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Arizona
Important Bird Areas Program / Tucson Audubon Society AZ Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program Promotes “Birding for Conservation” at IBAs Yes, the IBA program is still pursuing Audubon members, birders, and others to nominate sites in Arizona as Important Bird Areas (contact the AZ IBA Program at Tucson Audubon Society). But, there also is an equally important way you can help Arizona’s premiere bird habitats and birds, which is “birding with a purpose” at these special sites!! This is our avian monitoring program at potential or “identified” Arizona IBAs! We want Audubon members in each Audubon chapter in Arizona to “adopt” IBAs within their region. We are would like to form “site stewardship teams” (or individuals) to bird (i.e., inventory and monitor birds) at local IBAs, 6 to 9 times per year, and to report on site and habitat conditions for the land manager. Two to three people are an ideal team (but this ideal can vary with the site and habitat). From these surveys we will collect important data to understand species distribution, abundance, and changes in site avian community composition at these most important bird habitats. Additionally, we may then organize or help implement various site improvement, protection, and education projects in cooperation with the landowner or manager’s land management objectives. What is an IBA? It is an ecologically discrete, conservation feasible, and management scale appropriate area of land. It must meet specific bird and habitat criteria set by the Arizona IBA Scientific Review Committee. National Audubon and its IBA National Technical Committee provide program guidance, and review of sites for National and Continental IBA status. Arizona IBA qualification specifics can be obtained under the Nomination section of this web site. Arizona IBA Bird Survey Protocol: The monitoring protocol we are following comes from the U.S. Forest Service, General Tech. report PSW-GTR-144, “Handbook of Field Methods for Monitoring Landbirds,” C.J. Ralph et al. 1993, and is used by the Point Reyes Bird Observatory, and many other inventory and monitoring programs throughout the U.S. The type of survey is called the “Area Search Survey.” This type of survey works well for intermediate birders through advanced, remains applicable across seasons, is not rigid in its application, yet still remains robust in its ability to document gross changes in bird abundance and composition over time. It is most often the best type of survey for diverse areas across Arizona, and therefore the preferred survey type for the Arizona IBA Program. The “Point Count Survey” method can be applicable in some situations (thick, dense habitat), but only if advanced birders are available who are capable of identifying the majority of birds encountered by both song and calls. Therefore, the point count survey will not be are primary survey protocol. We are promoting 3 area search plots in the primary habitat zone of a site; these 3 plots could be 400 meters along the creek (or through the forest or desert) by 150 meters in width (6 hectares total), separated by 600 meters of less-intensive “supplemental” observations. We suggest 40 minutes of search time in each plot, where you are free to traverse through the plot in what you feel is a comprehensive search providing a bird inventory of the plot. Plots may be reduced in size to 200 meters long by 150 meters in width, and separated by 300 m of less-intensive “supplemental” observations if constrained by property boundaries, or the local geography. The time used for the 200 meter long block area search, should be correspondingly reduced to 20 minutes. Using this method birds can be tracked down, and quiet birds can be found by actively searching them out. The search time can be stopped and restarted for short breaks to consult a bird book for difficult to identify birds. The 600 meter walk between plots (the “supplemental” count) is not timed, nor designed to be comprehensive, but is a repeatable walking survey, otherwise known as a transect survey, along a set path to your next search plot. “New birds”, not encountered in the previous plot should be recorded, along with all nesting raptors, and nesting territories of “special status birds”, e.g., Endangered or Threatened, Arizona State Threatened birds, Arizona Partners In Flight Priority birds, or Arizona Audubon WatchList Species. This protocol may be revised as it gets used more. We will want your input after you complete an initial survey, so we can improve its design for use in other areas as well. You will likely want a GPS to set up where your plots will start and stop (a tape measure or measuring wheel can work too, but is more labor intensive); likely you can estimate the 150 m width. If you feel habitat stratification is necessary or desired, I would suggest separate plots, maybe 200 m in length (3), be established in the other dominant habitat(s) within the site. We generally are suggesting 1 survey during peak fall migration (last week of August through the third week of September), 1 survey in late January, 3 surveys during peak spring migration/early nesting period (last 1/3 of April through the third week of May, spaced at least one week apart), and two surveys in the later nesting period (mid to late July post-monsoon initiation, spaced at least one week apart). These can be adjusted with your local knowledge of the importance of your area for migration, wintering, or nesting. An IBA Stewardship Report Card should also be filled out once per season, this will provide (coarse) information on present and changing habitat conditions at the site.
Bird questions? Check Birding | General questions? Contact: Tucson Audubon Society | Webmaster: Email This page was updated on 02/21/06 |