The Red-shouldered Hawk and Spring Woodpecker Survey
is a long-term, volunteer-based roadside playback survey designed
mainly to provide statistically reliable population trend data for
Red-shouldered Hawks in their core breeding range in central and
eastern Ontario. The survey also gathers data on the numbers of
Pileated Woodpeckers and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers breeding in the
area. The ultimate goal of the survey is to determine whether forest
management practices in central and northern Ontario are affecting
bird populations. Red-shouldered Hawks, Pileated Woodpeckers, and
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers all breed in deciduous or mixed forests in
central and eastern Ontario, and hence provide good study subjects.
Furthermore, these three species are not adequately monitored by
other breeding bird surveys because of their secretive habits during
the peak breeding season.
The survey began in 1990, and has continued with
only minor changes in the protocol since that time. The project is
run by Bird Studies Canada, as part of its Ontario Birds At Risk (OBAR)
program, in cooperation with the Wildlife Assessment Program of the
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. This report presents the
results of the years' most recent field survey. Annual indices are
calculated for numbers of Red-shouldered Hawks reported each year
since 1991, and for the five most frequently encountered woodpecker
species for the period beginning in 1992 (1996 onwards for
non-target species). Population trends, survey power, and survey
bias are discussed, and recommendations for future years are made.
Download the
Full Report (PDF File; Adobe Acrobat Reader Required)
