Monitoring bird populations by point counts

Abstract

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.

Titles contained within Monitoring bird populations by point counts

• Effects of Point Count Duration, Time-of-Day, and Aural Stimuli on Detectability of Migratory and Resident Bird Species in Quintana Roo, Mexico
• Sample Size and Allocation of Effort in Point Count Sampling of Birds in Bottomland Hardwood Forests
• Detectability of Forest Birds from Stationary Points in Northern Wisconsin
• Comparison of Point Count Sampling Regimes for Monitoring Forest Birds
• Point Count Length and Detection of Forest Neotropical Migrant Birds
• Analysis of Sample Size, Counting Time, and Plot Size from an Avian Point Count Survey on Hoosier National Forest, Indiana
• Fixed-Radius Point Counts in Forests: Factors Influencing Effectiveness and Efficiency
• Influence of Survey Length and Radius Size on Grassland Bird Surveys by Point Counts at Williams Lake, British Columbia
• Evaluating point count efficiency relative to territory mapping in cropland birds
• Modification of Point Counts for Surveying Cropland Birds
• Design of a Monitoring Program for Northern Spotted Owls
• Monitoring Birds in a Regional Landscape: Lessons from the Nicolet National Forest Bird Survey
• An Overview of the Ontario Forest Bird Monitoring Program in Canada
• Evaluation of Bias in Roadside Point Count Surveys of Passerines in Shrubsteppe and Grassland Habitats in Southwestern Idaho
• A Comparison of Bird Detection Rates Derived from On-Road vs. Off-Road Point Counts in Northern Montana
• Comparison of Birds Detected from Roadside and Off-Road Point Counts in the Shenandoah National Park
• Point Counts of Birds: What Are We Estimating?
• Statistical Aspects of Point Count Sampling
• Effects of Sampling Strategy, Detection Probability, and Independence of Counts on the Use of Point Counts
• Point Counts Modifications and Breeding Bird Abundances in Central Appalachian Forests
• Experimental Design Considerations for Establishing an Off-Road, Habitat-Specific Bird Monitoring Program Using Point Counts
• Mapping of Bird Distributions from Point Count Surveys
• Managing and Monitoring Birds Using Point Counts: Standards and Applications

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