This is a joint message from Jan Green and Bob Janssen The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), coordinated by the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/), is the best long-term database for bird populations in North America. The survey started in 1967 and provides data for breeding species distribution, abundance and trends.
There are 84 routes in Minnesota. In recent years coverage has ranged from 70% to 80%. This is a call for volunteers to survey the following vacant routes. Many of these last year were run by Noel Cutright from Wisconsin as a special project. For several routes in north-central Minnesota he counted 60-75 species. We need volunteers to duplicate those counts this year. The open routes with the county of their starting point are listed below. For the route positions on a map of Minnesots go to http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/results/routemaps/index.cfm and then choose the Minnesota link. Each route is to be run on a single day in June. 005 Chandler Murray 017 Knapp Wright 021 Chokio Stevens 030 Tenney Wilkin 041 Oklee Red Lake 044 Wylie Red Lake 046 Little Fork Koochiching 049 Erie Pennington 060 Franklin Renville 061 Tracy Lyon 066 Chokio Stevens 075 Blackduck Itasca 078 Glendale St. Louis (north) 139 Cass Lake Cass 140 Nebish Beltrami We have both run a route for over 35 years and can attest to how rewarding it can be. There is a sense of discovery for what species you will find (hear actually) and the satisfaction you gain from the detailed knowledge of one slice of Minnesota's terrain that you can call your own. Documenting trends over time, especially as land use and bird populations change, also is very important. If you want to volunteer for one of the open routes, please contact Bob Janssen who is Minnesota's BBS coordinator by email ([email protected]) or by phone (952-974-0735). If you want more information about the Breeding Bird Survey, go to the web site given above. Jan Green
