Monitoring Program

North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) 

Data Source

North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) 

Methods 

The terrestrial bird indicator measures change in population abundance of two groups of bird species: human-associated (synanthropic) and interior conifer forest species. For details on indicator development, see Pearson and Hamel (2013). The selected groups of species, when measured collectively, characterize the ecological conditions of forest and human influenced communities.

Five species are included in the human-associated indicator group: American crow, rock pigeon, house sparrow, house finch, European starling; three species are included in the forest interior indicator group: golden-crowned kinglet, varied thrush, and brown creeper. These species all nest locally and are year-round residents; therefore, they are not influenced by conditions that occur during migration or in southern wintering habitats. The indicator species are also broadly distributed across the Salish Sea watersheds and are reasonably abundant. 

Population abundance and trends is based on survey data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). The BBS was selected as the primary source of information because the surveys ocur during the nesting season, it is a long-term data set (1968 to present), the survey and analyses protocols are well established, and there was good spatial representation of survey effort in the Puget Sound region. The sample unit for the BBS is a roadside survey route, and each route is surveyed by a single volunteer observer one morning each year in late-spring/early summer (May-June). Each route is composed of 50 stops, at which a three-minute point count is conducted and all birds heard or seen within ~400 m of the point are counted. There are 42 routes in the Salish Sea region with 22 in the United States and 20 in Canada. For the indicator, we only used the survey routes in the United States and that were at least partially in the watersheds that drain into Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. For detailed information on the Survey and their methods, please visit the BBS website.

For statistical analyses we are using annual counts from all survey routes within the U.S. Salish Sea watershed. We use these data in a Bayesian model used in conjunction with Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods following Sauer and Link (2002). Results are presented as an index with 1968 as the baseline year, which was set to a value of 1.0.  As a result, a population that is growing relative to 1968 is indicated by values greater than 1.0 and a declining population is indicated by values less than 1.0.

Data Sources:

Pardieck, K.L., D.J. Ziolkowski Jr., M. Lutmerding and M.-A.R. Hudson. 2018. North American Breeding Bird Survey Dataset 1966 - 2017, version 2017.0. U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. https://doi.org/10.5066/F76972V8.

Sauer, J. R., Pardieck, K. L., Ziolkowski, D. J., Jr., Smith, A. C., Hudson, A.-M. R., Rodriguez, V., Berlanga, H., Niven, D. K., and Link, W. A., 2017, The first 50 years of the North American Breeding Bird Survey: Condor, v. 119, no. 3, p. 576-593.  https://doi.org/10.1650/CONDOR-17-83.1

Sauer, J. R., and W.A. Link. 2002. Hierarchical modeling of population stability and species group attributes from survey data.  Ecology, 86(6) 1743–1751.  DOI: 10.2307/3071992

Critical Definitions

Forest interior species: nest and forage in conifer forests, are associated with young, mature and old forests in both managed and unmanaged landscapes, avoid forest edges, tend to be associated with larger contiguous blocks of forested habitat and, when found in urbanizing landscapes, are generally associated with high tree density and large forested reserves. We exluded species that migrate away from the region during the non-breeding season and therefore influenced by factors outside the Puget Sound area. We also excluded species that frequently eat human food subsidies (e.g., red-breasted nuthatch) from bird feeders and other sources because population changes caused by changes in their "preferred" habitat (e.g., interior forests) may be offset by human subsidies that increase their abundance locally (e.g., housing developments adjacent to forested habitat).

Human-associated (synanthropic) species: These species are associated with high percent urban land cover, large urban patches, low settlement tree density, and higher percent cover of non-native plant species. They often nest on human structures and frequently eat human food subsidies such as food from feeders or other human food sources. We selected year-round residents because they are more likely to be influenced by local conditions than migrants.

The Puget Sound Partnership believes in the transparency and accessibility of the data used to address puget sound indicators. These data are provided by contributing partners to the Partnership and are made publicly available through the Puget Sound Info site. These data are available on an "as is" basis and the Partnership is not responsible for any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies. Please acknowledge the monitoring program and data source when using these data and obtain permission from the Vital Sign Indicator Reporter to use these data in a publication.