This research involves developing methods for collection, summary, and display of bird monitoring data. Birds can be surprisingly difficult to count, and when they are counted the results can be difficult to interpret. Even large-scale surveys such as the North American Breeding Bird Survey can be controversial, in that it is often unclear how to summarize and interpret the results. And, in large-scale surveys such as the BBS, the regional results may not be useful to managers who want to know what is happening in a local area such as a National Wildlife Refuge. These areas may need their own monitoring programs, and the best designs of programs for monitoring local areas might be quite different from those used in the BBS.
In this project, we are evaluating methods of counting birds and summarizing bird data. We are conducting surveys on Patuxent, and evaluating how useful the results from the surveys are likely to be in addressing specific management goals. We are also developing methods of summarizing results from other surveys such as miniroute and breeding bird atlas projects.
Bird Surveys on the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
The Maryland Miniroute Project