Overview
Project Name
Canadian Migration Monitoring Network
Access Level
By Request
Year started
1982
Year Ended
2025
Dataset
Daily Migration Counts: Innis Point Bird Observatory
About
Dataset summary
Counts from Innis Point Bird Observatory (IPBO) of birds banded and observed during daily operations; plus a composite Daily Estimated Total (DET): the best estimate for each species of unduplicated number of individuals detected within the official count area during the daily monitoring period
Season(s) and frequency
Standardized monitoring during spring migration (April 24 to June 7th)
Geographic area covered
Located near Ottawa (45.36, -75.89). Migrants at the site originate primarily from breeding range in Ontario and Quebec, but isotopic studies indicate that a portion of individuals of some species come from farther east
Primary species covered
Captures are primarily small passerines, but all species observed are recorded
Goals
To conduct standardized daily migration season counts and collect ancillary data on migration ecology for use in long-term biological and population monitoring of Canada’s bird species
Methods
Sampling Design
Daily capture and observation during migration seasons to generate species-specific daily totals of birds detected within each study site
Field methods
Daily operations (standardized since 1997) include 6 hours of banding (24 nets run for 6 hr), a fixed-route census of about an hour, and incidental observation during the 7-hr operations period
Analysis methods
See Quick Links. Population trends for ‘Regular Migrants’ at this site are based on counts from standardized methods only (numbers banded and recorded on census), while trends for all other species are based on Daily Estimated Totals that include incidental observations
Advice
Any disruption to standardized operations relevant to appropriate interpretation of analytical results is noted in a regularly-updated section of the station protocol (https://www.birdscanada.org/bird-science/cmmn-protocols). The station was not operated in 2020 or 2021 due to Covid 19 restrictions. Migration monitoring operations ended in 2025 but other observatory programs continue.
Partners
Citation
Birds Canada and Innis Point Bird Observatory. 2026. "Daily Migration Counts: Innis Point Bird Observatory". Data accessed from NatureCounts, Birds Canada. 10.71842/9fy3-2630
