Summary of Bird Monitoring at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve 2010

Munts, Michael

Bird surveys were run on 10 point count transects during June of 2010. The breading season surveys were performed on ten routes in both the Monument and the Preserve. There were a total of 1797 individuals of 70 species observed on 175 point counts. The 10 most numerous birds were Brewer’s Sparrow, Western Meadowlark, Rock Wren, Spotted Towhee, Western Tanager, Brewer’s Blackbird, Lazuli Bunting, Sage Thrasher, Chipping Sparrow, and Mourning Dove. The Brewer’s Sparrow, Mourning Dove, Rock Wren, Western Tanager, Common Ravens, Spotted Towhee, Vesper Sparrow, Brewer’s Blackbird and Western Meadowlark were all recorded on seven or more of the transects. A total of 152 species were recorded at CRMO during 2010. Two of these (Gray Jay and Solitary Sandpiper) had not been previously documented at CRMO. Forty-six percent (69 of 152) of the species recorded are listed as sensitive by the state of Idaho, the BLM, the USFWS, or are a Partners in Flight priority species (Table 5). Sage-grouse lek counts were continued in 2010 and a high total count of 112 male birds were observed on the Golden Chariot lek complex in the northwest portion of the preserve. For the first time since its discovery, the rolling 5 year average dropped slightly but not significantly. The Christmas Bird Count was restarted at Craters of the Moon in 2005. The 2010 count was done on 17 December. Nine participants including volunteers and park staff participated in the count. A total of 87 birds of 21 species were recorded during the count day. One species (Gray Jay) was recorded at CRMO for the first time on this count. Long term monitoring of Clark’s Nutcracker was initiated in 2010. Surveys were designed to mesh with limber pine stand monitoring. Eleven pilot transects were done in August and September 2010. The counts ranged from 2 to 35. The mean count was 12.7 birds per kilometer.

Summary of Bird Monitoring at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve 2010

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