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In the Spring of 2002, Bird Studies Canada, in partnership with the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy (NB-DNRE), and with the financial support of UPM-Kymmene, launched the first, pilot year of the New Brunswick Forest Hawk and Woodpecker Survey.
Presently, forest hawks are not well monitored in New Brunswick by traditional survey methods. The focus of the New Brunswick Forest Hawk and Woodpecker Survey is to monitor the population trends of hawks and woodpeckers within the province. The NB-DNRE has established objectives for specific amounts of Old Hardwood Habitat (OHWH) on Crown land and will be monitoring the amount of OHWH now, and into the future. Although all species are of interest, this survey focuses on those that rely on mature forest during the breeding season. Most notable are the Northern Goshawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, and Red-shouldered Hawk. Both the Northern Goshawk and Broad-winged Hawk have been identified by the NB-DNRE as indicators of OHWH. Furthermore, the Red-tailed and Red-shouldered hawk are listed as "sensitive" and "may be at risk" by the NB-DNRE.
With the help of volunteers from across the province, we hope to determine the relative abundance and status of hawks and woodpeckers in NB and, in combination with DNRE’s monitoring of OHWH, to better understand the relationship between old hardwood habitat and the status of forest hawk and woodpecker populations. This should help wildlife managers to develop strategies to maintain these populations in New Brunswick.
Surveys are conducted on one morning between mid-May and mid-June, beginning at sunrise. There are 16 stops at 1 km intervals and the survey takes about 3 hours to complete. Each stop is 7 minutes long and consists of both silent listening and playback during which all observations of hawks and woodpeckers are recorded on specialized data sheets. Playback at each station consists of both Broad-winged Hawk and Northern Goshawk alarm/territorial calls. Woodpeckers are known to respond to hawk calls by approaching the sound and sometimes vocalizing; playback of hawk calls therefore allows us to monitor both species groups simultaneously!
2004 marked the third and final year of the NB Forest Hawk and Woodpecker survey. The survey was "retired" because not enough hawks were being detected to provide adequate survey power. For more information, please contact:
Becky Whittam
Atlantic Canada Program Manager
Bird Studies Canada - Atlantic Region
P.O. Box 6227
Sackville, N.B. E4L 1G6
Phone: (506) 364-5047
Fax: (506) 364-5062
Email:
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