Virginia Birders,
The 2015 season will mark the 50th year that the North American Breeding Bird
Survey (BBS) has been in operation. Through the efforts of experienced
volunteers, the BBS generates valuable population trend information for a large
number of upland bird species; this information is regularly used by scientists
and conservationists to monitor the status of bird populations and identify
species most in need of conservation attention.
There are approximately 70 active BBS routes in VA - of these, 13 (nearly 20%)
are currently without observers. Once you have familiarized yourself with a
BBS route, running that route requires only one morning per year, with 3 minute
bird counts being conducted at 50 stops over a distance of 25 roadside miles.
If you can identify the birds in your area by both sight and sound, have sharp
eyesight and good hearing (especially important for the higher-pitched species
that might otherwise escape detection), have access to reliable transportation,
and are willing to commit to running a route for a minimum of 2 consecutive
years (but multiple years are highly encouraged), please consider inquiring
about running a BBS route.
You can view a map of currently vacant routes at
https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/RouteMap/Map.cfm. Click on the ;'Info' button
next to a route to view a list of species recorded to date for that route.
You can read up on BBS methodology and results at
https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/. Please contact me with any questions, and ;
especially if you are interested in running a route. We need your help -
thanks!
Sergio
Sergio Harding | Nongame Bird Conservation Biologist | Virginia Department of
Game and Inland Fisheries | 4010 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23230 |
804-367-0143 | www.dgif.virginia.gov<http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/> |
www.vabci.org<http://www.vabci.org/>
