7.24 Optional subprogramme BB: Inventory of birds

• 7.24.1 Introduction
• 7.24.2 Methods
• 7.24.3 Data reporting
• 7.24.4 References

7.24.1 Introduction

Several groups of animals have been used in environmental monitoring. For a small catchment area animals with migratory habits or with wide ranges are less suitable. Emphasis should be laid on animals that breed within the area. Suitable group is therefore breeding birds. Inventory is repeated every 3-5 years.

7.24.2 Methods

The area for bird census should be allocated in a representative core of the catchment area and should be sufficiently large to incorporate a statistically satisfactory sample. It can therefore slightly extend beyond the IM area proper. Natural habitats should be represented in the inventory area in the same proportion as within the whole IM area. For observations the inventory area is divided into a grid with 50 x 50 m² meshes (so-called territory mapping method), each used as an inventory point.

The observation area is visited thoroughly 10 times during the breeding season, April-June, and all bird observations (species, sex, number and behaviour) are marked on a map.

The data are analysed by species and the number of pairs are calculated by the occurrence of territorial clusters and nests on a grid map. Since analysing species cluster maps requires expertise, it is advantageous if the same person makes the interpretations from time to time.

Observe, that if a lake occurs within the observation area, also species associated with the lake must be recorded.

7.24.3 Data reporting

Parameters

Example files

BB example Excel file
BB example ASCII file

• File identifier SUBPROG states the subprogramme.
• Station number SCODE is given as 9999 to represent the whole IM site (or use a SCODE of your choise).
• Size of the area used for the inventory is given (60 ha in the example) as SIZE.
• Spatial pool SPOOL here always one.
• The observed species are given as SPECIES using NCC codes (see Annex 6), species list for birds is A1.
• Values correspond to the number of pairs/ha observed during the year. In the case, that a species has been observed, but not assessed to have formed breeding pairs in the area, no value is given but the quality flag V (= species verified but value not given). General information on flags is given in Chapter 4.
• Inventory year with no specific month (200100 in the example) is given as YYYYMM.

7.24.4 References

Koskimies, P., Väisänen R. A., 1991. Monitoring Bird Populations. Zoological Museum, Finnish Museum of Natural History.