A Four-year Summary of Breeding Bird Surveys in TFL 48 ... - BIOD

in how and where historical Breeding Bird Surveys data were collected, it is more likelythat differences in abundance are related to differences in the methodology used tocount birds, and the types of habitats sampled. First, specific details regarding transectlocations are largely unknown, except that they are generally restricted to suburban andlow-lying rural areas, often along primary or secondary highways. In these settings, wemight expect total abundance and richness to be greater because of the greaterassociation of communal or gregarious species in those environments (e.g., Black-billedMagpie, American Crow, European Starling, House Sparrow, Rock Dove, variouswaterfowl species, etc). Second, the type of habitat along highways in lowland areas(where farming and industrial operations take place) is markedly different compared tothat found in areas managed for timber extraction, especially at higher elevations.Consequently, bird communities are likely to differ, supporting fewer communal orgregarious species (i.e., only Pine Siskin and crossbill spp. aggregate in forested areasof TFL 48, with annual numbers fluctuating substantially with cone or seed cropproduction). Lastly, the survey protocol for Breeding Bird Surveys was largely avolunteer effort with a wide range of skills and abilities. Coupled with non-standardizedmethods for counting birds (i.e., unlimited distance estimates) and limited habitatinformation for that period, comparisons, and subsequent relevance to forestry, islargely limited.Concluding RemarksFrom 2002 – 2005, 15 and seven transects were established in TFL 48 and theFort St. John TSA, respectively. Additionally, GPS data was acquired for 1,070 surveystations for the purpose of creating and testing BEC subzone representation, BEC26