Project Description
The Arizona Coordinated Bird Monitoring Program provides a framework for the design and implementation of the long-term monitoring of Arizona’s birds. The first segment of the program is to implement statewide riparian surveys. The objectives are to estimate and monitor the number of birds, by species, breeding (or attempting to breed) within riparian habitats in our study area and to elucidate habitat relationships. These riparian obligate species are typically not adequately monitored by Breeding Bird Surveys because of its sampling methodology (e.g., road-based point counts). The sampling plan calls for conducting 180 surveys (plots) over a 3 year period, with approximately 60 plots done each year. We will use double sampling to carry out the surveys. The proposed work will form a critical part of a three-year monitoring effort that will contribute to the goal of determining current population status and detection of biologically significant trends of riparian associated species statewide.