What is Migration Monitoring?
Index
To properly conserve and protect bird species, we need to know what is happening to their populations. Are they doing fine? Are they increasing? Or are they decreasing? Such baseline information is crucial for bird conservation, to know how to direct our efforts. We only have limited resources for research and management and need to focus them on the species most in need. We also need to evaluate whether our management actions are effective.
The most widespread monitoring program in North America is the Breeding Bird Survey which counts birds every summer on their breeding grounds. This count is particularly valuable because most birds are fairly faithful to their breeding grounds, reducing the variation in the counts. Also, changes in bird populations can be compared directly with changes in the breeding habitat.
Unfortunately, though, many parts of Canada are relatively inaccessible, and few birders are available to count birds in these northern habitats. Thus, the Breeding Bird Survey provides very little information on population trends of birds breeding in the vast boreal forest and further north in Canada. Furthermore, habitat along migration routes can be just as crucial to the survival of a species as good breeding or wintering habitat.
As a result, based on the pioneering work of Long Point Bird Observatory, standardized methods have been developed for counting birds on migration. These have been laid out in a detailed document entitled
"Recommended methods for monitoring bird populations by counting and capture of migrants" prepared by D. J. T. Hussell and C. J. Ralph. Click here to download the paper.
These methods, which involve a combination of standardized banding, and standardized daily counts, are now in use at a chain of stations all across southern Canada and the northern U.S. -- the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network -- providing us much needed baseline data on population trends of northern breeding birds.
Return to Top of Page
Return to Previous Page
The Organization International Programs National Programs
Regional Programs
Long Point Bird
Observatory Programs Join BSC Web Site
Map