Importance
As part of a migratory flyway, a stopover site, or a regular breeding area, the Great Lakes Network parks provide important habitats for more than 200 species of migrant and resident landbirds. Changes in the populations of these birds over time can give us some insight into the effects of habitat change, but because the park landscapes do not change very drastically, increases or declines in songbirds may point more toward changes on the migratory pathways or on the wintering grounds (which is in Central and South America for some birds). One thing we can see from these data are the impacts of some management actions within the parks, the changes to habitats outside the park boundaries, or how a changing global climate may cause northern bird species to move further north and southern species to take up residence in their place.

Long-term Monitoring
This program is designed to survey and monitor singing landbird populations (primarily passerines, or perching birds). Waterfowl (ducks, geese, loons), owls, and secretive marshbirds (rails, bitterns) are not adequately sampled by these methods, so even though some may be recorded during survey counts, those observations are typically not included in data analyses. Eight of the nine national parks in the Great Lakes Network have pre-established landbird monitoring programs that have been active for a number of years. Bird data for the Mississippi River NRRA (which owns very little land) comes from a variety of partners who conduct the monitoring within the river corridor. Pictured Rocks NL is developing a bird monitoring program that will begin in 2009 or 2010. Point counts are conducted by an observer standing at a fixed point and recording all birds seen or heard within a maximum 10-minute period. Birds are recorded to species, and distance from the point is recorded in one of three categories. The number of survey points varies between parks. Over time, we can use this information to determine what important habitat features the parks provide and how the park populations compare to each other and to overall regional trends.

For more detailed information, see the In-depth Information box below.