Landbirds summary at The Bluff - MIMA
Aaron Weed 2019-11-13 16:41:59
Overview
Enclosed are preliminary summaries of bird count data collected at The Bluff in MIMA for the following survey points.
| Transect_Name | Point_Name | PT_DESC | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Bluff | MIMA1501 | Hardwoods | 42.44952 | -71.26999 |
| The Bluff | MIMA1502 | Conifer-Hardwoods | 42.44741 | -71.26972 |
| The Bluff | MIMA1503 | Hardwoods | 42.44746 | -71.27218 |
| The Bluff | MIMA1504 | Conifer-Hardwoods | 42.44747 | -71.27501 |
| The Bluff | MIMA1505 | Hardwoods | 42.44767 | -71.27795 |
| The Bluff | MIMA1506 | Conifer-Hardwoods | 42.45057 | -71.27419 |
| The Bluff | MIMA1507 | Hardwoods | 42.45142 | -71.27010 |
| The Bluff | MIMA1508 | Hardwoods | 42.45061 | -71.26775 |
Only data collected from these points has been included in this summary. Data summaries provided in this document are based on certified records but may be subject to change.
Bird Community metrics
Species Richness over time
This graph shows the number of bird species detected during monitoring for each year. Note that this is not the total number of species in the park, as species may be present but not detected during monitoring.
Data are summarized across all distance bands and among both annual visits. The horizontal axis indicates the year, with the number of points monitored per visit in parenthesis. The vertical axis indicates the number of birds species detected during monitoring. Additional bird species were likely present at the points, but not detected.
Forest Avian Ecological Integrity Assessment
This assessment consists of 13 guilds in three ecological integrity categories, with each guild being broadly categorized as “specialist” or “generalist.” A specialist is a species with a narrow range of habitat tolerances, or one that exhibits a low intrinsic rate of population growth. The presence of a variety of specialist guilds indicates a high-integrity habitat condition associated with large areas of mature forest, while a preponderance of generalist guilds indicates a low-integrity condition. The integrity categories are compositional (indicating species diversity), functional (highlighting ecological processes), and structural (related to the presence of important physical elements, like snags and a shrub layer).
| Integrity Element | Response Guild | Percentage of species observed |
|---|---|---|
| Compositional | Resident | 45.6 |
| Compositional | SingleBrooded | 45.2 |
| Compositional | Exotic | 3.0 |
| Compositional | NestPredator_BroodParasite | 12.0 |
| Functional | BarkProber | 16.2 |
| Functional | GroundGleaner | 4.8 |
| Functional | LowerCanopyForager | 14.6 |
| Functional | UpperCanopyForager | 5.6 |
| Functional | Omnivore | 44.5 |
| Structural | CanopyNester | 29.0 |
| Structural | ForestGroundNester | 2.6 |
| Structural | ShrubNester | 25.6 |
| Structural | InteriorForestObligate | 15.8 |
The above summary has not been updated to include ratings per response guild, yet. In the next version, ratings (Good, Caution, Significant Concern) will be added directly to each response guild summary table in addition to the ability to compare ratings between years or groups of years (e.g., 2007-2011 to 2014-2018). For now, the forest guild ratings are listed in Table 3.
| Integrity Element | Response Guild | Good | Caution | Significant Concern |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compositional | Exotic Species | 0 | 0.5 - 7% | > 7% |
| Compositional | Nest Predator/Brood Parasite | < 10% | 10 - 15% | > 15% |
| Compositional | Resident | < 28% | 28 - 41% | > 41% |
| Compositional | Single-Brooded | > 68% | 50 - 68% | < 50% |
| Functional | Bark Prober | > 11% | 4 - 11% | < 4% |
| Functional | Ground Gleaner | > 9% | 4 - 9% | < 4% |
| Functional | High Canopy Forager | > 12% | 7 - 12% | < 7% |
| Functional | Low Canopy Forager | > 22% | 14 - 22% | < 14% |
| Functional | Omnivore | < 30% | 30 - 50% | > 50% |
| Structural | Canopy Nester | > 35% | 29 - 35% | < 29% |
| Structural | Forest-ground Nester | > 18% | 5 - 18% | < 5% |
| Structural | Interior Forest Obligate | > 35% | 10 - 35% | < 10% |
| Structural | Shrub Nester | < 18% | 18 - 24% | > 24% |
Bird Community Index (BCI) over time
Similar to Forest Avian Ecological Integrity Assessment above, the Bird Community Index (BCI- O’connell et al 1998, 2000) is designed to indicate the conservation status of the bird community in forested areas such as those in NETN parks. The BCI is calculated from the bird guild assessment above to indicate if the bird community has birds typical of forest habitats (“High Integrity”) or has more generalist birds (“Low Integrity”). The benefit of the BCI is that is combines the information from the individual response guilds into one index.
Data are summarized across all distance bands and visits. The points on the graph denote the average (mean) BCI for points monitored during each year for the selected visits. The horizontal axis indicates the year, with the number of points monitored by visit in parenthesis.
Many factors are used to assess the degree to which a bird species is a generalist or a forest obligate. These include:
- What habitat does the species prefer?
- Is the species restricted to the interior of forests?
- Where does the species nest (trees, shrubs, ground, etc)?
- What does the species eat (insects in bark, insect on the ground, omnivore,etc)
- Does the species a predator or parasite of other bird’s nests?
- Is it an exotic species?
- Is the species resident year round or does it migrate?
- How many broods does the species raise per year?
Citation:
O’Connell TJ, LE Jackson and RP Brooks. 2000. Bird guilds as indicators of ecological condition in the central Appalachians. Ecological Applications 10:1706-1721
Relative Abundance over time
The following plots show the relative abundance of birds over time.
All species per point over time
Data are summarized across all distance bands and represent maximum count among visits in a year. The horizontal axis indicates the year, with the number of points monitored by visit in parenthesis. The vertical axis indicates the number of birds deteced divided by the number of points monitored. Additional birds were likely present at the points, but not detected.
Number of species analyzed: 52
Top 10 most abundant species
Species plots are presented in order of abundance at selected sites.
Data are summarized across all distance bands and represent maximum count among visits in a year. The horizontal axis indicates the year, with the number of points monitored by visit in parenthesis. The vertical axis indicates the number of birds deteced divided by the number of points monitored. Additional birds were likely present at the points, but not detected.
Biotic Integrity Element: Compositional
The following plots show the relative abundance over time of the avian bird guilds used to evaluate forest ecological integrity. The list of species summarized is listed below each plot.
Average Exotic species per point over time
Data are summarized across all distance bands and represent maximum count among visits in a year. The horizontal axis indicates the year, with the number of points monitored by visit in parenthesis. The vertical axis indicates the number of birds deteced divided by the number of points monitored. Additional birds were likely present at the points, but not detected.
Exotic species analyzed: European Starling, House Finch, House Sparrow, Rock Pigeon
Average Resident species per point over time
Data are summarized across all distance bands and represent maximum count among visits in a year. The horizontal axis indicates the year, with the number of points monitored by visit in parenthesis. The vertical axis indicates the number of birds deteced divided by the number of points monitored. Additional birds were likely present at the points, but not detected.
Resident species analyzed: American Crow, American Goldfinch, Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Carolina Wren, Cedar Waxwing, Common Raven, Downy Woodpecker, Fish Crow, Hairy Woodpecker, House Finch, House Sparrow, Mourning Dove, Northern Cardinal, Northern Mockingbird, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch
Average Single-Brooded species per point over time
Data are summarized across all distance bands and represent maximum count among visits in a year. The horizontal axis indicates the year, with the number of points monitored by visit in parenthesis. The vertical axis indicates the number of birds deteced divided by the number of points monitored. Additional birds were likely present at the points, but not detected.
Single-Brooded species analyzed: American Crow, American Goldfinch, American Redstart, Baltimore Oriole, Black-capped Chickadee, Cedar Waxwing, Common Raven, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Fish Crow, Great Crested Flycatcher, Ovenbird, Pine Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Red-eyed Vireo, Scarlet Tanager, Tufted Titmouse, Warbling Vireo, White-breasted Nuthatch
Biotic Integrity Element:Structural
Average Interior Forest Obligate species per point over time
Data are summarized across all distance bands and represent maximum count among visits in a year. The horizontal axis indicates the year, with the number of points monitored by visit in parenthesis. The vertical axis indicates the number of birds deteced divided by the number of points monitored. Additional birds were likely present at the points, but not detected.
Interior Forest Obligate species analyzed: American Redstart, Hairy Woodpecker, Ovenbird, Pine Warbler, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Scarlet Tanager, White-breasted Nuthatch
Average Ground Nester species per point over time
Data are summarized across all distance bands and represent maximum count among visits in a year. The horizontal axis indicates the year, with the number of points monitored by visit in parenthesis. The vertical axis indicates the number of birds deteced divided by the number of points monitored. Additional birds were likely present at the points, but not detected.
Ground Nester species analyzed: Ovenbird
Average Shrub Nester species per point over time
Data are summarized across all distance bands and represent maximum count among visits in a year. The horizontal axis indicates the year, with the number of points monitored by visit in parenthesis. The vertical axis indicates the number of birds deteced divided by the number of points monitored. Additional birds were likely present at the points, but not detected.
Shrub Nester species analyzed: American Goldfinch, American Robin, Black-billed Cuckoo, Chipping Sparrow, Common Yellowthroat, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Gray Catbird, Northern Cardinal, Northern Mockingbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Red-winged Blackbird, Wood Thrush
Average Canopy Nester species per point over time
Data are summarized across all distance bands and represent maximum count among visits in a year. The horizontal axis indicates the year, with the number of points monitored by visit in parenthesis. The vertical axis indicates the number of birds deteced divided by the number of points monitored. Additional birds were likely present at the points, but not detected.
Canopy Nester species analyzed: American Crow, American Redstart, Baltimore Oriole, Blue Jay, Cedar Waxwing, Common Raven, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Fish Crow, Mourning Dove, Pine Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, Warbling Vireo
Biotic Integrity Element: Functional
Average Bark Prober species per point over time
Data are summarized across all distance bands and represent maximum count among visits in a year. The horizontal axis indicates the year, with the number of points monitored by visit in parenthesis. The vertical axis indicates the number of birds deteced divided by the number of points monitored. Additional birds were likely present at the points, but not detected.
Bark Prober species analyzed: Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pine Warbler, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Red-bellied Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch
Average Ground Gleaner species per point over time
Data are summarized across all distance bands and represent maximum count among visits in a year. The horizontal axis indicates the year, with the number of points monitored by visit in parenthesis. The vertical axis indicates the number of birds deteced divided by the number of points monitored. Additional birds were likely present at the points, but not detected.
Ground Gleaner species analyzed: Northern Flicker, Ovenbird
Average High Canopy Forager species per point over time
Data are summarized across all distance bands and represent maximum count among visits in a year. The horizontal axis indicates the year, with the number of points monitored by visit in parenthesis. The vertical axis indicates the number of birds deteced divided by the number of points monitored. Additional birds were likely present at the points, but not detected.
High Canopy Foragerspecies analyzed: Red-eyed Vireo, Scarlet Tanager, Warbling Vireo
Average Lower Canopy Forager species per point over time
Data are summarized across all distance bands and represent maximum count among visits in a year. The horizontal axis indicates the year, with the number of points monitored by visit in parenthesis. The vertical axis indicates the number of birds deteced divided by the number of points monitored. Additional birds were likely present at the points, but not detected.
Lower Canopy Forager species analyzed: American Redstart, Black-billed Cuckoo, Black-capped Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Common Yellowthroat, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Eastern Phoebe, House Wren, Tufted Titmouse
Average Omnivore species per point over time
Data are summarized across all distance bands and represent maximum count among visits in a year. The horizontal axis indicates the year, with the number of points monitored by visit in parenthesis. The vertical axis indicates the number of birds deteced divided by the number of points monitored. Additional birds were likely present at the points, but not detected.
Omnivore species analyzed: American Crow, American Goldfinch, American Robin, Baltimore Oriole, Brown-headed Cowbird, Blue Jay, Chipping Sparrow, Common Grackle, Common Raven, Eastern Bluebird, Fish Crow, Gray Catbird, Northern Cardinal, Northern Mockingbird, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Red-winged Blackbird, Song Sparrow, Wood Thrush