Mountain Bird Watch

Birds Canada
https://www.birdscanada.org

Environment and Climate Change Canada
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change.html

Parks Canada
https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/index

Government of New Brunswick

New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund
http://www.nbwtf.ca/feindex.asp

https://www.fws.gov/program/neotropical-migratory-bird-conservation

Project name: Mountain Bird Watch

Goals : To provide critical information about the population trends of, and habitat use of, some high elevation birds across Atlantic Canada.

Dataset summary : Annual monitoring of high elevation bird species to provide critical information about the population trends of, and habitat use of, some high elevation birds across Atlantic Canada.

Year started : 2012

Years (comments) : Mountain BirdWatch 2.0 protocol and original point count sites: NB = 2012-2015, NS = 2012-2017 Mountain BirdWatch 2.0 protocol and new point count sites: NB = 2016-present

Season(s) and frequency : once per year during the month of June

Frequency : Annually

Geographic area covered : New Brunswick and Nova Scotia

Type(s) of habitat : high elevations

Primary species covered : Bicknell's Thrush, Swainson's Thrush, Winter Wren, Blackpoll Warbler, White-throated Sparrow and Fox Sparrow

Field methods : Each survey route is 1 km in length, and has 5 stops 250m apart; at each stop, surveyors spend 10 minutes listening silently for target species. Each route is monitored at least once per year during the month of June, 1 hour before sunrise or at sunset.

Data format : Data are stored in an MS Excel spreadsheet.

Data validation : Data was entered by field technicians and proofed by program coordinator. Field technician training was conducted by program coordinator each year.

Data caveats : In New Brunswick, data from 2012-2015 was collected from different point count sites than data from 2016-present. In 2016, a revised Bicknell’s Thrush habitat model was used to choose point count sites for New Brunswick.

Data collection methods : Point counts (field visits)

Sample size : at least 67 different routes in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia from the 4th to the 25th of June

Publications : The data was collected using the MBW 2.0 protocol, which is attached. In New Brunswick, point counts were conducted at one group of sites from 2012 to 2015, and a (mostly) different group of sites from 2016-present. New sites were chosen in 2016 using a more refined Bicknell’s Thrush habitat model. In Nova Scotia, point counts were conducted on the same sites from 2012-2017, but monitoring was stopped in 2018 due to lack of Bicknell’s Thrush detections. See references for reports.