Hawks Aloft, Inc.
Thinning
Avian Monitoring for Jemez Collaborative Landscape
Forest Restoration Project
2012-2104
Monitoring
Objectives:
Forest Landscape Restoration Act (PL 11111, Sec. 4003(c)), the natural resources
monitoring program objectives are:
(1) contribute toward the restoration of the
structure and composition of pre-firesuppression old growth stands,
(2) reduce the risk of uncharacteristic
wildfire, and/or maintain or re-establish
natural fire regimes,
(3) improve fish and wildlife habitat,
including endangered, threatened and
sensitive species,
(4) maintain or improve water quality and
watershed function, and
(5) prevent, remediate, or control invasions
of exotic species.
Avian Survey
Routes/Survey Methods
• 13 Survey routes established
• 10 routes established in 2012, 1 (Guadalupe
River) in 2013, 2 (Paliza North, Paliza South)
in 2014
• 148 total points
• All points at any active route surveyed 3
times per year between May 15 and July 31
• Due to access limitations (fire, closures,
washed out roads, etc.) 7 routes were
surveyed only 2 times in 2013 and USFS
Riparian was surveyed only once. Only
Calaveras Canyon, Ponderosa Springs and
Ponderosa Springs Experimental routes
were surveyed 3 times in 2013.
• In 2014, Calaveras Canyon and Thompson
Ridge routes were inactive (replaced by the
Paliza routes), only 2 visits were made to
the Obsidian Valley and Paliza South routes
due to accessibility (washed out roads), and
3 visits to all other sites.
Point Count Protocol
• Bird detections placed at
distance from point at which
the bird is first detected in the
plot (e.g. on the ground, in
vegetation, or actively using the
habitat [swallows,
hummingbirds, hunting
raptors])
• Flying birds recorded as flyovers
(excluded from data analysis)
unless they land in the plot or
are actively using the habitat
(e.g. swallows, hummingbirds,
hunting raptors)
• Data recorded as far out as
detections occur, but data
analysis is limited to detections
within 125 m radius of the
point.
Project Challenges:
Inability to access all routes during all years due
to fires/flooding/washed out roads.
Banco Bonito
Total Species Richness
Type
# Species
# Points
# Visits
Control
42
13*
101
Treatment
29
6*
27
*3 points changed from ctr to trt for 3rd visit in 2014
Species Richness by year
Year
Type
# Species # Points # Visits
2012 Control
31
13
39
2012 Treatment
18
3
9
2013 Control
33
13
26
2013 Treatment
15
3
6
2014 Control
32
13*
36
2014 Treatment
24
6*
12
*3 points changed from ctr to trt for 3rd visit in 2014
Banco Bonito
Avian Cumulative Density
Type
# birds/visit
Control
A
8.80
Treatment
A
8.15
Tukey-Kramer HSD test
Type
#birds/ha
Control
A
1.79
Treatment
A
1.66
Tukey-Kramer HSD test
Expected outcomes and timeframe:
In thinning treatment areas, we expect to see an init
decline in avian density and species richness.
Following treatment, we expect increases as
herbaceous plant cover matures in 5-8 years
Observed outcomes:
As expected, we documented modest declines in
avian density and species richness in thinned areas.
During 2014 surveys, avian diversity had begun to
increase at treatment points, exceeding both 2012
and 2013 surveys.
Photography
Keith Bauer
Doug Brown
Mike Fugagli
Thomas Kilroy
Alan Murphy
Data Analysis
Trevor Fetz
Maps
Michael Hill
Surveyors
Trevor Fetz
Mike Fugagli
Gail Garber
Erin Greenlee
Michael Hilchey
Raymond
Van Buskirk
Kieran Sullivan
Jennifer Goyette