Butterflies(Lepidoptera)

•InvasivePlants

•WaterQuality

•Macroinvertebrates

Available online in pdf format at:

wetlandmonitoring.uwex.edu

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Birds

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .March 2011

Project coordination by the Rock River Coalition and Suzanne Wade, UW-Extension Basin Education Initiative.

Researched and written by Patrice Kohl

With editorial contributions from Ryan Brady, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources research scientist; Andy Paulios, Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative Coordinator, Bureau of Wildlife Management, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; and David Sample, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources grassland community ecologist. Editorial assistance by Marie Martinelle and graphic design by Jeffrey J. Strobel, UW-Extension Environmental Resources Center. Photography by Jeffrey J. Strobel except where otherwise noted.

Project funded through a DNR Citizen-Based Monitoring Partnership Program Grant with support from University of Wisconsin-Extension.

University of Wisconsin, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Wisconsin counties cooperating. An EEO/AA employer, University of Wisconsin Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and American with Disabilities (ADA) requirements.