Monitoring of birds of European importance

Methods in Bavaria

Prof. Dr. Volker Zahner

Bird monitoring methodsin SPAs

• Monitoring goals• What is monitored?

– Target species– Area ranking

• How do we monitor?– Area selection– Design

• rare species• large scale• small scale (+ modelling)

– forest inventory

• Evaluation– Species in the forest and non-forest habitats

Monitoring goals

• Important • Bird• Areas

• Special • Protection• Areasby Directive

Goals:• Conserve our natural heritage• Protect viable populations of bird species

(Annex I)

Instruments:• Evaluate SPA‘s quality• Develop action plans• Coherent European network

What is monitored?

Target species• Annex I species

– breeding pairs– numbers

Habitat structures• forest inventory

Area ranking• not all species of Annex I are

monitored in all SPA‘s

• for each species the 5 most important areas are monitored

• on landsape level the two most important species occurrence is monitored

How do we monitor?

e.g. 16 species of Annex I BD in SPA Male Karpaty, only few are monitored

List of monitored birds:• Ficedula albicollis• Dendrocopus medius• Pernis apivorus• ..........................

= 6 monitored species per SPA

- time of the year

Aegolius funereus

Owls

Woodpeckers

Songbirds

Mrz Apr Mai

Dendrocopos medius

Jun

Ficedula albicollis

Effort

• woodpeckers and owls are monitored at the same time of the year...

- daytime

Aegolius funereus 10 pm

Owls

Woodpeckers

Songbirds

Dendrocopos medius 5 am

Ficedula albicollis 4 am

...but at different times a day.

= 2 visits per day

Microstructures

Stand

5 ha

Landscape

500.000 ha

500 ha

5.000 ha

SPA

On which scales do we monitor?

large scale

small scale

rare species

0,5 ha

Rare species(birds of prey, storks, rare passerines)

Information• Where are potential habitats?• Where are former records?

Methods• mapping the whole area• 3 visits, recording

– nest sites– mating activity– territorial behavior

Forest types

Niche

Black WoodpeckerMiddle Spotted Woodpecker

Why do we monitor on different scales?

Deciduous forest

Mixed forest

Coniferous forest

How do we monitor on different scales?

Species Size of a sampling area Count points

Larger scales

Black Woodpecker 500 ha 30-35

Nightjar 150 ha 12

Smaller scales (modeling)

Flycatchers 30 ha 30

Size of SPA < 1.500 ha 1.500 – 10.000 ha 10. – 20.000 ha > 20.000 ha

Size of a sampling area 500 ha > 20 % > 15 % > 10 %

Large monitoring scales (most woodpeckers, owls)

500 ha

SPA x 10% = xx ha

31 point

5

Target species:

Size of sampling area

Area of SPA

Number of sampling area

Number of count points

Grey-headed Woodpecker

Grauspecht - Picus canusGrey-headed WoodpeckerPicus canus

Habitat • old broadleaf stands (beech,oak) • old tress with damages (fungus)• laying dead wood• forest edges

• 0.2 -0,5 breeding pairs/100 ha

We monitor on large scale

500ha1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

>10% of each SPA should be monitored

If Woodpeckers are monitored

500 ha squares are choosen

4

25.000 ha SPA x 10% = 2.500 ha 2.500 ha: 500 ha = 5 squares

We monitor on large scale

4

2,236 m

trails and logging roadsas transect lines

transect linescross country

4

400m

200 m 200 mMethods• 500 ha = 16 ha per point• = 31 stop counts = 12 000 m• working with sound imitation• walking on

– fixed transect lines – along trails or logging roads

large scale monitoring (most woodpeckers, owls)

16 ha

Effort• ~ 5 min per stop / species• 15 min point to point• only mornings = 2 days per species,

per visit • 3 visits in the breeding season• = 6 days in total per species

Small scale monitoring with modeling

30 ha

Collard flycatcher

30 points

?

Target species: Area of SPA

modelling suitable habitats

Number of suitable sampling areas

Size of sampling area

• What are the habitat needs?• with GIS, database or map

– where are e.g.• broadleaf trees• oak >80 Y., beech >100 years• canopy openings• dead wood• tree cavities

Small scale monitoring with modeling

• forest inventory

100m

50 m 50 m • Mapping methods like „large scale“, but:

• modelling suitable habitats• mapping these habitats in

30 ha samples, 30 ha = 30 stop counts

• > 10% of suitable habitats

Small scale monitoring(passerines)

Forest inventory net• data are collected, every 10 years• information about

– soil (Nightjar)– rejuvination– species composition (woodp.)– age– social strata– canopy closure– snags– dead wood

Forest inventory

• Conserving a favorable status of – species– habitats

Species of the forest habitatsEvaluation of habitat and population

mapping and evaluation

favorable status of population– number of breeding pairs– population trend

habitat quality– number of cavities– network of habitats

Species of the forest habitatsCollard flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis)

Habitat• old trees with large treetops• cavity richness• snags• warm microclimate

~10 breeding pairs/10 ha

Species of the forest habitats Middle spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos medius)

Habitat • old broadleaf stands • old trees with bark structure• snags

• 0.5 -4 breeding pairs/10 ha

Species of the non-forest habitatsRed Kite (Milvus milvus)

Habitat • big nesting tree• meadows, fields, forests• streams, ponds

Methods • mapping all nest sites• 3 visits (march - mid. april)• 10-18 bp/ 100 km2

r = 1km

Species of the non-forest habitats Bittern (Botaurus stellaris)

Support:• globally threatened species• priority for LIFE- Nature funding

Methods • 3 visits (april -may)• 2 hours befor dawn or after dusk• number of boomig males

Habitat „modelling“ • Large reedbeds (>20 ha)• former records

Methods • mapping >10%• 3 visits (mid.march - mid.june)• 5 km transect lines are mapped (random sampled)• 2-4 pairs/ 5 km

Habitat „modelling“ • streams• ponds

Species of the non-forest habitats Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

Conclusions

Conclusions

Random sample

Monitoringmode

Rare species Whole area

Large scale 500 ha samples samples fixed

Small scale modeling+ samples

samples rotate

instruments and methods are the same betweenforest habitats and non-forest habitats, scales are different