2001 Final Report

to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
J. Daniel Lambert, Steven D. Faccio and Brett Hanscom

Abstract
Mountain Birdwatch is a long-term monitoring program for songbirds that breed in high-elevation forests of the Northeast. Skilled volunteers conduct annual surveys along 1-km routes that are located on mountains in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Primary emphasis is placed on Bicknell's Thrush, the region's only endemic bird species, and a montane fir specialist that is vulnerable to ongoing and projected habitat loss. Other focal species include Swainson's Thrush, Blackpoll Warbler, White-throated Sparrow, and Winter Wren.

In 2001, we gathered observations from 141 locations, with point count surveys completed under suitable weather conditions on 112 routes. White-throated Sparrow and Blackpoll Warbler were the most widespread and abundant of the focal species, averaging about one individual per point. They were followed by Swainson's Thrush and Winter Wren, which were also common (0.55 and 0.54 per point, respectively). Bicknell's Thrush was detected during fewer than half of the point counts and in relatively low numbers (0.24 per point). Chance encounters and audioplayback techniques doubled the frequency of Bicknell's Thrush detections on survey routes, raising it from to 45% to 88%. An analysis of survey protocols confirmed that the point count duration (5 min) and sampling window (4:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.) are appropriate for achieving the program's objectives. In addition to establishing a baseline for future monitoring, we investigated the influence of landscape structure on montane forest birds. Multiple regression analysis of landscape attributes suggests that neither landscape composition nor landscape configuration underlie patterns of Bicknell's Thrush abundance. This finding supports earlier evidence of high dispersal capability in this species. Continued study will focus on stand-level habitat characteristics, including those that might be remotely sensed with improving satellite technology.

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