Bird monitoring at Pea Ridge National Military Park, Arkansas: Status report

Peitz, David

Breeding bird surveys were initiated on Pea Ridge National Military Park (PERI), Arkansas in 2008 to assess temporal changes in the species composition and abundance of birds on the park, and to improve our understanding of breeding bird – habitat relationships and the effects of management actions such as invasive plant species control on bird populations. Birds were sampled using point counts with 99 variable circular plots located on a systematic grid of 400 x 400 meter cells (originating from a random start point). All birds seen or heard on a plot during a 5-min sampling period were recorded. Since initiating our breeding bird survey, birds have been surveyed six out of the nine years on between 24 to 99 variable circular plots (depending on year), resulting in 453 plot visits. Surveys have yielded records for 105 different bird species. Eighty-eight of the species recorded are classified as permanent or summer residents to the area, eleven are classified as winter residents, five as transients, and one as a migrant through the area. Nine species recorded are considered species of conservation concern for the Central Hardwoods Bird Conservation Region, the bird conservation region PERI is located within. Eleven of the 88 resident species were recorded on PERI every year of the surveys.

Bird monitoring at Pea Ridge National Military Park, Arkansas: Status report

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