Development of Bird Population Monitoring in New Zealand: Proceedings of a Workshop Eric B. Spurr Landcare Research C. John Ralph US Forest Service Landcare Research Science Series No. 32 Development of Bird Population Monitoring in New Zealand: Proceedings of a Workshop Eric B. Spurr Landcare Research C. John Ralph US Forest Service (Compilers) Landcare Research Science Series No. 32 Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand 2006 © Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd 2006 This information may be copied or reproduced electronically and distributed to others without limitation, provided Landcare Research New Zealand Limited is acknowledged as the source of information. Under no circumstances may a charge be made for this information without the express permission of Landcare Research New Zealand Limited. CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION Spurr, E.B. Development of bird population monitoring in New Zealand: proceedings of a workshop / Eric B. Spurr and C. John Ralph, compilers – Lincoln, N.Z. : Manaaki Whenua Press, 2006. (Landcare Research Science series, ISSN 1172-269X; no. 32) ISBN-13: 978-0-478-09384-1 ISBN-10: 0-478-09384-5 1. Bird populations – New Zealand. 2. Birds – Monitoring – New Zealand. 3. Birds – Counting – New Zealand. I. Spurr, E.B. II. Series. UDC 598.2(931):574.3.087.001.42 Edited by Christine Bezar Layout design Typesetting by Wendy Weller Cover design by Anouk Wanrooy Published by Manaaki Whenua Press, Landcare Research, PO Box 40, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand. 3 Contents Summary ..............................................................................................................................4 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................5 Format..................................................................................................................................5 Results .................................................................................................................................6 Objectives of monitoring ...................................................................................................... 6 Geographical coverage.......................................................................................................... 6 Habitats to be sampled ......................................................................................................... 7 Species to be sampled...........................................................................................................8 Sampling strategies ............................................................................................................... 8 Survey techniques ................................................................................................................. 9 Spatial scales ....................................................................................................................... 10 Temporal scales................................................................................................................... 10 Data-handling systems......................................................................................................... 11 Organisation and structure.................................................................................................. 11 Recommendations............................................................................................................... 12 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. 12 Reference ........................................................................................................................... 13 Appendices ......................................................................................................................... 14 Appendix 1. Workshop attendees...................................................................................... 14 Appendix 2. Reading list .................................................................................................... 15 Appendix 3. Discussion topics for subgroups to consider................................................... 18 Appendix 4. Abstracts of invited keynote addresses .......................................................... 20 Appendix 5. Territorial local authorities in New Zealand.................................................... 21 Appendix 6. Land cover classes of New Zealand (after LCDBII) ......................................... 23 Appendix 7. Land Environments of New Zealand (LENZ)................................................... 25 4 Summary A workshop on monitoring terrestrial (land) bird populations in New Zealand was held on 11 December 2005, following the Australasian Ornithological Conference, St Mary’s Parish Centre, Blenheim, New Zealand. The primary objective of the workshop was to consider options for the design and implementation of a terrestrial breeding bird population survey for New Zealand. It was not an objective to make recommendations for particular options, but some recommendations did emerge: • The main objective of monitoring terrestrial breeding birds should be to provide reliable, robust, and spatially explicit information on the long-term population trends of bird species inhabiting representative terrestrial habitats throughout New Zealand. • The whole of the country (including North, South, Stewart and a range of smaller offshore islands) should be covered. • The full range of terrestrial habitat types should be targeted and habitat information collected at sampling locations. • All species (both indigenous and introduced) should be recorded regardless of whether or not they are “priority” species. • A few broad strata should be used and sampled randomly or in some other way. • Sampling should be encouraged at fixed permanent sites. • A formal sampling design should be followed but informal (convenience) sampling should be allowed. • A pilot study should be undertaken using two (near and far) or possibly three distance bands for point counts (and possibly for line transects in open country) of all species detected in selected parts of 1-km squares of the national grid. Issues that still need addressing include: • Stratification of habitats and/or geopolitical areas into a few broad strata. • Dealing with places where access is difficult. • Location of sampling sites within grid squares (e.g. alone or in clusters?). • Sampling technique/s (e.g. 5-minute point counts and/or some form of line transect count?). • Time of day and time of year for sampling. • Data-handling systems. • Funding. These issues should be considered at a subsequent workshop or “virtual” workshop and/or by a small working group in consultation with relevant experts, and a draft breeding bird survey designed and circulated to interested people for comment. 5 Introduction New Zealand does not have a comprehensive bird-population monitoring scheme (see Spurr 2005), though it does have some species- or habitat-specific surveys. For example, the Ornithological Society of New Zealand (OSNZ) undertakes a number of bird population studies including an annual national wader survey (http://osnz.org.nz/studies.htm). The Department of Conservation (DOC) also undertakes bird population studies and currently has some 189 ongoing monitoring projects on its books (T. Greene, DOC, Christchurch, pers. comm.). Other organisations in New Zealand (e.g. Landcare Research, Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society, Fish and Game New Zealand, and various territorial local authorities) also undertake bird population monitoring. A workshop in 2004 recommended the establishment of a nationally coordinated scheme for monitoring bird populations (Spurr 2005). A small working group, comprising representatives from OSNZ, DOC, and Landcare Research, was convened to implement this. As a consequence, a symposium on bird population monitoring was held on 9 December 2005, as part of the Australasian Ornithological Conference, St Mary’s Parish Centre, Blenheim, New Zealand (http://osnz.org.nz), and a follow-up workshop on monitoring of terrestrial (land) bird populations was held on 11 December 2005, following the conference. The primary objective of the workshop was to consider options for the design and implementation of a terrestrial breeding bird survey for New Zealand. It was assumed that such a survey should be part of a comprehensive scheme for monitoring bird populations, consisting of a package of different survey types (e.g. Breeding Bird Survey, Winter Bird Survey, Garden Bird Survey, and Constant Effort Mist-netting of terrestrial birds, as well as surveys of other species groups such as wetland birds and seabirds). An account of the workshop follows. Format Twenty-six people attended the workshop (Appendix 1). Several weeks beforehand, participants were provided with a list of background reading on bird population monitoring (Appendix 2), and a draft list of discussion topics (Appendix 3). D.G. Dawson (the Mayor of London’s Biodiversity Strategy Manager) also circulated a draft of his conference paper on ‘Recommendations for a scheme to monitor common land birds in New Zealand’ (see copy of abstract at http://osnz.org.nz/Media/ 2005_AOC_abstracts.pdf, p. 38). The workshop started with two invited presentations, one from R.P. Scofield (OSNZ Council) on what the OSNZ thinks it wants from a monitoring scheme for bird populations, and one from T. Greene (DOC) on monitoring bird populations