Visit Protocol

Visit 1

The purpose of Visit 1 is to determine if your target species are present at each of your BFL survey points and to record any signs of breeding activity.

Follow these steps during Visit 1 to ensure that you do it correctly:

1. Before going into the field, determine which study species you will survey at each particular site and learn their sounds by listening to the BFL CD. You can survey as many or as few study species as you like depending on your comfort level, but make sure to decide on them before you start your observations. Since some of your study species will begin to breed at different times during the spring and the habitat they choose to use for breeding will vary, you do not have to survey for the same species at each site.

2. Conduct Visit 1 on the earliest date that all your study species are predicted to be present and attempting to breed. This must be a few days after the arrival of your study species that breeds latest in the season on territory. Make sure this date is after spring migration had ended for your study-species.

Observation Period:

3. Watch/listen for 10 minutes, noting all study species for that site, plus cowbirds and predators, and record your findings on a Field Form. Conduct only one 10-minute Observation Period per visit regardless of the number of species you study. Even if you quickly detect your study species, please complete a full 10-minute observation period. Record any observed breeding activity at this time.

The only time you will officially record information about predators and cowbirds is during this period. If they are detected during the Playback or Behavior Watch Period, make a note in the comments section.

Playback Period (mandatory 5 minutes per species):

Immediately after the 10-minute Observation Period, you will conduct sequential, 5-minute Playback Periods for each of your study species, even if they were detected during your 10-minute Observation Period. Complete the entire 5-minute playback sequence for each study species, even if you detect it early in the period, or during the playback of another species. By doing this, you are increasing your chances of discovering the breeding status of your study species and of detecting additional individuals. You are also working toward the goal of these visits to standardize your effort in order to get the highest breeding level possible (see Recording Breeding Status).

4. Play one minute of songs, calls, or drums, even if you've already detected that particular study species.

5. Watch and listen for 1 minute.

6. Play 1 minute of songs, calls, or drums again, even if you've already detected that particular study species.

7. Watch and listen for 2 minutes.

8. Repeat steps 4 to 7 for each study species on the same day.

Record any breeding status information by checking the appropriate box on the Field Form next to the atlas term listed in Recording Breeding Status. Predators and cowbirds that you observe during this playback portion or while traveling between survey points may be recorded in the Comments section of the data form.

Behavior Watch Period (mandatory 10 minutes):

The primary purpose of the Behavior Watch Period is to provide a low impact method of determining your study species' breeding status. We hope this protocol is less invasive than nest searching but still able to provide us with critical information on breeding activity. In response to the owl and chickadee calls, birds are likely to approach the speakers, appearing agitated and giving alarm calls or additional mobbing vocalizations. You'll need to look carefully at all individuals, as not only the study species will respond. It is good to look for females, pairs, family groups, fledged young, and interactions among individuals that give additional clues about breeding status. Predators and cowbirds that you observe during this playback portion or while traveling between survey points may be recorded in the Comments section of the data form.

9. After the Playback Period is completed for all study species, play 5 minutes of either the eastern or western mobbing calls depending on your region of the country. Eastern North Americas mobbing calls are on track 49 and Western North Americas mobbing calls are on track 50. Play the entire five-minute sequence while looking and listening for all species that you have chosen to study at this site, then stop the CD.

10. Watch/listen for 5 minutes. During this period, the CD must be turned off. Look and listen for your study species and any clues of their breeding status.

11. Record data on your Field Form. See Recording Breeding Status.

12. Repeat steps 1 - 11 for every site.

Summary of an example Visit 1

Observation Period (mandatory 10 minutes)

• Look and listen for predators, cowbirds, and study species.

Playback Period (mandatory 5 minutes per species)

• Species 1: play songs, calls, or drums for 1 minute
• Species 1: watch/listen for 1 minute
• Species 1: repeat songs, calls, or drums for 1 minute
• Species 1: watch/listen for 2 minutes
• Species 2: play songs, calls, or drums for 1 minute
• Species 2: watch/listen for 1 minute
• Species 2: repeat songs, calls, or drums for 1 minute
• Species 2: watch/listen for 2 minutes

Behavior Watch Period (mandatory 10 minutes)

• Play eastern or western mobbing calls for 5 minutes while looking and listening for study species
• Watch/listen for 5 minutes

Visit 2

The purpose of Visit 2 is to determine whether your study species are present at each of your points, and to determine their breeding status.

To ensure that you conduct Visit 2 correctly, follow these steps:

1. Return to each study site 2 to 4 weeks after Visit 1. Conduct Visit 2 when you have the maximum chance of confirming breeding for all your study species. This is usually two to four weeks after Visit 1, corresponding with the breeding activities of the first nesting attempt. Remember, some birds raise more than one brood each year, so their breeding season may span several months in some regions (see Species Accounts). Later in the breeding season, your study species may be less likely to be singing and calling spontaneously, so you might have to rely more on tape playback to detect the birds.

2. Repeat Observation, Playback and Behavior Watch periods, using the exact same protocol as in Visit 1. Survey all selected study species again, even if the species was undetected during your first visit. If you completed the protocol and did not observe your study species, you must still report which species you surveyed for by filling out a Field Form. Also, please make sure to report this information on your Web data forms; as stated earlier, negative data (not finding your study species) are just as important as discovering birds.