Monitoring

your
Wetland
a primer to site-level monitoring activities for volunteer coordinators

Birds
. . . . . . . . . .

B
irds lure wildlife viewers into wilder and rearing young. And migrating birds often
nesses like no other animal. And as any stop in wetlands to rest and refuel.
birder who travels near and far in search Few wildlife monitoring activities bring
of interesting species discovers, wetlands volunteers flocking to wetlands the way bird
HIGH provide outstanding birding
HIGH monitoring does. And because bird watching is
RESOURCES
E X P E RT I S E

opportunities. Many bird species
descend on wetlands to feast on
the amphibian, shellfish and
insect buffet that hovers in and
LOW around wetland waters. Due to
LOW
an abundant availability of food, wetlands are
also popular with birds for breeding, nesting
such a popular hobby, potential volunteers with
at least moderate bird identification skills are
usually not difficult to find. Bringing birders
into a wetland to volunteer monitor increases
public awareness of the importance of wet
lands, can help characterize your wetland and
may document rare bird sightings.

About Wetland Bird Surveys

T he most accessible site-level monitoring

activity for volunteers documenting bird
observations in a wetland is the creation of a
surveys. Under some circumstances, how
ever, a carefully collected volunteer inventory
can provide a general,
Great egret
basic inventory. A basic inventory simply if somewhat tenuous,
indicates presence or absence of bird species indication of
and can satisfy a general curiosity about the wetland
bird species present. An inventory can also health. Say,
provide a general idea of the diversity of for example,
species using the wetland, raise awareness inventory data
about wetlands among volunteers and some collected with
times document endangered or threatened consistent methods over a long
bird species. period of time in a wetland under
Many volunteer groups also want to going restoration documents an
conduct bird monitoring as a means of better increase in bird species diver
understanding a wetlands health. This is tricky, sity. It is probably safe
requiring biologist-supported activities such as to interpret the
density estimates and nesting productivity increase as

This publication is part of a Monitoring Your Wetland series available online in pdf format at:
wetlandmonitoring.uwex.edu
 Monitoring Your Wetland Birds
About Wetland Bird Surveys continued from front page
a positive sign about the progress of the
restoration.
Volunteer groups may want to consider
narrowing the focus of their bird inventory to
species more sensitive to variations in wetland
quality. Marshbird species specialized to live in
wetland habitats such as rails and bitterns are
considered good indicator species among birds
in emergent wetlands. Additionally, bird monitor
ing has historically underrepresented marshbirds,
which are secretive and difficult to detect.
Consequently, wetland monitoring volunteers
have an opportunity to help address an informa
tional gap in the field of ornithology by making
a special effort to monitor marshbirds.
Although a wetland survey of all bird
species may detect marshbirds, surveys focusing
exclusively on marshbirds will detect them
better. Marshbirds tend to hide in emergent
vegetation and call infrequently. Without making
a deliberate effort to find them, volunteers often
miss marshbirds that are present, but remain
hidden and silent. Marshbirds have received
greater attention from bird surveying efforts in
recent years, and volunteer monitoring groups
can draw upon some of these efforts to inform
their own marshbird monitoring. In Wisconsin,
the resource wetland monitoring groups will
most likely want to turn to is the Wisconsin Bird
Conservation Initiatives Wisconsin Marshbird
Survey.
The Wisconsin Marshbird Survey was cre
ated by the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative
in 2008 in an effort to gather more information
on marshbirds. The survey was not designed
for use within non-randomly selected wetlands,
but a volunteer group monitoring within a par
ticular wetland can use the surveys protocol to
collect the best possible data for their own use
2
and possibly for use by state ornithologists
and wildlife managers. The primary goal of the
Wisconsin Marshbird Survey program is to
monitor long-term trends in marshbird popula
tions statewide. Establishing long-term trends
requires a statis
of randomly
selected survey
tically valid sample Bird monitoring
has historically
underrepresented
sites, rather than marshbirds, which
data collected for are secretive and
a particular wet difficult to detect.
land. But monitor
ing groups that carefully follow marshbird survey
protocol might collect data of interest to state
ornithologists as well as to their wetland con
stituency. Volunteer groups can submit data to
the Wisconsin Marshbird Survey and if they have
carefully followed survey protocol, the data may
be used to make habitat associations, document
rare species occurrences and calculate detection
probabilities that serve as correction factors
during large-scale analyses.
This publication will focus on two of the
most accessible volunteer bird monitoring
activities general inventories and marshbird
inventories. When creating a marshbird
inventory, volunteers will use many of the same
techniques used for conducting general
inventories, but with a few key differences. For
general bird inventories there are no hard and
fast protocols, but volunteers can adopt survey
methods that maximize their ability to detect
species and produce more complete inventories.
In this publication we will summarize survey
methods used to improve bird detection for a
general inventory and also Wisconsin Marshbird
Survey protocols used to improve marshbird
detection.
 Monitoring Your Wetland Birds

Supplies and Equipment

The most bare-bones equipment
and supplies needed to conduct a
survey inventorying birds might
include only binoculars, a field
guide, clipboard, pencil and
data sheet. However, volunteers
might want to include additional
pieces of equipment to enhance
their ability to detect species, such
as an audio recorder for taping
calls and observations, a high-
powered scope, rubber boots
and a canoe.
A high-powered scope will
enable volunteers to identify
birds within a larger range and
rubber boots and canoes will
enable them to better observe
birds not visible from dry land.
Audio recorders can enhance
detection by allowing volunteers
to document their observations
verbally rather than divert their
eyes away from the wetland to
write observations down, reducing
the chance that a species of bird
will fly by unnoticed. Volunteers
can also use audio recorders to
capture bird calls. Recorded bird
calls can help verify encounters
with unusual bird species or give
a volunteer a second chance at
identifying a bird call they could
not identify in the field.
One disadvantage of using a
recorder is that volunteers will
need to spend time transcribing
their recording after birding.
Additionally, data can be lost if
the recorder fails in the field. To
avoid this problem, volunteers
should be encouraged to stop and
check their recordings periodically
to ensure recorders are operating
properly. Also, volunteers using
recorders should still come
prepared with writing utensils
and paper in case the recorder
malfunctions in the field.
Volunteers collecting data for a
marshbird inventory will also need
pre-recorded marshbird calls
and an audio device for playing
them. Secretive marshbirds cannot
be adequately surveyed without
eliciting responses using playback.
Marshbird calls can be downloaded
from the Wisconsin Marshbird
Survey Web site (see Informational
Resources on back page).

Survey Participants

I deally, a volunteer bird monitoring group

should include a team leader with advanced
bird identification skills and volunteer members
with moderate to advanced bird identification
skills. A highly skilled birder can identify as
many as 100 species of birds by sight and song.
The ability to identify birds by song enables a
birder to better identify birds obscured from
view.
Although not necessary for a basic inven
tory, you might also want volunteers to know
how to count birds. When encountering a large
flock, counting can get tricky. Often the best you
can do is to estimate, but there are tricks birders
can use to improve their estimates. If you would
like volunteers to learn how to count birds in
flocks in order to collect more detailed data,
you may want to refer them to a Web site
known as eBird (see Informational Resources
on back page). Useful tips on counting can be
found on the eBird Web site under News &
Features in entries titled Bird Counting 101 and
Bird Counting 201.
Finally, you might also need volunteers
who are physically fit and will definitely want
volunteers who are willing to commit. Fitness
will come in useful if you have a wetland that
cannot be adequately surveyed without travers
ing difficult terrain. And volunteers who are
committed to show up for surveys throughout
the season greatly enhance detection of birds
that might be present intermittently.

3
 Monitoring Your Wetland Birds

Surveying When & Where

Basic Inventorying

V olunteers will not be able to detect all

of the bird species using your wetland.
But surveys conducted frequently, at the right
times and from the right locations can help
ensure collected data represent
monitoring period can vary depending on the
bird groups of interest. For example, while
dawn is best for songbirds, ducks are active all
day and marshbirds are active both at dawn
and dusk.

many, if not most, of the bird
species present.
The more frequently vol
unteers conduct bird surveys,
the better. Ideally, surveys
should be conducted at least
once every two weeks in the
spring, summer and fall, and
perhaps as often as once per
week during migration periods
Weather conditions
Ideally, surveys should
should also be considered
be conducted at least when determining when to
once every two weeks in survey. When the weather
the spring, summer and is particularly windy or there
fall, and perhaps as often is heavy rain, monitoring
as once per week during should be rescheduled for
migration periods when a another day. As a basic rule,
volunteers should not survey
lot of changeover takes
on days when wind speeds

place.
when a lot of changeover takes
place. Generally, counts should
begin in March or early April, when migrating
birds will begin to arrive, and continue until
migrations of birds heading south taper off in
October. If you are more interested in
inventorying breeding birds, however, this
window may be reduced.
The time of day is also important. Many
birds are most active, vocal and easily detected
around dawn and dusk. However, the best
are faster than 12 miles per
hour. High winds make
birds less likely to call, and drown-out the calls of
birds that do call.
Knowing the wetlands habitat well will
help you and your volunteers select the best
locations for encountering birds. Choose
locations that attract lots of birds and represent
the full spectrum of habitat types found within
your wetland. Having the right tools on hand
will also improve detection.

Marshbird Inventorying

F or marshbirds, the prime time for monitoring

occurs in May and June, when they are
courting and most vocal. The ideal marshbird
survey period varies slightly between northern
and southern regions of the state because of later
breeding periods in the north. In the northern-
most third of the state, the best marshbird
monitoring period occurs between May 15 and
June 30. In the remaining southern portion, the
best monitoring period occurs between May 1
and June 15.
To maximize detection, volunteers should
conduct at least three surveys during the marsh
bird breeding period. A ten-day time window
should be designated for each of these three
surveys and each window should be separated

4
 Monitoring Your Wetland Birds
MARSHBIRDS
Pied-billed grebe Yellow-headed blackbird
from the next window by at least seven days.
Each survey can be conducted at any time
within its time window, but ideally they should
be conducted approximately two weeks apart
from each other. Additional surveys can be
conducted at any time during the marshbird
calling season, but will be most beneficial if they
are spread out as evenly as possible.
As mentioned earlier, the best times to
monitor marshbirds are at dawn and dusk.
Morning surveys should begin 30 minutes
before sunrise and be complete within three
hours after sunrise. Evening surveys should
begin three hours before sunset and be
completed by dark.
Although not necessary for conducting a
basic marshbird inventory, if you would like to
more rigorously follow Wisconsin Marshbird
Survey protocol you will need to establish a route
of permanent surveying sites. To determine the
Surveying Observing & Identifying
Basic Inventorying
W hen observing and identifying birds,
it is wise to have at least one person with
a high level of identification skills present to
assist volunteers with moderate or only basic
identification skills. And as mentioned earlier,
5
Sandhill cranes Least bittern
number of sites that should be designated for
monitoring, you will want to consider the size
of your wetland and number of volunteers you
can expect on a sustained basis. A pair of
volunteers can survey roughly five to 10 sites in
a single outing. Additionally, survey sites
should be located about 400 meters or more
apart from each other to prevent double
counting. But for strict inventory work this may
be narrowed to about 250 meters. Volunteers
should note any birds that might have been
double-counted. Some marshbirds such as the
Pied-billed Grebes and American Bitterns can
be heard from long distances. You can
designate sites so that they are accessible on
foot, but if you have large expanses of water not
accessible by foot it may be a good idea to also
designate some sites requiring a canoe. The
best way to mark your sites is with wetland
maps or a GPS unit.
volunteers who learn bird calls will increase
their ability to identify birds greatly. If an observer
only knows birds by sight they will miss many
species. Using binoculars and a field guide will
also be key to identifying species.
 Monitoring Your Wetland Birds

Surveying Observing & Identifying continued from page 5

Marshbird Inventorying

W hen monitoring marshbirds using

Wisconsin Marshbird Survey protocol,
volunteers need to be able to identify the
19 bird species listed on this page.
Because marshbirds tend to
hide from view, it is imperative
volunteers be able to identify them
by sight and song. And because
marshbirds can also be very
quiet, volunteers need to play pre
recorded marshbird calls to elicit
them to call back. Great care must
be taken when monitoring birds
using pre-recorded calls and
should only be done in a controlled
fashion by trained volunteers.
SECONDARY SPECIES:
Excessive playing of calls can
disrupt marshbirds by encourag
ing them to expend extra energy
and leave nests and young
unattended when responding to
pre-recorded calls.
When surveying a site, volun
Yellow-headed blackbird
teers should first listen passively
for five minutes and then play the
recorded Wisconsin Marshbird Survey calls using
a portable playback device and speakers. The pre
recorded call sequence will last six minutes for
calls downloaded for southern Wisconsin and
five minutes for recordings down
PRIMARY SPECIES: loaded for northern Wisconsin.
Yellow rail For documenting the species heard
Sora and observed, you can develop
Virginia rail your own forms or download
King rail
forms from the Wisconsin Marsh
Least bittern
American bittern
bird Survey site.
American coot Generally, volunteers con
Common moorhen ducting a marshbird survey should
Pied-billed grebe document only marshbirds, with
Wilsons snipe
the exception of a chance sighting
Y
of a rare bird species. By limiting
their focus to marshbirds, volun
Red-necked grebe
teers wont be distracted by other
Black tern
species and will be more likely to
Foresters tern
Marsh wren detect marshbirds. However, if
Sedge wren your wetland is small and marsh
Swamp sparrow birds are not abundant, volunteers
Le Contes sparrow
may be able to document all bird
Sandhill crane
species without being excessively
distracted.

6
 Monitoring Your Wetland Birds

DUCKS

Canvasback (drake) Ruddy duck (hen) Shoveller (drake) Redheads (drake behind hen)

Data Collection & Record Keeping

O nce survey data has been collected from

the field, volunteer monitoring groups will
most likely want to enter their data into an on-
line database known as eBird. The Cornell Lab
of Ornithology at Cornell University and the
National Audubon Society created eBird to serve
as a universal database for observational bird
data. The database allows birders and volunteer
monitoring groups to document, store and
share their data without having to worry about
data management. In eBird, data is permanently
stored and is archived for other people to use.
Currently, the Wisconsin Marshbird Survey
Web site does not offer site-level volunteer
monitors a database in which to enter data, but
may do so in the future. If your volunteer group
collects marshbird data using Wisconsin Marsh
bird Survey protocols and wishes to contribute
to the statewide survey, contact the Wisconsin
Bird Conservation Initiative survey coordinator
at their Web site below.

Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas Web site

http://www.uwgb.edu/birds/wbba

eBird Web site Wisconsin Bird Conservation

http://ebird.org/content/ebird Initiative Marshbird Survey Web site
http://wiatri.net/projects/birdroutes/
marshbirds.htm

7
 Monitoring
your a primer to site-level monitoring activities for volunteer coordinators The Monitoring Your Wetland
series includes 9 sections:
Wetland
Introduction to Wetland

Birds Monitoring
Birds

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Small Mammals
Dragonflies & Damselflies
INFORMATIONAL RESOURCES (Odonata)
Frogs and Toads (Anurans)
Cornell University Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society
Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
eBird Web site
This Web site provides many useful tips on birding and provides a universal database Invasive Plants
for birders and volunteer monitoring groups to document, store and share their data
Water Quality
without having to worry about data management. http://ebird.org/content/ebird
Macroinvertebrates
Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative Marshbird Survey
This survey was not developed for monitoring marshbirds at the site-level, but many Available online in pdf format at:
of its protocols can be adapted for use in site-level monitoring. In addition to its
wetlandmonitoring.uwex.edu
protocols, the survey also provides data recording sheets, marshbird calls that can be
downloaded for use in the field and information about marshbird monitoring
workshops held throughout the state.
http://wiatri.net/projects/birdroutes/marshbirds.htm

Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas

The atlas includes distribution maps of bird species and breeding areas, a bird call library and other useful informational resources
about Wisconsin birds. http://www.uwgb.edu/birds/wbba

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
March 2011
Project coordination by the Rock River Coalition and Suzanne Wade, UW-Extension Basin Education Initiative.
Researched and written by Patrice Kohl
With editorial contributions from Ryan Brady, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources research scientist; Andy Paulios,
Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative Coordinator, Bureau of Wildlife Management, Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources; and David Sample, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources grassland community ecologist. Editorial
assistance by Marie Martinelle and graphic design by Jeffrey J. Strobel, UW-Extension Environmental Resources Center.
Photography by Jeffrey J. Strobel except where otherwise noted.
Project funded through a DNR Citizen-Based Monitoring Partnership Program Grant with support from University of Wisconsin-Extension.
University of Wisconsin, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Wisconsin counties cooperating. An EEO/AA employer, University of Wisconsin Extension
provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and American with Disabilities (ADA) requirements.