Methodology for Louisiana Winter
Bird Atlas
Van Remsen, Steve Cardiff, Donna
Dittmann, & Richard Gibbons
Louisiana Bird Resource Center
Synopsis
The
LWBA program hopes to generate maps of relative abundance of birds in the state
during late winter. To do this, we 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. We think that a minimum of 20 party-hours (total;
not necessarily all in same day) is necessary to characterize a quad. These can
be distributed in any way within the 6-week survey period (over the 4-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.
Directions
for checking the current list for any quad ... 
go through the following steps:
eBird > Louisiana
Winter Bird Atlas (under "Regional Projects Near You", lower
right of screen) > View and Explore Data > Bar Charts > Atlas
Quadrangles in this State ... Continue > pick quad name from the roster that
appears ... Continue. This will generate a seasonal checklist that will also
include Summer Bird Atlas data as well. If you want to exclude summer-only
species, then do "Change Date" and restrict to "Winter."
Goals
1.
Publish an atlas of winter 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.
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.
Furthermore, the CBC period is too early in winter, and may not adequately
reflect "true" winter populations. The CBC time period is not only
short but also conflicts severely with major holidays. 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. Finally, in
contrast to atlasing efforts, dates for individual CBCs are set in advance and
are essentially irrevocable once set regardless of bad weather; they are also
restricted to a single 24-hr period. The method proposed here blends the
strengths of both atlas and CBC methods and minimizes their weaknesses.
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 mapping in the atlas, a
quad needs at least 20 party-hours of surveying, hopefully more, over the 4-year
lifespan of the project.  Those hours can
be distributed over any number of days within the official "winter
atlas" period.  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.  However, do not
bias a quad’s data by too many counts from a single spot, e.g., your yard –
limit those to say 4-5 representative counts/year.  Other than excessive single-point sampling,
surveys can be conducted as often as resources permit.  Do not do surveys during bad weather to
minimize "weather effects" on detection rates. Just use birding
common sense, e.g., do not do surveys of woodland landbirds when it’s so windy
that you can’t hear or see them … in other words, keep in mind that the goal is
to make the critical unit for comparing relative abundance, namely
birds/party-hr, as representative as possible and void biasing this downward by
surveying in bad weather.  Also, use
birding common sense again to get out as early in the day as possible, when
detection rates peak.
Quads
that don’t reach the 20-phr threshold might not be mapped individually, but the
data will be used, even if only a single 1-hour sample, for broader regional
comparisons and inter-annual comparisons. 
No data are discarded.  We are
seeking funds to hire “mercenaries” to boost phrs in quads that haven’t made it
to the 20 phr threshold.  We also may be
able to map quads that have reached only 10 party-hours in analyses of common,
widely distributed species.
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, even if not continuous with the
first hour. 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.
Date Entry --
The
Louisiana Winter Bird Atlas has its own data-entry page at eBird:
Data-entry
Louisiana Winter Bird Atlas: LWBA .
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.
or
at
Step 2, go to "Find it by Quad, City ... " and check the box at the
bottom for list of quads. This may be easier than 2b above, but eBird would
prefer you use 2b.
BE SURE TO SPECIFY AN INDIVIDUAL QUAD FOR YOUR DATA ... OTHERWISE
THEY DO NOT GO INTO THE LWBA DATA-BASE.
Then,
enter your bird data by following the instructions.  Put your locality details in the Comments box
for reference.  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
"Winter" period
Start: 10
January.  This avoids the traditional CBC
period and also coincides with the empirical observation that many "half
hardy" species seem to disappear after early January.  To some degree, the latter is an artifact of
CBC period coverage, but not entirely.
End: 20
February.  With Purple Martins arriving
in mid January, some waterfowl beginning to leave in late January, and some
residents nesting in January, there is no such thing as a "stable"
winter period for the entire avifauna.  Late
February leaf-out for many trees in southern Louisiana certainly sets a late
limit.  An "end" date of 20 Feb.
extends the period as long as possible without major departure of most winter
residents.  This may not apply to
waterfowl, but waterfowl are not among the species for which this sort of
survey is best suited.
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 1 Feb 2011),
or
for just the web page itself:
Unofficial Quad Stats Web
Page
updated 1 Feb 2011
For Mike Baldwin’s map of coverage through 31 Jan. 11, click here.
For Mike Baldwin’s detailed map of coverage for N LA through 31 Jan.
11, click here.
For Mike Baldwin’s detailed map of coverage for SW LA through 31
Jan. 11, click here.
For Mike Baldwin’s detailed map of coverage for SE LA through 31
Jan. 11, click here.
For Mike Baldwin’s map of species richness through 23 Feb. 10, click
here.
The WBA program
is indebted to Rosemary Seidler for her previous coverage maps – these made a
huge difference in planning this project.
Timeline:
2006-07 - field-test methods on selected quads; promote the program;
plan for 2008
2008 - all-out quad surveys
2009 - all-out quad surveys
2010 - all-out quad surveys
2011 - all-out quad surveys
2012 - 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 try to make sure that at least 20 party-hours are
invested in the quad between 10 Jan. and 20 Feb. over the lifespan of the
project (not just a single year) and will make sure the data are entered into
the eBird portal.  Theoretically, you
could accumulate the 20 hours on 20 separate 1-hr time blocks.
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).  [No one has done this yet, so
this isn’t a responsibility, just a suggestion.]
Maps.
SEE:
http://appl003.lsu.edu/natsci/labirdweb.nsf/$Content/Find+a+Quad?OpenDocument
Also,
try:
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 (2011 in blue):
** = already reached threshold of 20 party/hrs (needs updating)
Abbeville East - Richard Greig
Abbeville West - Richard Greig
Afeman **
– Jay Huner
Alexandria **
- Jay Huner
Allen ** -
Terry Davis/Jeff Trahan
Angie - Brian O’Shea
Arizona ** –
M. L. Lewis
Arnaudville - Patti Holland
Athens ** – John Dillon
Barataria - David Muth
Barataria Pass - Curt Sorrells
Bastian Bay - Steve Cardiff/Donna Dittmann
Bastrop **
- Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Baton Rouge East ** - Jane Patterson
Baton Rouge West ** - Jeff Harris
Baxter Bayou **
- Roselie Overby
Bay Ronquille – Erik Johnson
Bayou Boeuf - Lee Ellis
Bayou Cocodrie – William McGehee
Beggs - Mac Myers
Belle Chase - Lee Ellis
Belle D’Eau ** -
Marty Floyd
Belle Passe - Dan Purrington
Belle Rose - Sue Broussard
Benton ** - Jeff
& Jean Trahan
Bertrandville - David Muth
Big Bend – Jacob Saucier
Bird Island Point ** - Jonathan Clark
Birds Creek ** – Jim Johnson
Blackburn – John Dillon
Blanchard ** -
Larry Raymond
Blankston - Joyce Bennett
Bluff Creek - Michael Seymour
Bogalusa W - Brian O’Shea
Bosco ** -
Joyce Bennett
Bossier City - Jim Ingold
Bossier Point ** - Terry Davis
Boudreaux Lake (Cameron) -
Boyce - Jay Huner
Branch – Paul Conover
Breaux Bridge ** - Bill Fontenot
Broussard ** -
Danny Dobbs
Bryceland ** -
Rosemary Seidler
Bunkie **
- Marty Floyd
Buras ** - David Muth
Bush – Mary Mehaffey
Cadeville ** -
Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Calhoun ** - Stephen Pagans
Calumet Island - Steve
Cardiff/Donna Dittmann
Cameron **
-
Caminada Pass - Curt Sorrells
Carencro ** -
Bill Fontenot
Carville **
– Lindsay
Seeley/Van Remsen
Cecilia **
- Bill Vermillion
Centerville NW – Brian O’Shea
Chalmette **
- Glenn Ousset
Chef Menteur - Phillip Wallace
Cheneyville - Marty Floyd
Church Point - Jay Huner
Clay – John Dillon
Clear Lake ** - Nancy Menasco
Clifton - Brian O’Shea
Cocodrie Lake - Jim Johnson
Colfax - Jay Huner
Colquitt ** - John Dillon
Collinston West ** - Roselie Overby
Columbia - Joyce Bennett
Comite ** – Brian
O’Shea/Laurence Binford
Covington **  -
Cow Island -
Creole -
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 – E. J. Raynor
Dixie ** - Paul Dickson
Downsville North ** - Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Downsville South -
Stephen Pagans
Duson ** - Paul Conover/Dave Patton
E. Isles Dernieres –
E. J. Raynor
Eagle Bend – David Ringer
East Point - Paul Dickson
Elm Grove **
- Nancy Menasco
Elm Park ** - Dorothy Prowell
Elmer ** - Steve Shively
Empire ** -
Enon – Curt Sorrells
Enterprise **
- Joyce Bennett
Evelyn ** -
Hubert Hervey
Farmerville - **
-
Fish Lake ** - Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Folsom ** - Janine Robin
Forest Hill ** - Steve Shively
Forked Island NW - Paul Conover
Fort Polk ** - Jim Johnson
Franklinton – Janine Robin
French Settlement ** –
Sue Broussard/Van Remsen
Frost ** - Jane Patterson
Fullerton Lake **
- Steve
Shively
Gardner ** -
Steve Shively
Gheens -
Gibsland **
- Rosemary Seidler
Gibson - Steve
Cardiff/Donna Dittmann
Gilliam ** - Linda Adrion/Rosemary Seidler
Gilleyville **
- Joyce Bennett
Gonzales ** - Jacob Saucier
Grand Bayou -
Grand Cane **
- Rosemary Seidler
Grand Chenier - Dave Patton
Grand Isle ** -
Curt Sorrells
Gueydan ** -
Paul Conover/Dave Patton
Haaswood ** -
Jennifer Coulson
Hackberry Beach -
Hahnville **
– Hans Holbrook/Lee Ellis
Haile ** -
Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Hammock Lake - Erik Johnson
Harrell Lakes ** - Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Hayes – (for boundary between
this and Hayes, click here)
Hebert - Joyce Bennett
Hebert Lake - Richard Greig
Holden – Brian O’Shea
Holly Beach -
Holly ** Ron Martin
Holum - Joyce Bennett
Homer ** - John Dillon
Hortman **
- Rosemary Seidler
Hurricane Branch - Jim Johnson
Indian Beach ** - Dan Purrington
Intracoastal City - Richard
Greig
Ivan ** - Jeff
& Jean Trahan
Jackson - Dorothy Prowell
Jena East ** - Jonathan Clark
Jericho ** - Jay Huner
Johnsons Bayou -
Kaplan North **
- Erik Johnson
Kaplan South ** - Erik Johnson
Keatchie ** - Ron Martin
Kilbourne **
- Roselie Overby
Koran ** - Jim
Ingold
LaBranche - Melvin Weber/Ron Stein
Lac Sainte Agnes ** - Jacob
Saucier
Lacombe **
- Stefan & Mollie
Woltmann
LaCour – Van Remsen
Lake Arthur – Paul Conover
Lake Cataouatche East - David Muth
Lake Charles SE -
Lake Misere **– (for boundary between this and Hayes, click here)
Lake Quitman – David Muth
Lake Providence – Roselie Overby
Lafayette ** - Dave Patton
Langston - John Dillon
La Place ** - Melvin Weber/Ron Stein
Latanier Bayou **
- Paul Conover
Leeville - Dan Purrington
LeRoy ** - Erik Johnson
Lillie **
- Jeff Trahan/Terry Davis
Little Sandy Creek ** -
Rosemary Seidler
Little Woods **
- Glenn Ousset
Lockport - Lee Ellis
Lottie – Danny Dobbs
Luling - Hans Holbrook
Lutcher **
- David Sylvest
Madisonville ** - Chris Brantley
Mandeville **
- Chris Brantley
Mangham ** -
Joyce Bennett
Maringouin **
–
Maringouin NW ** – Danny Dobbs
Marksville South – Jacob Saucier
Marsalis **
– John Dillon
Martinville ** – Tom Trenchard
Mason - Joyce Bennett
Mer Rouge ** - Steve Pagans/Joan Brown
Mermentau – Paul Conover
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 – Jacob Saucier
Morgan City SE/Steve Cardiff/Donna Dittmann
Mound – David Ringer
Mt. Airy NW - Richard
Gibbons
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
Pass Tante Phine - Dan Purrington
Patterson - Jay Huner
Peveto Beach -
Phoenix **
- Glenn Ousset
Pioneer ** - Roselie Overby
Pilottown - Dan Purrington
Plaquemine ** - Van Remsen
Plaucheville ** - Jacob Saucier
Point ** - Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Point a la Hache ** - Phillip
Wallace
Pontchatoula – D. Brown/Patten
Portage ** - Bill Vermillion
Powhatan -
Prairieville – Sue Broussard
Pride – Charles Williams
Rapides ** - Steve Shively
Rayville **
- Joyce Bennett
Reserve ** - Melvin Weber/Ron Stein
Rigolets ** -
Ringgold – Terry Davis
Riverton ** - Joyce Bennett
Robert – Mary Mehaffey
Rocky Branch ** -
Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Rogillioville –
Roseland - Brian O’Shea
Rosepine - Matt Pontiff
St. Francisville – Matt Brooks/Keith Ouchley
St. Gabriel ** - Van Remsen/Steve Cardiff/Donna
Dittmann
St. Landry -
St. Tammany **
– Harvey Patten
Savoie - Lee Ellis
Shreveport East ** - Jean and Jeff Trahan
Shreveport West - Charlie Lyon
Simsboro ** - Rosemary Seidler
Smith Bayou -
Sorrento **
- Jay Huner
South Point - David Muth
Spanish Fort SE ** - Phillip Wallace
Sparta **
- Terry Davis
Spokane – William McGehee
Spring Ridge **
- Larry Raymond
Sterlington ** - Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Stonewall **
- Hubert Hervey
Sugartown NE - Steve Shively
Sulphur -
Summerfield **
- John Dillon
Tallulah –
Tensas Bluff **
- David Ringer/Boslers
Thibodaux ** - E. J. Raynor
Thornwell **
- Steve
Cardiff/Donna Dittmann
Triumph -
Venice - Dan Purrington
Vicksburg W – David Ringer
Vinton -
Vivian North ** - Richard Gibbons
Vixen - Joyce Bennett
W. Isles Dernieres –
E. J. Raynor/Steve Cardiff/Donna Dittmann
Waldheim ** - Mary
Mehaffey
Walls ** - Van Remsen
Wallace Lake **
- Mac Hardy/Rosemary
Seidler
Wardview ** -
Watson ** - Laurence
Binford
Weeks - Erik Johnson
Welsh North ** – Carol Foil
West of Johnsons Bayou -
West Monroe North ** - Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
West Monroe South ** - Stephen Pagans/Joan Brown
Weyanoke ** – Phil Stouffer
White Castle - Van Remsen
Whiteville - Bill Vermillion
Wilson –
Womack **
-
Woodworth East
- Marty Floyd
Woodworth West **
- Steve
Shively
Wright **
- Dave Patton
Youngsville ** -
Erik Johnson
Zachary **
– Phil Stouffer/Walker
Wilson
=======================================