Methodology for Louisiana Summer Bird Atlas

 

Louisiana Bird Resource Center

 

Synopsis

The LSBA program hopes to generate maps of relative abundance of birds in the state during early summer. To do this, we use the same methods as for the Louisiana Winter Bird Atlas, namely borrow the familiar, standard CBC methodology in terms of party-hours and party-miles to generate indices of relative abundance, and apply these to 7.5 quad grid cells, which are roughly 35% as large as a CBC circle. Two differences from the Winter Bird Atlas methodology are: (1) a minimum of only 10, not 20, party-hours (total; not necessarily all in same day) is necessary to characterize a quad, and (2) for landbird habitat, those 10 should be mostly morning-only hours to capture vocal activity. These hours can be distributed in any way within the 6-week survey period (over the 3-year life-span of the project). In fact, the same areas can be resampled multiple times as long as the numbers of birds are calibrated by party-hours and party-miles.

The general idea, at least for the quad compilers, is to treat the quad survey as a small, square CBC circle and sample accordingly to produce the standard, familiar "birds/party-hour" data on relative abundance.

Data-entry and display will all be online, in partnership with the eBird program at Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

Goals

1. Publish an atlas of summer bird distribution for Louisiana using the same 7.5 quad scale as in the Wiedenfeld & Swan's Breeding Bird Atlas.

2. Add a level of information not present in Wiedenfeld & Swan or any other atlas to our knowledge, namely information on relative abundance based on birds/party hour (or party mile for roadside species). The atlas will reflect these data with perhaps 5-6 color shades, on a scale such as <1/party-hr, 1/party-hr, 10/ph, 100/ph, and 1000/ph.

3. Have all data displayed online as soon as entered by observers and subsequently filtered by quad compiler. Allow instantaneous uploading of new data to web page that displays atlas results. [This will not happen until at least 2008.]

Methods

1. Overview

This survey method combines the grid approach of an atlas with the effort-calibrated approach of the CBC. Breeding Bird Atlases typical provide only presence/absence data and do not provide information on relative abundance. Therefore, they cannot be used to assess differences in relative abundance within a state nor long-term population trends. CBC methodology, in contrast, permits this by calibration of all field data by party-hours, a technique familiar to all birders. The problem with using CBC circles for atlasing is that they are too few and too irregularly distributed geographically. Also, CBC circles are so large (ca. 175 sq. miles) that covering them thoroughly requires substantially more effort relative to the roughly 62 sq. miles of a 7.5 quad.

2. Specifics

a. Each quad has a compiler responsible for doing surveys and submitting data. Each compiler is encouraged to recruit qualified help to survey their quad. Data gathered within the quad by observers other than the compiler are submitted directly to eBird but are eventually filtered by the compiler before adding to the official database.

b. A survey consists of a bird count, CBC-style with respect to keeping track of numbers of individual birds, party-hours, party-miles, and rough habitat coverage. For a great way to calculate accurate distances, try: http://www.runningmap.com/. For inclusion in the atlas, a quad needs at least 10 party-hours of surveying, hopefully more, over the 3-year lifespan of the project. Those hours can be distributed over any number of days within the official "summer atlas" period, as long as they are in the morning (except for aquatic habitats). Thus, flexibility in survey dates allows avoidance of bad weather, and also permits a single observer to cover different sections of a quad on different days. An ideal survey might consist of the compiler organizing 2-4 teams to survey sections of the quad on a single day, CBC style. As long as party-hour and party-mile data are recorded, the fundamental unit of the atlas, namely birds/unit effort, remains intact. Repeat surveys of the same spots on different days are also possible, again as long as the data are calibrated by effort. In summary, surveys can be conducted as often as resources permit.

c. The minimum unit for data-entry in terms of time period would be 1 hour. This minimizes the biases of brief sample periods. Once that threshold is reached, all additional time counts toward the total. As with CBC methods, avoid counting same birds more than once in same day.

See FAQ for additional details (and let Remsen know what else should be addressed at the FAQ)

 

3. Data Entry

The Louisiana Summer Bird Atlas has its own data-entry page at eBird:

Data-entry Louisiana Summer Bird Atlas: LSBA .

BE SURE TO SPECIFIC AN INDIVIDUAL QUAD FOR YOUR DATA ... OTHERWISE THEY DO NOT GO INTO THE LSBA DATA-BASE.

You have to register first if not already an eBird registrant.

Step 1: under Louisiana Atlas Program, hit "Submit Observations"

Step 2: either (a) Select from "My Locations" to get to a quad for which you've previously entered a list, or (b) "Find it on a Map".

Step 3: click on the red balloon closest to your quad.

Step 4: click on your quad's name.

Put your locality details in the Comments box for reference, as well as any direct evidence of breeding (nests, fledglings). If you have problems. let me or Richard know; this is a novel program for eBird, so we're still working out the problems. If you don't have computer access, just send your survey data to us, and we will enter it for you.

Official "Summer" period

Start: 1 June. This avoids almost all spring migrants.

End: 15 July. Most species are still singing fairly frequently then, and only a few species have started migration (some shorebirds, Louisiana Waterthrush, Orchard Oriole, Purple Martin, and a few individuals of various other species).

Output

The atlas will consist of maps of the state for each species with each quad coded for relative abundance of that species in perhaps 4-6 shades of the same color. The relative abundance scale can vary among species, as can the unit of analysis (e.g., birds/party-hr on foot, birds/party-hr by car, etc.). [Details not important until we have a better feeling for the data.]

For fun, we will maintain tallies of total number of species, total number of party-hours, and so on, divided by region (Coastal Zone, Southern Interior, Northern Interior; see LA subdivisions for boundaries). See:

Unofficial Quad Stats EXCEL file

for a downloadable EXCEL file (updated 23 June 2011),

or for just the web page itself (with nagging format problems):

Unofficial Quad Stats Web Page

updated 23 June 2011

 

The SBA program is indebted to Bruce Baird for his help with making the unofficial stats as accurate as possible

 

For Mike Baldwin’s map of coverage through 21 June 2011, click here.

For Mike Baldwin’s detailed map of coverage for N LA through 21 June 2011, click here.

For Mike Baldwin’s detailed map of coverage for SW LA through 21 June 2011, click here.

For Mike Baldwin’s detailed map of coverage for SE LA through 21 June 2011, click here.

For Mike Baldwin’s map of species richness through 24 June 2010, click here.

The SBA program is indebted to Rosemary Seidler for her previous coverage maps – these made a huge difference in planning this project

Timeline:
2007 - field-test methods on selected quads; promote the program; plan for next summer
2008 - all-out quad surveys
2009 - all-out quad surveys
2010 - all-out quad surveys
2011 - all-out quad surveys
2012 - all-out quad surveys
2013 - produce print version

 

Quad compiler responsibilities:

o All submitted data will be filtered eventually through the Quad Compiler (details for data submission and uploading to be worked out with eBird and CLO).

o The Quad Compiler will make sure that at least 10 party-hours are invested in the quad between 1 June and 15 July and will make sure the data are entered into the eBird portal. The minimum unit for data-entry in terms of time period would be 1 hour. Thus, theoretically, you could accumulate the 10 hours on 10 separate 1-hr time blocks.

o Quad Compilers should try to pick survey dates to correspond to good birding weather to minimize "weather effects" on counts. In fact, therefore, we don't see a reason to keep track of weather data for each data entry.

o Quad Compilers should consider organizing one or more all-out 1-day surveys within a quad, carving it up into territories. In other words, make it like a Christmas Count (but one with the flexibility to avoid bad weather and holidays).

Maps.

SEE: http://appl003.lsu.edu/natsci/labirdweb.nsf/$Content/Find+a+Quad?OpenDocument

Also, try:

http://atlas.lsu.edu/q24k/

Once you've located a quad at the latter, you can download a good map as a tiff file and then print that out (or save as pdf file and print that out -- resolution not as good but file size not huge, unlike tiff files).

Or for GOOGLE quad maps, courtesy Bill Sussky:

minilogic.com/LAQuads/index.html

 

Quad Compilers - so far <<for now, we've just listed the same compilers as for the 2011 WBA until we hear one way or another>>:

Quad Compilers (blue = conscripted for 2011):

** = already reached threshold of 10 party/hrs

Abbeville East - Richard Greig
Abbeville West - Richard Greig
Addis – Brennan Landry
Afeman
** – Jay Huner

Aimwell ** – Joyce Bennett
Alexandria
** - Jay Huner
Allen - Terry Davis/Jeff Trahan
Angie ** – Phillip Wallace/David Muth

Arizona ** John Dillon
Arnaudville
** - Patti Holland
Athens ** – John Dillon

Ball – Jay Huner
Barataria - David Muth
Barataria Pass
** - Steve Cardiff/Donna Dittmann
Bastrop - Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Bastian Bay -
Steve Cardiff/Donna Dittmann
Baton Rouge East ** - Jane Patterson
Baton Rouge West ** - Jeff Harris
Baxter Bayou ** - Roselie Overby
Bay Ronquille - Steve Cardiff/Donna Dittmann
Bayou Boeuf - Lee Ellis
Bayou Cocodrie – William McGehee
Bayou Pierre Lake ** – Jeff Trahan/Rosemary Seidler

Bayou Sorrel - Van Remsen
Bear Skin
** – Roselie Overby
Bee Bayou ** – Joyce Bennett
Beggs
** - Mac Myers
Belcher – Hubert Hervey
Belle Chase - Glenn Ousset
Belle d’Eau ** – Marty Floyd
Belle Passe ** – Phillip Wallace
Belle Rose - Sue Broussard
Benton ** - Jeff & Jean Trahan
Bertrandville ** - David Muth
Big Bend **
Bird Island Pt. ** – Jonathan Clark

Birds Creek - Steve Shively
Blackburn
** – John Dillon
Blanchard ** - Larry Raymond
Blankston ** - Joyce Bennett
Bluff Creek - Michael Seymour
Bogalusa W –

Bond – Mac Myers
Bonita
** – Joyce Bennett
Bosco
** – Joyce Bennett
Bossier City ** - Jim Ingold/Terry Davis
Bossier Point - Terry Davis
Boudreaux Lake – Van Remsen

Boyce ** - Jay Huner
Branch – Paul Conover
Breaux Bridge ** - Bill Fontenot
Broussard ** - Danny Dobbs
Bryceland ** - Rosemary Seidler
Buckeye NE ** – Jonathan Clark
Bunkie ** - Marty Floyd
Buras ** - David Muth
Bush ** – Mary Mehaffey
Butte LaRose ** - Erik Johnson
Cadeville ** - Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Calhoun ** - Stephen Pagans
Calumet Island -
Steve Cardiff/Donna Dittmann
Calvin - Rosemary Seidler
Cameron -
Caminada Pass ** -
Carencro - Bill Fontenot
Carville ** – Lindsay Seely/Van Remsen

Cat Island Pass **
Cecilia - Bill Vermillion
Cent Isles Dernieres **

Centerville NW –

Chalmette ** - Glenn Ousset
Chatham ** - Joyce Bennett
Chef Menteur ** - Phillip Wallace
Cheneyville ** - Marty Floyd
Chipola -
Church Point ** -
Jay Huner
Clarks - Rosemary Seidler
Clay – John Dillon
Clear Lake ** – Hubert Hervey

Clifton ** - Chris Brantley/Phillip Wallace/David Muth
Cocodrie Lake - Jim Johnson
Colfax ** - Jay Huner
Colquitt ** - John Dillon
Collinston East – Roselie Overby

Collinston West ** – Roselie Overby

Columbia ** - Joyce Bennett
Comite ** -- Brian O’Shea
Convent ** – Irvin Louque

Coochie Break ** - Rosemary Seidler
Cotton Plant ** - Rosemary Seidler
Cotton Valley
** - Rosemary Seidler
Coushatta ** – Jeff Trahan

Covington **  -
Cow Bayou – Van Remsen
Cow Island
**
Creole
** – Dave Patton
Crew Lake
** - Joyce Bennett
Crowley East – Paul Conover
Crowley West – Heather Baldwin
Curr Creek – Rosemary Seidler
Deer Park – William McGehee
Delacroix ** - Glenn Ousset
Delcambre ** - Elias Landry
De Loutre ** - Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Denham Springs ** – Jane Patterson
DeRidder - Matt Pontiff
Destrehan –
Dixie ** - Paul Dickson
Donaldsonville - Sue Broussard
Downsville North ** - Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Downsville South ** - Stephen Pagans
Doyline ** – Rosemary Seidler
Duson - Paul Conover/Dave Patton
East Bay Junop - Steve Cardiff/Donna Dittmann

E. Isles Dernieres ** – Cecilia Lumas, Justin Bosler
East Point ** - Paul Dickson
Elm Grove ** - Nancy Menasco
Elm Park ** - Dorothy Prowell
Elmer ** - Steve Shively
Enon ** – Phillip Wallace
Enterprise ** - Joyce Bennett
Eros ** - Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Eunice South - Mac Myers
Evelyn
** - Hubert Hervey
Fairview Alpha ** - Hubert Hervey/Rosemary Seidler/John Dillon

Farmerville ** - Stephen Pagans

Fish Lake ** - Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Fiske – Roselie Overby
Folsom ** - Janine Robin
Forest Hill ** - Steve Shively
Forked Island NW - Paul Conover
Fort Polk - Jim Johnson
Fort Necessity ** – Joyce Bennett
Franklinton – Janine Robin
Fred – Walker Wilson/Heather Mancuso
Franklinton
** -
French Settlement ** - Sue Broussard
Frost ** - Jane Patterson
Fryeburg **

Fullerton Lake - Steve Shively
Gardner
** - Steve Shively
Gibsland ** - Rosemary Seidler/John Dillon
Gibson -
Steve Cardiff/Donna Dittmann
Gilliam ** - Linda Adrion/Rosemary Seidler
Gilleyville ** - Joyce Bennett
Gonzales ** - Sue Broussard
Goodwill – Roselie Overby
Grand Bay Du Large - Steve Cardiff/Donna Dittmann

Grand Cane ** - Rosemary Seidler/Jeff Trahan
Grand Bayou ** - Van Remsen
Grand Cane - Rosemary Seidler
Grand Chenier - Dave Patton
Grand Isle
** - Phillip Wallace
Greta Green ** – Joyce Bennett
Grosse Tete – Robb Brumfield

Gueydan - Paul Conover/Dave Patton
Haaswood - Jennifer Coulson
Hackberry Beach -
Hahnville -- Lee Ellis
Haile ** – Stephen Pagans
Hammock Lake - Erik Johnson
Hanna – Hubert Hervey
Harrell Lakes ** - Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Harmon – Hubert Hervey
Hayes –
Haynesville East – John Dillon
Haynesville West – John Dillon
Hebert ** - Joyce Bennett
Hebert Lake - Richard Greig
Hickory – Mary Mehaffey

Holly Beach -
Holden –

Holum ** - Joyce Bennett
Homer ** - John Dillon
Hortman ** - Rosemary Seidler
Hurricane Branch - Jim Johnson
Indian Beach – Dan Purrington
Intracoastal City - Richard Greig
Irwin Lake ** – Steve Pagans
Ivan ** - Jeff & Jean Trahan
Jackass Bay – Jane Patterson
Jackson - Dorothy Prowell

Jena East ** – Jonathan Clark

Jena West ** – Jonathan Clark

Jericho ** – Jay Huner
Johnsons Bayou -
Kaplan North - Erik Johnson
Kaplan South - Erik Johnson
Kilbourne ** - Roselie Overby
Koran - Jim Ingold
LaBranche ** - Melvin Weber/Ron Stein
Lac Sainte Agnes  -

Lacamp – Jay Huner
Lacombe -
LaCour ** – Van Remsen
Lagan – Irvin Louque
Lake Arthur – Paul Conover
Lake Bruin ** - Joyce Bennett
Lake Cataouatche East ** - David Muth
Lake Charles SE – Van Remsen
Lake Bruin – Joyce Bennett
Lake Misere – (for boundary between this and Hayes, click here)
Lake Mongoulois – Dave Patton
Lafayette - Dave Patton
Lake Providence
** – Roselie Overby
Lake Quitman ** – John Conover
Langston - John Dillon
La Place
** - Melvin Weber/Ron Stein
Latanier ** – Jay Huner
Latanier Bayou ** - Paul Conover
Leeville ** – Steve Cardiff
Lena ** – Jay Huner
LeRoy - Erik Johnson
Leton - John Dillon
Lillie - Jeff Trahan/Terry Davis
Lisbon – John Dillon
Little Sandy Creek
- Rosemary Seidler
Little Woods ** - Glenn Ousset
Liverpool – David Muth/Phillip Wallace
Lobdell – Brennan Landry
Lockport - Lee Ellis

Lottie ** – Danny Dobbs
Lower Vatcherie – Irvin Louque
Luling
** – David Muth
Lutcher ** - David Sylvest
Madisonville ** - Chris Brantley
Mandeville ** - Chris Brantley
Mangham
** - Joyce Bennett
Manifest ** Joyce Bennett
Maringouin ** - Josh Sylvest

Maringouin NW - Danny Dobbs

Marion East ** - Steve Pagans
Marksville South ** – Marty Floyd
Marsalis ** – John Dillon
Martinville ** – Tom Trenchard
Mason ** - Joyce Bennett
Mer Rouge - Steve Pagans/Joan Brown
Mermentau – Paul Conover
Millikin – Roselie Overby

Milton -- Erik Johnson
Minden North - John Dillon
Minden South – John Dillon
Mire – Danny Dobbs
Monroe North ** - Steve Pagans/Joan Brown
Monroe South ** - Joyce Bennett
Mooringsport ** - Larry Raymond
Moreauville –
Mound – David Ringer
Mt. Airy NW – Richard Gibbons
Mulberry Island E – Dave Patton
Natchitoches North - John Dillon
New Orleans East
** - Phillip Wallace
New Orleans West ** - John Sevenair
New Roads ** - Mara Domingue
Nicholson ** - Jennifer Coulson
North Highlands ** - Larry Raymond
North Shore ** - Mary Mehaffey
Oak Grove ** - Roselie Overby
Oyster Bayou
** – Steve Cardiff/Donna Dittmann
Pass Tante Phine -
Patterson -
Peveto Beach -
Phoenix ** - Glenn Ousset
Pilottown -
Pine - Chris Brantley
Pioneer ** - Roselie Overby
Pitkin – Jay Huner
Plaquemine
** - Van Remsen
Plain Dealing ** - Jeff Trahan
Plaucheville -
Point ** - Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Point a la Hache ** - Phillip Wallace
Point au Fer – Steve Cardiff/Donna Dittmann/Dave Patton
Pontchatoula - Chris Brantley
Port Arthur SE (for Sabine Pass, LA) -
Port Hudson-
Port Sulphur –
Portage - Bill Vermillion
Powhatan ** - Paul Dickson
Prairieville
** – Sue Broussard
Pride – Charles Williams
Rapides ** - Steve Shively
Rayville ** - Joyce Bennett
Reserve ** - Melvin Weber/Ron Stein
Rigolets – Mary Mehaffey
Ringgold – Terry Davis
Riverton ** – Joyce Bennett
Robert – Mary Mehaffey
Rock Hill – Jay Huner
Rocky Branch ** - Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Rogillioville **
Roseland -

Rosepine - Matt Pontiff
Roy ** – Jeff Trahan
St. Francisville –
St. Gabriel ** - Van Remsen, Donna Dittmann, Steve Cardiff
St. Landry ** – Richard Gibbons
St. Tammany –
Satsuma – Jane Patterson
Savoie - Lee Ellis

Sheridan ** – Phillip Wallace/David Muth
Shreveport East ** - Jean and Jeff Trahan
Shreveport West - Charlie Lyon
Sieper – Jay Huner
Simpson N – Jay Huner
Simpson S – Jay Huner
Simsboro ** - Rosemary Seidler
Slidell – Jennifer Coulson
Sligo – Terry Davis
Smith Bayou - Mac Myers/Paul Conover
Sorrento ** - Jay Huner
South Point - David Muth
Spanish Fort SE
** - Phillip Wallace
Sparta - Terry Davis
Spearsville ** – Steve Pagans
Spokane – William McGehee
Spring Ridge ** - Larry Raymond
Sterlington ** - Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Stonewall ** - Hubert Hervey
Sugartown NE - Steve Shively
Sulphur – Vermillion
Summerfield ** - John Dillon
Sun – Mary Mehaffey

Temple – Jay Huner
Texas Point – Mac Myers/Paul Conover
Thibodaux ** -
Thornwell - Steve Cardiff/Donna Dittmann
Triumph -
Truxno ** – Stephen Pagans

Tunica – Jeff Harris
Twin Oaks ** – Steve Pagans
Venice -
Verda - Rosemary Seidler
Vivian North ** - Larry Raymond
Vivian South - Larry Raymond
Vixen ** - Joyce Bennett
W. Isles Dernieres – Steve Cardiff/Donna Dittmann

Waldheim ** – Mary Mehaffey
Waterproof ** – Joyce Bennett
Walls - Van Remsen
Wallace Lake ** - Rosemary Seidler
Wardview – Hubert Hervey
Watson -
Weeks - Erik Johnson
Welsh North
West of Johnsons Bayou -
West Monroe North ** - Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
West Monroe South ** - Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Weyanoke –
White Castle -
Whiteville - Bill Vermillion
Whitney Island South ** – Steve Pagans
Wilson – Van Remsen
Woodworth East ** - Marty Floyd
Woodworth West ** - Steve Shively
Wright - Dave Patton
Youngsville - Erik Johnson

Zachary – Walker Wilson