Integrating the MAPS Program into Coordinated Bird Monitoring in the Northeast (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 5) A Report Submitted to the Northeast Coordinated Bird Monitoring Partnership and the American Bird Conservancy P.O. Box 249, 4249 Loudoun Avenue, The Plains, Virginia 20198 David F. DeSante, James F. Saracco, Peter Pyle, Danielle R. Kaschube, and Mary K. Chambers The Institute for Bird Populations P.O. Box 1346 Point Reyes Station, CA 94956-1346 Voice: 415-663-2050 Fax: 415-663-9482 www.birdpop.org [email protected] March 31, 2008 i TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 3 METHODS ............................................................................................................................................. 5 Collection of MAPS data.................................................................................................................... 5 Considered Species............................................................................................................................. 6 Reproductive Indices, Population Trends, and Adult Apparent Survival .......................................... 6 MAPS Target Species......................................................................................................................... 7 Priority Habitats.................................................................................................................................. 9 Station-Specific Recommendations.................................................................................................... 9 Goals for MAPS Program Growth ................................................................................................... 10 Federal and State Lands for Potential MAPS Growth in the Northeast ........................................... 10 RESULTS ............................................................................................................................................. 10 1. Captures, Habitat Associations, Plan Listings, Trends, and Vital Rates ..................................... 10 1.1. Northeast Regional Scale...................................................................................................... 10 1.2. BCR Scale............................................................................................................................. 11 2. Priority and Target Species.......................................................................................................... 13 2.1. Northeast Regional Scale...................................................................................................... 13 2.2. BCR scale ............................................................................................................................. 14 3. Priority Habitats and Target Species ........................................................................................... 15 4. MAPS Station Evaluation............................................................................................................ 16 4.1. Northeast Regional Scale...................................................................................................... 16 4.2. BCR Scale............................................................................................................................. 16 5. Goals for MAPS Program Growth in the Northeast.................................................................... 19 6. Geographic Gaps and Opportunities for Monitoring on Public Lands........................................ 19 DISCUSSION....................................................................................................................................... 20 Summary........................................................................................................................................... 21 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................................. 22 LITERATURE CITED......................................................................................................................... 22 ii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Landbird species considered for our analysis of the Northeast MAPS program. For each species, we summarize PIF and state plan listings, 1992-2003 Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) trends and MAPS data, and monitoring priority scores................................................................ 25 Table 2. Landbird species considered for our analysis in Bird Conservation Region 14, Atlantic Northern Forest. For each species, we summarize PIF and state plan listings, priority scores, 1980-2006 Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) trends and 1992-2003 MAPS data, and monitoring priority scores. .............................................................................................................................. 32 Table 3. Landbird species considered for our analysis in Bird Conservation Region 13, Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain. For each species, we summarize PIF and state plan listings, priority scores,1980-2006 Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) trends and 1992-2003 MAPS data, and monitoring priority scores............................................................................................................. 38 Table 4. Landbird species considered for our analysis in Bird Conservation Region 28, Appalachian Mountains. For each species, we summarize PIF and state plan listings, priority scores,1980- 2006 Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) trends and 1992-2003 MAPS data, and monitoring priority scores. ........................................................................................................................................... 43 Table 5. Landbird species considered for our analysis in Bird Conservation Region 30, New England/Mid-Atlantic Coast. For each species, we summarize PIF and state plan listings, priority scores,1980-2006 Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) trends and 1992-2003 MAPS data, and monitoring priority scores............................................................................................................. 49 Table 6. Landbird species considered for our analysis in Bird Conservation Region 29, Piedmont. For each species, we summarize PIF and state plan listings, priority scores,1980-2006 Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) trends and 1992-2003 MAPS data, and monitoring priority scores.............. 55 Table 7. Landbird species considered for our analysis in Bird Conservation Region 27, Southeastern Coastal Plain. For each species, we summarize PIF and state plan listings, priority scores,1980- 2006 Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) trends and 1992-2003 MAPS data, and monitoring priority scores. ........................................................................................................................................... 60 Table 8. Forty-eight MAPS priority-target and control-target species for the Northeast region and their BCR-specific target status.................................................................................................... 64 Table 9. Target species by habitat in the Northeast region and in each BCR within the Northeast region. ........................................................................................................................................... 66 Table 10. 183 MAPS Stations operated in the Northeast region between 1989 and 2006.................. 67 Table 11. Goals for MAPS program growth in the Northeast region by BCR.................................... 75 Table 12. Federal and state land Parcels in the Northeast U. S. by Bird Conservation Region (BCR) and MAPS stations operated on those lands during 1989-2007................................................... 76 iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Number of active MAPS stations operated by year in the Northeastern U.S... ................... 87 Figure 2. MAPS stations by habitat and Bird Conservation Region (BCR) in the Northeastern U.S. 88 Figure 3. MAPS stations and federal and state landholdings in the Northeastern U.S. ...................... 89 APPENDICES Appendix 1. Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs) contained in the Northeast region (USFWS Region 5) and the Partners in Flight (PIF) Physiographic Areas and States that overlap these BCRs..... 90 Appendix 2. Common names, scientific names, National Partners in Flight (PIF) and State Wildlife Conservation Plan designations, and habitats of regular occurrence, for considered species in the Northeastern United States. .......................................................................................................... 91 The MAPS Program in the Northeast United States - 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Since 1989, The Institute for Bird Populations has been coordinating the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program, a cooperative effort among public and private agencies and individual bird banders in North America to operate annually a continent-wide network of nearly 500 constant-effort mist-netting and banding stations. MAPS was designed to provide information on the vital rates of landbirds to identify demographic causes of population declines of many North American landbird species. Here we evaluate the MAPS program with respect to its current potential, and future ability, to meet landbird demographic