PRRP Songbird

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PRRP Songbird Monitoring Proposal
Travis Crane, Chandler Mundy, Travis Mote, and
Morgan Mendenhall
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Objective
Develop a monitoring plan to be used with habitat
management in order to double the number of bird
species on the ten-mile Provo River restoration
project.
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Provo River Restoration Project
Dike removal
River
Meanders
Flooding
Water Speed
Replanting
Upper canopy veg.
Low veg.
Flooded areas
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The Habitat Types

• Flooded areas

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The Habitat Types

• Flooded areas

• Low vegetation

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The Habitat Types

• Flooded areas

• Low vegetation

• Upper canopy

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The Habitat Types

• Flooded areas

• Low vegetation

• Upper canopy

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Provo River Restoration Project
Dike removal
River
Meanders
Flooding
Water Speed
Replanting
Upper canopy veg.
Low veg.
Flooded areas
Nesting Habitat
Nesting Habitat
Nesting Habitat
Cover
Cover
Cover
Diet
Diet
Diet
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Provo River Restoration Project
Dike removal
River
Meanders
Flooding
Water Speed
Replanting
Upper canopy veg.
Low veg.
Flooded areas
Nesting Habitat
Nesting Habitat
Nesting Habitat
Cover
Cover
Cover
Diet
Diet
Diet
warbling vireo
Wilsons warbler
yellow-headed black bird
black-headed grosbeak
Predators
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Characteristics of the indicator species
1. Species must be relatively easy and
inexpensive to monitor. 2. Indicators should
be sensitive to the environment and will
fluctuate in the same manner as their guild. 3.
Species have direct relationship to target
population. 4. Most importantly, indicators
should meet managements objectives of being
adequate predictors of the target population.
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Model of Indicator Species
A
Diet
D
B
C
Habitat
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Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus
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Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus
xanthocephalus
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Black-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocephalus
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Wilson's Warbler Wilsonia pusilla
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METHODS
Transect Surveys
yellow-headed blackbird
Point Counts
warbling vireo, Wilsons warbler, and
black-headed grosbeak
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Transect Surveys
Transect Direction
100 meters
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Point Counts
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Analytical Methods
Relative Abundance
Presence/Absence
Richness/Diversity
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Statistical Software
Computer programs will be heavily used to
calculate and interpret data using statistical
tools.

• SAS
• STATA

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Chi-Square Test (?2)
?2observed-expected expected
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Paired T-test

• Compare 2 or more years
• Sampling units permanent
• Measurement Data
• Data grouped in transects or clusters

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Paired T-test

• Is there a statistically significant result?
• What is the likelihood that no true change
  occurred and that any observed difference is the
  result of random sampling error?
• Does the observed change have any biological
  significance?

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Does the observed change have any biological
significance?
The power value uses the sample size, sample
standard deviation, threshold significance level
(a) and an effect size considered biologically
important. The minimum detectable change is
another calculation to judge biological
significance. It uses the power value to
calculate what minimum level of change could be
detected.
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Species diversity and richness
Species richness is analyzed as a total number of
species detected. Evenness, or the relative
abundance of a species, is incorporated with
species richness into a diversity index. Many
indices exist we will use the Shannon-Weaver
index
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Sampling Design
Detect a minimum change of 20 with a 95
confidence level

• Pilot Study

• Ensure capture of population variation

• Ensure narrow confidence interval
• ? Low bias, no 0s
• ? Increased precision

• Determine number of samples and plot size

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The estimated sample sizes
n(st/E)2
  acres ave. bird/yr s t E n
Flooded 139 35.2 5 1.96 1.76 31
Upper canopy 318 43.6 5 1.96 2.18 20
Low vegetation 123 22.2 4 1.96 1.11 50
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Expected Products

• Population estimates for indicator species
• Species diversity for all three habitat types
• Map of all study sites
• Guidelines of monitoring methods
• Management recommendations