Idaho bird inventory and survey (IBIS) 2012 annual report

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The Idaho Bird Inventory and Survey (IBIS) is a plan to monitor all birds (waterbirds, shorebirds, waterfowl, and landbirds) throughout the state in a coordinated, standardized manner; and this report summarizes monitoring results from 2012. Conservation and management of Idaho’s birds depend on adequate monitoring information, which is required by legislative and land/wildlife management agency mandates as well as a host of forest plans, ecoregional plans, preserve management plans, and state wildlife action plans. It is important to monitor bird populations not only because their conservation is important in its own right, with a high level of legal, scientific, and public concern, but also because birds are useful indicators of environmental health. Birds are one of the best tools for monitoring the effects of current land-use practices: they are the most easily detected and identified vertebrates, simple survey methods can cover many species, and both accounting for and maintaining many species that have different requirements promote conservation strategies at the landscape scale. An important part of the IBIS program is to provide a central location for information sharing, to facilitate communication and collaboration. This inaugural report includes 12 monitoring projects carried out in 2012, spanning all taxa of birds in Idaho and including a variety of partners. Some projects address abundance and distribution questions. Others use monitoring to address conservation and management concerns. The projects included in this 2012 report—and their respective objectives—are as follows: • 2012 Idaho Peregrine Falcon Survey and Nest Monitoring—to monitor all known peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) territories in Idaho, as part of post-delisting monitoring requirements • Abundance and Productivity of Long-billed Curlews in the ACEC—to assess abundance and productivity of long-billed curlews (Numenius americanus) on the ACEC within the BLM Four Rivers Field Office in southwest Idaho • American White Pelican Marking Project—to document local movement, migration patterns, and colony fidelity • American White Pelican Population Monitoring—to assess annual changes in pelican numbers and distribution and to obtain long-term population information • Assessment of Foraging Habitats of White-faced Ibis in Eastern Idaho—to assess habitat use and foraging behavior of white-faced ibis (Plegadis chihi) in areas surrounding Market Lake and Mud Lake Wildlife Management Areas in eastern Idaho • Burrowing Owl Survey within BLM Four Rivers Field Office—to test a sampling framework for surveying burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) and assess distribution of owls within the BLM Four Rivers Field Office • Burrowing Owl Survey within BLM Shoshone Field Office—to conduct long-term monitoring of burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) along previously established survey routes • East Idaho Yellow-billed Cuckoo Survey and Habitat Assessment—to systematically identify potentially suitable habitat for the species within the Idaho Falls District of the BLM, survey suspected breeding habitat for occupancy, and develop recommendations for long-term monitoring and conservation • Flammulated Owls on Salmon-Challis National Forest—to determine breeding season occurrence and distribution of flammulated owls (Otus flammeolus) within the Upper North Fork Ecosystem Restoration Project area, within Mosquito Flat Fuels Reduction Project area, and on 3 historic transects in the North Fork Ranger District • Integrated Monitoring by Bird Conservation Regions—to monitor density and occupancy of all birds at spatially balanced and randomly selected sites throughout the state • Statewide Aquatic Bird Survey—to assess abundance and distribution of aquatic birds at priority wetlands throughout the state • Trumpeter Swan Distribution during Light Goose Hunt, Southeast Idaho—to determine whether spring light goose hunt activities result in the disturbance and displacement of trumpeter swans from the Fort Hall/American Falls Reservoir area

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ELECTRONIC FILE - Zoology