Background

The National Capital Region Network (NCRN) parks are located within the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, where suburbanization is the dominant land use trend. The associated loss, fragmentation, and degradation of forests have led to regional or local declines in populations of some forest-nesting bird species. Consequently, the forests in NCRN parks are becoming increasingly important to preservation of the region's avifauna. These forests face many threats though, including over-browsing by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), tree diseases, insect pests, and invasive exotic plants that affect their structure, condition, and composition, reducing their quality as habitat for some bird species. In addition, birds that nest in urban areas are vulnerable to the mosquito-borne West Nile Virus, which may be impacting populations of some species.

We will assesses the status and trends of these species in NCRN parks, while providing information on the dozens of other forest-nesting bird species, some of which may need conservation or management action in the future.

Links
NCRN Bird Monitoring Intranet Monitoring Protocol

Reports & Products
Bird Monitoring Resource Brief

Contacts
Patrick Campbell
NCRN Network Coordinator
202.342.1443 ext. 229

Dr. Greg Shriver
Assistant Professor
University of Delaware
302-831-1300

Objectives

• Obtain annual estimates of density and/or indices of abundance for forest-nesting bird species, including those designated as priorities for conservation efforts, across parks in the NCRN network.
• Estimate long-term trends in density/abundance across parks in the NCRN network.

Measures

The NCRN will estimate annual density or indices of abundance for forest-nesting bird species. We will use these estimates to calculate long-term trends in density/abundance across the network. We will use a hybrid monitoring design where point-count data is recorded in two distance classes ('near' and 'far'). This approach greatly simplifies the task of measuring distances: it is necessary only to determine if detected birds are within or beyond a specified distance.

Status

We completed the protocol in summer of 2006. We have established a cooperative agreement with the University of Delaware, Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology to implement the protocol. Roughly 350 points were monitored in 2007 and monitoring will continued in 2008.