National Checklist Project - Migration
General Instructions
The National Checklist Project (NCP) is currently being tested
to determine the feasibility of running a checklist project year-around
over all of North America (excluding Hawaii at this point but including
Mexico and Central America). The design is similar to that used in
the Wisconsin Checklist Project and to that used by the Etude des
Populations d'Oiseaux du Quebec (EPOQ).
Plans are currently underway to use a checklist project to monitor
population levels in species which breed in the boreal zone. The
primary method of monitoring breeding bird populations is the Breeding
Bird Survey, which is a road-based survey. There are extensive areas in
the boreal forests with no roads, hence the species do not get surveyed.
It is thought that a checklist project might be useful in monitoring those
populations as they migrate as opposed to on their breeding grounds.
This phase of the project is being run to try and track the rate of
migration, and weekly location of the migratory 'wave'. Many species
have already started their northward trek but any information gathered
will be useful. This phase of the project is also being run to identify
problems in the methodology, data entry, etc. As a pilot project it will
be limited in the amount of data it can handle - for that reason it is
only being run electronically (that, and there is no budget, it is
totally a volunteer effort).
What can you do to help? Go birding! Carefully keep track of what you see
and then enter your data in the format outlined in the header information.
There are a few limitations:
1) Areas included in a given checklist area should be relatively
small. Consider a CBC circle to be the MAXIMUM area (a circle with
a diameter of 15 miles). In a given birding day, several different
checklist areas would probably be visited.
2) Spend enough time in an area to get a good idea of what is present.
Do not include data for an area which you just rapidly checked to see
what was there. There is no minimum time (although several hours is
likely) and no maximum time.
3) Data from an area repeatedly visited is more useful than data from
areas just visited once. Most birders have favorite spots which they
repeatedly check. These would be good candidates for inclusion in the
checklist project. A minimum of weekly visits is recommended (daily
would be great), but any data is better than none - even if you only
visit once.
At first it may seem that the data entry is burdensome. We recommend that
you make a file with most of the header information filled out ahead of time.
This file could even include all of the species you expect to see on a given
trip. Then all you need to do is fill in the numbers (or leave them blank)
for the species, and a little information on the header. Data entry software
is currently under development.
See following messages for information about submitting your sightings.
Jeff Price
Jamestown, ND
PriceJ at mail.fws.gov
==============================
From: "Jeff Price, NBS" <pricej at MAIL.FWS.GOV>
Subject: Nat. Checklist Proj. - Instructions (long)
Here are sample instructions for sunmitting data to the National
Checklist Project. Data should be sent to mathlab at pimacc.pima.edu.
************
call birdserv NCP (starts the program)
MONTH:(use numbers for month - 04 for April, etc)
DAY: Self-explanatory
YEAR: Self-explanatory
PLACE NAME: Name of the area being surveyed
COUNTY NAME: County, parish, or burrough - for the US this is likely to be
the minimum mapping unit (at this time).
STATE OR PROVINCE: Use the two-letter postal code
LATITUDE DEGREES:
LATITUDE MINUTES: To the closest minute (if possible)
LONGITUDE DEGREES:
LONGITUDE MINUTES: To the closest minute (if possible)
Latitude and longitude are available on many different types of maps. The
DeLorme Atlas and Gazeteers are one good source, county highway maps, and
topographic maps are another. Basic road atlasas and most State highway maps
do NOT have adequate latitude and longitude information.
HABITAT: General description. Is there water present (what kind), conifers,
deciduous, grassland, urban, suburban, etc.
DESCRIPTION OF LOCATION: Describe the location, what is the extent of
coverage for this checklist?
START TIME: Include time zone, am or pm
END TIME: Same as above
TEMP START: specify whether F or C
TEMP END: Same as above
WIND: Self-explanatory
SKY CONDITIONS: Clear, cloudy, precipitating?
OBSERVER NAME: Self explanatory
OBSERVER ADDRESS 1:
OBSERVER ADDRESS 2: Only use this if you need it
OBSERVER CITY:
OBSERVER STATE:
OBSERVER ZIP:
OBSERVER AREA CODE AND TELEPHONE NUMBER:
OBSERVER SKILL RATING FOR THIS LOCATION: The skill rating provides some
measure as to how familiar you are with the birds in the area. Please be
honest.
1 - Know most of the common birds by sight.
2 - Know most of the common birds by sight and sound. Know some of
the more uncommon species.
3 - Know almost all of the common birds and most of the uncommon birds
by sight and/or sound.
4 - Know most of the species normally occurring in the area by sight
and at least some by sound (this includes those whose hearing may be
impaired).
5 - Know almost all of the species expected to occur in the area by
sight and sound.
Entering the bird data:
*,example,1,breeding
* - tells the program that bird data follows
example - the name (currently accepted name) of the species
1 - An indication of abundance. Please read the following:
Indication of abundance can have three forms:
P - The species is present, use this if you simply marked
the species in your notebook or on a checklist.
An actual value. How many of those were seen?
An abundance code. Please use the following code -
R - Fewer than 10 individuals
U - More than 10 but fewer than 25
F - More than 25 but fewer than 100
C - More than 100 but fewer than 500
A - More than 500
Most surveys, including this one, deal primarily with POSITIVE data.
The information deals with what is there. What is not there is another
issue. This is called NEGATIVE data. Only enter 0 for species which
you looked for and are reasonably certain are NOT there.
breeding - for most species there would be no comments. Types of comments
might include whether there is evidence of breeding, whether it is unusual
or rare at that spot, etc. Try and limit comments to a few words.
Begin Bird Data (input bird data as *,species name,number seen,comments
*,Example,1,confirmed breeding
Jeff Price
Jamestown, ND
PriceJ at mail.fws.gov
=============================
From: "Jeff Price, NBS" <pricej at MAIL.FWS.GOV>
Subject: Blank data entry form for Nat. Check. Proj.
Here is a sample form for the National Checklist Project. Instructions
were contained in a previous message. We recommend that you make several
copies of this form. Fill out all of the constant info. for a given
location (fill in the birds if you like - if you don't see it, leave it
blank). When you have completed a form, delete the asterisks and
everything above them and send the message to mathlab at pimacc.pima.edu.
Jeff Price
Jamestown, ND
PriceJ at mail.fws.gov
************
call birdserv NCP
MONTH:
DAY:
YEAR:
PLACE NAME:
COUNTY NAME:
STATE OR PROVINCE:
LATITUDE DEGREES:
LATITUDE MINUTES:
LONGITUDE DEGREES:
LONGITUDE MINUTES:
HABITAT:
DESCRIPTION OF LOCATION:
START TIME:
END TIME:
TEMP START:
TEMP END:
WIND:
SKY CONDITIONS:
OBSERVER NAME:
OBSERVER ADDRESS 1:
OBSERVER ADDRESS 2:
OBSERVER CITY:
OBSERVER STATE:
OBSERVER ZIP:
OBSERVER AREA CODE AND TELEPHONE NUMBER:
OBSERVER SKILL RATING FOR THIS LOCATION:
Begin Bird Data (input bird data as *,species name,number seen,comments
*,Example,1,confirmed breeding