Encampment Forest: Breeding Bird Species Composition – 2014-2015

Abstract

During the summers of 2014 and 2015, we completed point count surveys for breeding birds along transects within a selected portion of the Encampment Forest during the breeding season (June) and the post-breeding season (late July-early August). The main objectives of these surveys were to determine the species composition of breeding birds within this old-growth forest area and identify the habitats and landscape characteristics associated with these species. During the breeding season a combined total of 66 species were observed within the 644 acre area that was sampled in 2014 and 2015. These included four species that flew over while sampling (Common Loon, Canada Geese, Turkey Vulture, and Ring-billed Gull). As expected, detectability decreased during the post-breeding period where we observed about 20 fewer species (44 species in both 2014 and 2015) and an average of about 500 fewer individuals with the same effort.