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15 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1997

A citywide breeding bird survey for Washington, D.C.

`DC Birdscape' was initiated in 1993 to systematically count the birds occurring throughout Washington D.C. during the breeding season. It involved a coordinated planning effort and partnership between the Audubon Naturalist Society, the National Park Service, and the National Biological Survey, and engaged the participation of more than 100 volunteers. A method for rapidly assessing the status of bird populations over a large area was developed and incorporated into a Geographic Information System to allow a multidimensional analysis of species presence and abundance across a variety of urban land use areas. A total of 91 species were observed, with an estimated total number of 115, making Washington D.C. almost as `bird rich' as nearby suburban counties. Data from the study clearly indicate that avian species are not randomly distributed throughout the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, and show affinity, at least in part, to some of the most broadly recognized land use patterns that are commonly used to zone and classify urban areas under development schemes. This study represents a prototype that will allow efficient and economical monitoring of urban bird populations.

Washington, D.C.↗
USGS2008

Field Marks of a Celebration: Roger Tory Peterson's Centennial Birthday

A red letter day in my life was April 27, 1934, the day I first met Roger. A birding friend, Elisha Atkins, had invited Clinton Reynolds and me to dinner to meet a famous ornithologist. We would all be going on a field trip to Newburyport on the Massachusetts coast the next day. The dinner conversation revolved about a new field guide that Mr. Peterson had just completed and that would be available in a few days. I couldn?t wait to see it! I had been birding since 1930, keying out live birds with Chapman?s Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America (1912) and Hoffman?s Guide to the Birds of New England and Eastern New York (1904). Both books had extensive keys based on color, size, bill shape and season, and pictures of heads or feet of some species. Positive bird identification was a long and tedious process. The field trip the next day with Roger was memorable, not for finding any rare or unusual birds, but for learning how to identify birds to species at a single good glance. I recall asking Roger if he could find a ring-billed gull among a group of gulls resting on a roof beside the Merrimac River. He immediately said, ?No there aren?t any ring-bills there; they would be immediately apparent by their slimmer shape.? There was no need to check the foot color on each bird. While it is easy to say that Roger revolutionized field guides, I truly believe there are few people worldwide under the age of 90 who can really appreciate the difference between the old way of keying out birds and the instant recognition promoted by the Peterson system. Today we take for granted that amateurs can identify birds accurately. Monitoring bird populations by Breeding Bird Surveys, atlas studies, Breeding Bird Censuses, migration banding, and many other studies relies on it. None of these would be possible if we were still keying out live birds using books designed to identify dead birds in the hand.

Audubon Naturalist News↗
USGS2016

Pranked by Audubon: Constantine S. Rafinesque's description of John James Audubon's imaginary Kentucky mammals

The North American naturalist Constantine S. Rafinesque spent much of the year 1818 engaged in a solo journey down the Ohio River Valley to explore parts of what was then the western United States. Along the way, he visited a number of fellow naturalists, and he spent more than a week at the Henderson, Kentucky, home of artist and ornithologist John James Audubon. During the succeeding two years, Rafinesque published descriptions of new species that resulted from his expedition, including eleven species of fishes that eventually proved to have been invented by Audubon as a prank on the credulous naturalist. Less well known are a number of “wild rats” described by Rafinesque that include one recognized species ( Musculus leucopus ) and ten other, imaginary “species” fabricated by Audubon ( Gerbillus leonurus , G. megalops , Spalax trivittata , Cricetus fasciatus , Sorex cerulescens , S. melanotis , Musculus nigricans , Lemmus albovittatus , L. talpoides , Sciurus ruber ). Rafinesque's unpublished sketches of these animals provide important insight regarding the supposed nature of the animals invented by Audubon and ultimately published by Rafinesque.

Archives of Natural History↗
USGS2001

Range expansion of pileated woodpecker in North Dakota

Natural history writings from explorers such as M. Lewis, W. Clark, J. J. Audubon, S. F. Baird, and E. Coues failed to mention the pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus ) in North Dakota throughout the 1800's. The first published reference to the species was in the early 1900's in the valley of the Red River of the North, part of the Agassiz Lake Plain of eastern North Dakota. Sightings increased in the Agassiz Lake Plain in the mid-1900's but remained rare west of the Agassiz Lake Plain until the late 1900's. Ornithologists suggest that the species has recently established small, permanent populations in the Turtle Mountains, Devils Lake area, and along the Sheyenne River, especially in the Sheyenne National Grassland. I present information that supports the idea that the pileated woodpecker is establishing populations in the aforementioned areas and is moving even farther west. I also document the presence of the pileated woodpecker along the James River and the first record for Stutsman County.

Prairie Naturalist↗
USGS2020

Black oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani) population size, use of marine reserve complexes, and spatial distribution in Oregon

The Black Oystercatcher is a large shorebird found along the west coast of North America. Because of their small global population size, low reproductive rate, and dependence on rocky intertidal habitats, they are considered a “species of high conservation concern” and may act as an indicator of intertidal ecosystem health. In 2015, the Audubon Society of Portland initiated a 3-year shore-based population survey in Oregon building upon long-term monitoring previously conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and others. The objectives were to 1) Estimate the current minimum population of breeding Black Oystercatchers in Oregon and to compare that to previous estimates to better understand the population trend; 2) Document oystercatcher abundance adjacent to the Oregon’s system of Marine Reserves and Marine Protected Areas; and 3) Describe spatial distribution of breeding oystercatchers along the coast. We targeted all rocky shoreline habitats along Oregon’s coastline to perform abundance surveys each spring. A total of 75 survey routes were sampled using a standardized protocol. Trained volunteer community scientists conducted the majority of the surveys. We used N-mixture statistical models to estimate oystercatcher population size and probability of detection. Population estimates from the best fitting models were consistent, with estimates ranging from 506 oystercatchers in 2016 (95% credible interval, 463-560) to 629 (548-743) in 2015. These estimates indicated a small but stable population. Probability of detection remained consistent across years (ranging from 0.51 to 0.53). The effect of geographic region corresponded with greater bird density in the southern region of Oregon. Oystercatcher abundance adjacent to MR/MPAs accounted for between 12.4-18.3% of the total population estimate which was lower than expected (~25%). We recommend that subsequent conservation efforts directed on Black Oystercatchers in Oregon balance limiting human disturbance, particularly on the north and central coasts, with ensuring protection of core habitats on the south coast where much of the population resides.

Oregon↗