Raptor Survey Techniques

« Think about how we know about past events in human history (e.g., the expansion of the Roman Empire, or the American Revolution). What types of records document those events? Now think about Earth's history, specifically the past environmental or climatic conditions at times before recorded human history. What records might there be of such conditions? Make a list of your ideas. n assemblage of five major types of natural archives of Earth's environmental and climatic history. What common feature(s) do each of these paleoclimate archives share? an assemblage of 5 major types of natural records, or archives, of Earth's environmental and climatic history. Just like a diary or other historical document, the layers in these natural archives contain indirect evidence (i.e., proxies) about past conditions and events, recorded in a sequential order. The evidence is specific to a certain time period and may be general or very detailed, depending on the rate that information was recorded. The faster the rate at which the recorder grew (trees and corals), accumulated (snow and ice), or was deposited (sedimentary sequences), the more detailed the record is, and the higher its resolution. For example, a record in which an annual signal can observed has a very high resolution. In contrast, if the finest observable details are on the order of a million years, then that record would have a low resolution. »--

This is the 3rd edition of the field guide written for people who watch, survey or monitor birds of prey and contains detailed descriptions of survey methods for all species of raptor found regularly in Britain and Ireland. Written by a team from the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Group, this publication draws on the knowledge and experience of more than 300 raptor specialists. Chapters include the following topics: survey, surveillance and monitoring; population estimates; breeding season parameters; identification and breeding behaviours of raptors; good practice for fieldwork; and detailed species accounts. It includes a CD-ROM of raptor calls.

"The purpose of this manual is to: 1) review and recommend methodologies of raptor censuses; and 2) provide protocols for raptor surveys at different levels of intensity from presence/absence to relative abundance to absolute abundance."--Page 2.