A habitat-based point-count protocol for terrestrial birds, emphasizing Washington and Oregon.

Abstract

Huff, Mark H.; Bettinger, Kelly A.; Ferguson, Howard L.; Brown, Martin J.; Altman, Bob. 2000. A habitat-based point-count protocol for terrestrial birds, emphasizing Washington and Oregon. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNWG T R 5 0 1 . Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 39 p. We describe a protocol and provide a summary for point-count monitoring of landbirds that is designed for habitat-based objectives. Presentation is in four steps: preparation and planning, selecting monitoring sites, establishing monitoring stations, and conducting point counts. We describe the basis for doing habitat-based point counts, how they are organized, and how they differ from other approaches using point counts. We discuss links between local scale and larger scale monitoring and methods to evaluate sample size for monitoring. We develop a framework for identifying potential monitoring sites and provide an attribute database to characterize the potential sites, including rules to select sites. We describe buffer requirements for sites, rules for distances between points, ways to mark individual count stations, and alternative methods for riparian areas. We conclude with guidelines for counting birds and recording data.