Streamside bird monitoring in the Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network: Gauley River National Recreation Area 2007–2012

Marshall, Matt

doi:10.36967/nrr-2288213

This report summarizes 6 years (2007 to 2012) of monitoring the streamside bird community at Gauley River NRA with emphasis on species-specific trends over time. During that time period 14 observers conducted 412 point count surveys detecting 2,560 individual birds at 28 point count stations within the park. Gauley River NRA contains a rich and diverse streamside bird community with a total of 66 species detected; 54 of which are target species and presumed to be breeding in the park during summer months. The vast majority were forest-associated species dominated by forest interior species whose life-histories depend on large tracts of mature, unfragmented, deciduous forest. Seventeen species overall and four of the five most abundant species were of conservation importance in the Appalachian Mountains bird conservation region. It is notable that the most abundant species at the park were also the top conservation priorities regionally, highlighting the significance of Gauley River NRA and the surrounding forested landscape to avian conservation. Trends in unadjusted abundance over the period of monitoring were assessed for the 54 species in the defined target population (Table E-1). Trends in adjusted abundance that take into account detection probability were estimated for 32 species for which there were sufficient data. Out of 54 species in the target population, 41 species (76%) were stable or increasing and 13 species (24%) declined during the period of monitoring. One species showed statistically significant positive trends and two species statistically significant negative trends. Gauley River NRA was one of several parks in the Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network where most species exhibited stable or increasing population trends including many species of regional conservation importance; this was one of the more significant findings of the monitoring program to date and an encouraging sign in the face of recent overwhelming evidence of dramatic declines in bird populations. However, several forest-interior species of conservation importance have shown non-significant declines and warrant close attention. As anthropogenic land use and climate change continue to reshape the Appalachian landscape, park managers will need this information to best allocate effort that aligns with regional conservation planning and other park priorities.

Streamside bird monitoring in the Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network: Gauley River National Recreation Area 2007–2012

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