Great Blue Heron

Monitoring is a valuable tool for assessing the effects of conservation action on bird populations. Effective monitoring programs consist of:

1. an accurate assessment of current bird population status, and
2. evaluation of habitat and management changes and their effects on bird populations.

We support a regional approach to bird population and habitat monitoring. Our current bird monitoring strategy has several components based on species groups and related effective monitoring techniques.

Landbirds (songbirds and raptors)

Integrated monitoring by Bird Conservation Region

Partners include USFS, BLM, Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, Montana Natural Heritage Program, Northern Great Plains Joint Venture, Intermountain West Joint Venture, Great Northern Landscape Conservation Cooperative and others.

• Project Overview ( 86 KB)
• Monitoring the Birds of the Badlands and Prairies Bird Conservation Region (BCR 17):
  2009 Field Season Report ( 4.1 MB)

Roadside Breeding Raptor Survey

For information, contact Catherine Wightman.

Waterbirds

Colonial-nesting Waterbird Survey

Partners include Montana Audubon, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and American Bird Conservancy

• Project Overview ( 65 KB)
• Montana's Colonial-nesting Waterbird Inventory—2010 Annual Report ( 157 KB)
  • Appendix I ( 51 KB)
  • Appendix II ( 90 KB)
• Montana's Colonial-nesting Waterbird Inventory—2009 Annual Report ( 674 KB)
  • Appendix I ( 12 KB)
  • Appendix II ( 75 KB)

Waterfowl

Breeding Population Survey

For information, contact Jim Hansen.

Mid-winter Waterfowl Surveys

For information, contact Jim Hansen.

Special Species Surveys

• Peregrine falcon surveys
• Bald eagle monitoring — contact Kristi Dubois
• Common loon monitoring — contact Chris Hammond
• Mountain Plover surveys — contact Catherine Wightman
• Threatened and endangered species monitoring — contact Lauri Hanauska-Brown
• Nightjar surveys — volunteer to run a route