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Any property owners and managers, as well as home owners and renters,
will benefit from some of the information provided below that describes
how you can “manage” your habitats to benefit birds, including
specific species and groups of species. Today, with millions of
backyard birders landscaping their property to attract birds, the
benefit to neotropical migrants and other birds could be enormous.
A wealth of research has also been conducted to better understand
the management of natural habitats including forests, prairies and
other grasslands, wetlands, and river borders, which land managers
and property owners can utilize. In addition, there is material
that will help you restore habitats that have been altered or destroyed,
or to help you create new habitat.
Below, selected publications are listed and described, many of which
can be downloaded and printed. These materials provide a fertile
introduction into ways to improve the landscapes around you, large
and small, and to inform yourself about the options that land managers
use to improve public lands ranging from wildlife refuges and national
forests to golf courses and city parks. And for more information,
we provide a list of organizations where you can dig a little deeper
to find more information about birds and land use practices that
benefit them.
Backyard Habitats
http://www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat
Using this National Wildlife Federation web site as your guide,
you can learn how to provide the 4 basic requirements for wildlife – water, food, cover, and nesting/brood-raising sites. Information
provided in this web site offers many options you can provide to
create a functioning backyard habitat for birds and other animals.
When your yard is wildlife friendly, you can utilize the same methods
to transform the property surrounding your office, school, church,
or another site into a more attractive birdscape.
Conservation Practices for Small Acreages
and Yards
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/backyard
Find out how you can improve your yard or acreage with agriculture-proven
practices provided in the publication, Backyard Conservation, and
downloadable information about ponds, wetlands, terracing, tree
planting, water conservation, wildlife habitat, and more.
Green Landscaping
http://www.epa.gov/reg3esd1/garden/what.htm
How to apply natural designs and a greater variety of plants, primarily
native plants, while reducing lawns and change maintenance practices
in your yard, workplace, schoolyard, and other public lands. Although
this web site targets the Mid-Atlantic Region, most of the information
offered can be utilized throughout the United States.
Habitat Stewards
http://www.nwf.org/volunteer/habitatsteward.cfm
After you have developed an attractive backyard habitat, the next
step in developing small parcels of bird habitat is to coach others
about how they can change their yards and public areas into attractive
survival sites in your community or across the country. Receive
advanced training, and join a network of mentors through this National
Wildlife Federation program.
Management Practices for Enhancing Wildlife
Habitat - downloadable
http://www.conserveonline.org/subjects/Birds;internal&action=buildframes.action
A variety of wildlife features are described, including brush piles,
snags, edge improvement, stream bank protection, wetland restorations,
spring protection, and creating wildlife corridors.
Urban Conservation Treaty for Migratory
Birds
http://www.fws.gov/birds/urbantreaty.html
This program to conserve migratory birds through education and habitat
improvements in big cities provides ways of creating, protecting,
and restoring habitats crucial to the survival of bird populations
using means varying from simple to complex. An exciting idea is
to work to connect yards and parks and other urban habitats to provide
integrated urban habitat corridors for birds.
Green-based Urban Growth downloadable
http://www.conserveonline.org/subjects/Birds;internal&action=buildframes.action
Conservation On Line offers a wealth of information provided as
downloadable publications, maps, and discussion groups.
Wildlife at Work
http://www.wildlifehc.org/wildlifeatwork/index.cfm
Ways to enhance workplace lands for birds, including examples of
how proactive companies have developed wildlife-friendly property,
and how some corporations have developed partnerships to improve
larger tracts of land.
Corporate Land Stewardship
http://www.wildlifehc.org
See how large corporations are promoting environmental stewardship
at corporate facilities, while progressive smaller businesses are
creating wildlife-friendly habitat at their workplaces. Also see
the Source Book for Corporate Environmental Stewardship at http://www.wildlifehc.org/publications/sourcebook
Utility Rights of Way Management
http://www.wildlifehc.org/spotlight/index.cfm
A new management program develops wildlife habitat on utility rights-of-way
to assist landowners in creating habitat beneficial to wildlife
that will not compromise the ability to transmit power resources.
Such techniques as enhancing low-level shrub-scrub habitat that
provides food, nesting cover, and sheltered areas for birds and
other wildlife are described. With more than 100 utility companies
already signed on, Project Habitat® shows great potential as
organized by the Wildlife Habitat Council and continues to be the
electric utility industry’s premier wildlife enhancement program.
** Golf Course Management
NFWF publication
Lakeshore Landscaping for Wildlife and
Water Quality
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/publications/books/index.html
Management of lakeshore property to improve wildlife habitat and
water quality is described in the book: Lakescaping for Wildlife
& Water Quality. This impressive reference book offers many
great ideas that are most useful to lakeshore home and cabin owners
and land managers.
Woodland Stewardship Assistance for Landowners
http://na.fs.fed.us/stewardship/index.shtm
A source of information for forest landowners looking for voluntary,
long-range conservation planning assistance tailored to your goals
and the capacity of your land.
Forest Management for Landowners –
Species Abstracts - downloadable
http://www.conserveonline.org/subjects/Birds;internal&action=buildframes.action
Species-specific information sources for a variety of birds from
a to y – Acacia Flycatchers, American Redstarts, American Woodcocks
. . . to . . . Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Yellow-breasted Chats, and
Yellow-throated Vireos.
Private Forest Management
http://www.privateforest.org/
An expansive source for introductory forest management, library
materials, state resources, and discussion groups for landowners.
Also see the Forest Service’s Forest Stewardship Program at
http://www.fs.fed.us/cooperativeforestry/programs/loa/fsp.shtml
Management Practices to Enhance Wildlife
Habitat – Bibliography downloadable
http://www.conserveonline.org/subjects/Birds;internal&action=buildframes.action
An expansive list of management and information sources to improve
wildlife habitat in a variety of ecosystems.
Farm Bill Conservation Programs - The
Wildlife Society
http://www.wildlife.org/policy/index.cfm?tname=farmbill
Privately owned agricultural and forestry lands comprise 69% of
America’s total land, making the decisions of farmers and ranchers
paramount for future wildlife populations. Information about the
current Farm Bill’s conservation program, including the downloadable
publication “Planting Seeds for Conservation in America,”
is available in this web site.
Tallgrass Prairie Restoration downloadable
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/prairierestoration/index.html
An expansive guide to restoring tallgrass prairie for land managers
and land owners, including the publication Going Native – A
Prairie Restoration Handbook:
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/assistance/backyard/prairierestoration/goingnative.pdf
Shoreline Management downloadable
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/shorelandmgmt/index.html
Information about shoreline ecosystems, aquatic plants, restoring
shorelines, and more, including the downloadable booklet, The Waters
Edge: http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/assistance/backyard/shorelandmgmt/savewateredge.pdf
Lakeshore Landscaping for Wildlife and
Water Quality
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/publications/books/index.html
Management of lakeshore property to improve wildlife habitat and
water quality is described in the book: Lakescaping for Wildlife
& Water Quality.
Wetlands Mapper
http://www.nwi.fws.gov
and https://mapper.tat.fws.gov/geotract/mapper.html?Title=Mapper
An interesting and helpful mapping tool that provides land use overviews
and wetlands inventories across much of the United States, along
with associated publications and applications.
BIRD MANAGEMENT PLANS
North American Bird Conservation Initiative
http://www.nabci-us.org/
including http://www.nabci-us.org/plans.html
and http://www.abcbirds.org/directory/directory.htm
This web site provides links to the bird management plans listed
below, plus species assessments and priorities for research, and
a directory of contacts.
Partners In Flight Conservation Plans
downloadable
http://www.blm.gov/wildlife/pifplans.htm
These comprehensive plans include detailed descriptions of the nation’s
94 physiographic areas as they pertain to birds and habitat management.
Within each area, a list of priority bird species is provided with
information about their habitat requirements, natural history, and
breeding range. For more information about the cooperating groups
that comprise Partners in Flight, see http://www.partnersinflight.org
North American Waterfowl Management Plan downloadable
http://www.nawmp.ca/
A continental approach to managing ducks, geese, and swans by the
United States, Canada, and Mexico. A PDF file of the 1996 plan is
downloadable at http://www.nawmp.ca/pdf/update-e.pdf
United States Shorebird Conservation Plan
downloadable
http://shorebirdplan.fws.gov/USShorebird.htm
A national plan to protect and manage migratory shorebirds and the
habitats they depend on, including conservation assessments, research
needs, monitoring strategies, and education and outreach opportunities
along with regional plans and related programs. Also see http://shorebirdplan.fws.gov/USShorebird/PlanDocuments.htm
Canadian Shorebird Conservation Plan downloadable
http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/publications/spec/cscp/index_e.cfm
This downloadable publication provides information regarding shorebird
monitoring, research, conservation, and describes international
cooperation opportunities. (It also offers other links to Canadian
Wildlife Service information.)
Index of Bird Species Management Plans
http://www.conserveonline.org/subjects/Birds;internal&action=buildframes.action
A spreadsheet describing the availability of management plans for
all North American bird species is provided with internet links
to respective plans.
Breeding Bird Surveys
http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/
How to conduct a Breeding Bird Survey, including a training program.
Also, for Breeding Bird Survey analyses, trends, distribution maps
(breeding and winter), abundance maps, trend maps, and more, see
www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/
Important Bird Areas
http://www.audubon.org/bird/iba/index.html
A program to identify a network of sites that provide critical habitat
for birds during breeding, wintering, or migration periods. Coordinated
state by state, nationally, and worldwide to reverse trends in habitat
loss and fragmentation as the most serious threats facing bird populations.
International Important Bird Areas are listed at
Monitoring Bird Productivity and Survivorship
http://www.birdpop.org/programs.htm
Promotes standardizing the monitoring practices for birds and their
environments; also provides guidelines to formulate management actions
to reverse declining populations and maintaining stable or increasing
populations. Includes the MAPS program (Monitoring Avian Productivity
and Survivorship throughout North America).
The best introductory information for equipment used by biologists
conducting management or research studies is provided on pages 419
to 426 in the book, The Bird Almanac, written by Dr. David Bird,
and published in 1999 by Firefly Books (contact Firefly Books, P.O.
Box 1338, Ellicott Station, Buffalo, NY 14205 or your local library).
Dr. Bird provides contacts for a variety of equipment, including
binoculars, spotting scopes, bird-song recorders and amplifiers,
mist nets, radio-tracking and satellite-tracking telemetry equipment,
specialized video camera recorders, and a list of facilities that
provide DNA sexing of birds for researchers.
A list of management-oriented organizations that provide the above
and additional useful information for land owners and land managers,
including homeowners and renters, who are interested in improving
their land and facilities to benefit birds and other wildlife is
provided below with internet links.
Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/sitemap.htm
http://npwrc.usgs.gov
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/library/pubs.htm
The Wildlife Society
http://www.wildlife.org/publications/index.cfm?tname=monographs
Wildlife Habitat Council
http://www.wildlifehc.org/publications/index.cfm
George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center
http://www.suttoncenter.org/pubs.html
Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences
http://www.manomet.org
Division of Migratory Bird Management,
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
http://migratorybirds.fws.gov/reports/reports.html
States’ Management Links and U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service Offices in each state
http://offices.fws.gov/statelinks.html
Internet links to the wildlife department and environmental quality
office in each of the 50 states, along with the U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service offices located in each state.
U.S. Forest Service
http://www.fs.fed.us/publications
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science
Center
http://fresc.fsl.orst.edu
Bibliography of Ornithology Publications http://www.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/birds/birddivresources/bibliog1.html
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