📈 Here's your summer IMBCR e-newsletter!

Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions eNewsletter

Summer 2025

Welcome to the IMBCR e-newsletter! With this outlet, we will showcase IMBCR data applications for management and conservation efforts, highlight the many partners that make IMBCR possible, and provide 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.

American Dipper by Dave Sandahl

Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) is a breeding landbird monitoring program led by Bird Conservancy of the Rockies that spans the Great Plains to the Intermountain West. 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.

IMBCR Announcements

That's a wrap! We finished the 2025 field season with a high survey completion rate of 99%. Nice job, team! Overall, there were few challenges this year in terms of weather and delays, and technician hiring and retention seemed as good as it was pre-Covid. The survey effort was down compared to last year, mainly because we didn't sample across all BLM land in Idaho, we had reduced effort on BLM land in Wyoming and US Forest Service land in Region 1, and no surveys on BLM land in Oregon. Most of the data have been entered and we have begun the proofing process for data quality. This fall, we will begin the analyses for trend, density, and occupancy estimates.

Thank you to everyone who made the season successful!!

Cactus blooming by Matt Smith

Please enjoy some pictures from the 2025 season below:

Photo credit clockwise starting in upper left: Red-naped Sapsucker by Charlie Trent, field training by Dave Sandahl, Cassin's Kingbird by Charlie Trent, field training by Matt Smith, Coronado NF by Nick Varvel, field training by Matt Smith, pronghorn antelope in the Badlands by Dave Sandahl, Tonto NF by Nick Varvel, and Brewer's Sparrow nest by Tyler Kerr.

We have a new IMBCR pub! Monitoring at Management Scales: Multi-scale Trend Estimates for Bird Populations in the Western United States was just accepted to Ecosphere and will be available soon. In it, we highlight the ability to look at smaller scale trends that better match the scale of management decisions, as well as the spatial variation in trends across strata that allow managers to better target resources. We also highlight the new and improved Rocky Mountain Avian Data Center and Colorado Parks and Wildlife's use of IMBCR trends to inform their 2025 SWAP revision. Thanks to the many collaborators for feedback and support!

IMBCR Partner Spotlight

This year, a few partners went the extra mile and helped us maintain coverage across several strata that would have otherwise have been un-funded. They truly exemplified collaboration and illustrated the value of the partnership. Thank you from all of us across the IMBCR program!!

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks covered all US Forest Service Region 1 strata in Montana to maintain state-wide coverage.

Wyoming Game & Fish covered most of the BLM strata in Wyoming to maintain state-wide coverage.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Rocky Mountain Rangelands Program funded a few BLM grids in Wyoming and grids in several BLM strata in Idaho.

The NFWF Northern Great Plains Program funded All Other Lands strata in Nebraska-BCR 17, North Dakota, and eastern Montana.

Bird Conservancy funded surveys in All Other Lands strata in Kansas-BCR 18 & BCR 19.

US Army Dugway Proving Ground covered grids on Hill Air Force Base to maintain state coverage.

Applying the Data

Like other state agencies, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has been working on a 10-yr revision for their State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP). CPW relied heavily on IMBCR trends within Colorado and within specific regions in the state to either remove bird species from the Plan that no longer needed to be included or to add species with declining trends. For example, IMBCR trends showed an increasing Sagebrush Sparrow population in northwest Colorado, so it was removed from the 2025 Plan, while Sage Thrasher was added to the Plan due to declining trends throughout western Colorado.

View this Story Map to see what has changed in Colorado's SWAP since 2015 and view a list of all species rankings for the 2025 SWAP here.

Playa Lakes Joint Venture recently concluded a study in western Nebraska looking at the impacts of the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) on grasslands birds. PLJV conducted this study, with funding support from Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and field support from Bird Conservancy, as an IMBCR overlay project from 2022-2024. Researchers found that several grassland birds of concern, such as Grasshopper Sparrow, Horned Lark, and Lark Bunting, were more abundant on lands enrolled in Grassland CRP compared to native grasslands. This result may have been due to management practices associated with lands enrolled in Grassland CRP, such as grazing and haying.