Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions eNewsletter | | | |
Welcome to the IMBCR e-newsletter! With this outlet, we will showcase IMBCR data applications for management and conservation efforts, highlight the many partners and faces that make IMBCR possible, and provide program updates and outreach materials. Please forward the newsletter to any interested colleagues who might find the material useful. If you have examples you would like to share using IMBCR data or would like to get involved in this monitoring effort, please contact Jen.
| | Ladder-backed Woodpecker by Brian Genge | | |
Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) is a breeding landbird monitoring program that spans the Great Plains to the Great Basin. A nested, probabilistic sampling design allows us to make inference about bird populations at multiple scales across public and private lands. Click here for more information about the program including the IMBCR vision and mission statement.
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The 2025 field season is here and the Southern Plains crew has already begun training. It's been an unfortunate whirlwind with federal funding and agreements. We will not survey in any USFS strata in Idaho, any BLM strata in Oregon, and we will survey in just four BLM field offices in Idaho. Some partners are covering a reduced effort on lands managed by other partners in Wyoming, Montana, and the Dakotas (thank you, Wyoming Game & Fish, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, and NFWF!). Playa Lakes Joint Venture is also starting a new overlay project in Kansas and Nebraska to evaluate restored playas for the Farm Service Agency.
| | Welcome to the IMBCR team, Dave Sandahl! | | Dave joins Bird Conservancy as an avian ecologist and will be overseeing the Southern & Northern Great Plains teams this year. Dave spent 6 seasons as an IMBCR tech and then a crew leader. He is originally from Michigan and received a BS from Michigan State University in wildlife biology and ornithology. Dave is currently finishing his master's thesis at the University of Nebraska and will defend soon. In his spare time, he enjoys riding bikes, making maple syrup, XC skiing, canoe-camping, and gardening with his wife, Eleanor, and their pooch, Kepler. Dave is very excited to join Bird Conservancy full-time and hopes to meet many of you soon! | | The 2024 IMBCR Field Season report is finally available! Click here to review the draft report and please let us know by COB April 25th if you notice any missing results for strata of interest. It is not a comprehensive list of all IMBCR strata, but has results for many strata across 16 states. | | |
A new data entry app?! Yes, you heard right. We will be launching a new app for entering IMBCR data this season. It should save time on data entry as techs can scan images of their datasheets rather than entering the data by hand. The datasheets have been updated slightly to accommodate the scan feature. We will officially roll out the app in May after some internal testing and will offer recorded trainings on how to use it. Stay tuned!
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Keeli Marvel, Natural Resource Manager, US Army Dugway Proving Ground
Keeli got involved in the IMBCR program in 2017 because bird conservation is her passion first and foremost. Secondly, she got involved because Dugway Proving Ground has cultivated a great relationship with their state conservation partners in Utah and they encouraged participation, both as a means to acquire data that would support program needs and also in support of state-level conservation efforts and Wildlife Action Plan updates. IMBCR estimates have helped them show that the military testing and training activities they support are not having a significant impact on bird populations in their most actively used testing and training areas. They’ve also helped Keeli and others support recommendations for siting of testing and training operations to avoid future impacts to bird populations. Lastly, the the data have helped them demonstrate suitability of certain areas over others for certain types of activities.
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  | Elizabeth Leipold and coauthors used IMBCR Dusky Grouse detections in Montana to create a predictive map of Dusky Grouse habitat across the state. Dusky Grouse probability of use was associated with proportion of trees 16-20m tall and coniferous forest types, among other variables. The map will be used to determine sampling areas for future monitoring of the gamebird population in Montana, which will help wildlife officials set appropriate harvest targets. Read the open-access publication here. | |  | Nick Van Lanen and coauthors used IMBCR survey and habitat data to model Pinyon Jay abundance with local conditions across several ecoregions. They found that relationships between Pinyon Jay abundance and pinyon and juniper cover were generally positive or neutral across ecoregions. Pinyon Jay abundance was also positively associated with percent grass cover and sagebrush cover, and the habitat relationships can help inform local management efforts for this species of concern. Read the open-access publication here. | | | |
We have a new Rocky Mountain Avian Data Center! Click the Explore the Data tab to access and download density, occupancy, and trend estimates for regions and management units of interest. Click the Tutorial tab for instructions on using the site and interpreting the estimates. Email Jen if you have any questions.
| | Bird Conservancy recently updated our website. Visit the Monitoring and Tracking page to read about the IMBCR program and scroll down for various resources, such as past annual reports, newsletters, and blogs. Click here to see IMBCR-related and other publications. | |
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Stay in touch!
Contact Jen Timmer (jennifer.timmer@birdconservancy.org) with questions, example applications of IMBCR data, pictures, or any other contributing material for future IMBCR e-newsletters.
| | birdconservancy.org/IMBCR | | | | |
