[obol] Breeding Bird Survey -- Oregon route coverage declining?

From: Joel Geier <joel.geier@xxxxxxxx>
To: Oregon Birders OnLine <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2014 14:26:38 -0700

Hi all,

We've seen a few results already from Breeding Bird Survey (BBS)
volunteers. Today the Summer 2014 newsletter for the Breeding Bird
Survey (BBS) came out from the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. This
sentence kind of jumped out at me:

        "Additional observer assistance is needed in Alaska, Arkansas,
        California, New York, OREGON, and Wyoming to overcome recent
        coverage losses that have reduced sampling efforts there to
        below the 60% mark."

Oregon has 129 BBS routes. Only 73 of those were surveyed in 2012, but
in 2013 the number surveyed dropped even further to 69.

The BBS is *the* main index survey for tracking bird populations across
the country. While a good case can also be made for the value of the
Christmas Bird Count, the usual way that people make that case is by
comparison to BBS data.

Oregon has had many excellent and devoted volunteers over the years, who
had to give up their routes for various reasons as they got older, moved
away, or passed away. In order to keep those routes going, and to fill
some that haven't been covered for years, we need for new volunteers to
step up.

You can find the full memo, if you're interested in learning more about
this count from a volunteer perspective, on the "BBS News" page at:

https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/bbsnews/

You don't have to be an elite super-birder to volunteer for a BBS route,
just willing to prepare a bit to learn the expected bird songs & calls
for whatever route you're surveying the next day. Other than that, the
equipment needed is minimal -- a 3-minute timer, a clipboard, a pencil,
and some sort of vehicle with a working odometer. It's good to have a
pair of binoculars too, but you'll be identifying most birds by sound.

While the idea of doing 50 consecutive 3-minute point counts, half a
mile apart, might sound a little monotonous, well ... check out some of
the stories from the field, in this memo. Every route brings memorable
experiences, and just about every volunteer grows to love their routes.

Good birding,
Joel
--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis




OBOL archives: www.freelists.org/archive/obol
Manage your account or unsubscribe: //www.freelists.org/list/obol
Contact moderators: obol-moderators@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

[obol] Breeding Bird Survey -- Oregon route coverage declining?

Other related posts: