I'm seeking volunteers to adopt a Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) route for the upcoming breeding season in Alabama.
As an overview, the USGS BBS is a long-term, standardized monitoring program run by volunteers (over 2,000 people) throughout North America. Since its inception in 1966, the BBS is one of the most important bird monitoring programs in existence as it provides population trend estimates for the continent’s breeding birds at different temporal and spatial scales. The data is used in many ways and enables researchers and wildlife agencies to better evaluate the current statuses of species in terms of conservation need. Observers must be able to identify birds by sight and song, although most detections are made by ear. Essentially, the survey entails conducting 50, 3-minute point counts at stops placed at 0.5 mile increments along an established road route. It typically takes 4 hours to complete. Start times are 30 minutes before local sunrise. Routes are surveyed only once a year and you can select the day to run them usually between mid-May to 30 June, although some start dates may be a week later in the northern part of the state. Weekends are the best days to run routes (especially Sundays) with much lower traffic volume.
I am looking for dedicated birders who possess the necessary skills to readily identify all breeding birds by sight and song to step up and participate. Over the past year, there have been a number of retirements from their routes, so I'm currently seeking to fill 14 vacancies in the state.
Current vacant routes include the following:
Liberty (02019) – Pickens
Riderwood (02020) – Choctaw
Linden (02021) – Marengo
Castleberry (02038) – Conecuh
Millry (02039) – Washington
Epes (02048) – Sumter
Escatawpa (02052) – Washington
Grove Hill (02053) – Clarke
Rock Chapel (02063) – Marengo
Courtland (02102) – Lawrence
Carter Grove (02203) – Madison
Stevenson (02204) – Jackson
Vernon (02205) – Lamar
Claiborne (02214) – Clarke
So if you are concerned about the welfare of our breeding birds and possess the necessary skills to identify them, please consider taking one of the vacant routes listed above. Participation requires dedicating a day to scout the route for familiarity and then a single morning beginning at the designated start time to survey a route of 50 stops, which contributes substantially to our present day knowledge of breeding bird statuses on many levels! If you currently have an assigned route(s) or have participated in the past, thank you for your dedicated service.
If you are unfamiliar with the BBS and have questions about it or want to request a route, please contact me (contact information below). I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Thank you for your consideration and good birding!
Eric Soehren, Alabama BBS Coordinator
AL DCNR - State Lands Division
Wehle Land Conservation Center
334-529-3003
eric.soehren@...
