An Evaluation of Survey Power and Species Trends After Five Years of Monitoring
by Shannon Scott Badzinski, Canadian Wildlife Service. Pacific and Yukon Region, Bird Studies Canada, Shannon Scott
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The British Columbia Coastal Waterbird Survey (BCCWS) is a volunteer-based survey administered by Bird Studies Canada (BSC), with support from the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), that focuses on monitoring the bird populations in and around the Strait of Georgia. CWS and BSC agreed to undertake a formal evaluation of the ability of the BCCWS to fulfil its major monitoring objectives after five years of data collection. The primary objectives of the surveys are: to assess the size of non-breeding waterbird populations in coastal areas of British Columbia; to assess trends in numbers and distribution of coastal waterbirds; to assess and monitor the importance of individual sites for waterbirds; and to improve understanding of the ecology of waterbirds, including responses to natural and anthropogenic change. This report provides an overview of the BCCWS protocol, database structure and management, and a more detailed appraisal of the analyses conducted to assess the survey's ability to meet its goals. The report's primary objectives are to: provide a quantitative assessment of the ability of the BCCWS to detect changes in the abundance of waterbirds (and other species of interest) in the Georgia Basin; derive annual species abundance indices and assess linear trends in abundance of the first five years of the survey; and present data summaries of species abundances and distribution at BCCWS sites. It discusses trends in species abundances and distributions, compares BCCWS results with other published and unpublished survey data, and proposes recommendations to improve the quality and utility of data collected by the BCCWS.--Document.