The Regional Migration Monitoring Network (RMMN), to which CRR belongs, is a community-based program designed to detect changes in populations of small landbirds in British Columbia. The RMMN was started when large-scale population declines in forest songbirds, particularly neotropical migrants, caused concern throughout North America. In 1994, 3 B.C. communities with Rhonda Millikin of the Canadian Wildlife Service, initiated migration stations covering key physiographic regions of the province: Sub-boreal Interior (Mackenzie); Southern Interior (Vaseux Lake); and Georgia Depression (Rocky Point). In 1998, Revelstoke joined the RMMN representing the Southern Interior Mountains region.

The RMMN monitors a large number of target landbird species, including those that have little population data and species that are threatened by habitat loss and degradation both locally and internationally. Many of these species are recognized nationally as having a medium to high provincial responsibility as a high proportion of their North American distribution is found in British Columbia during breeding season. Often these species are not adequately sampled in Canada by traditional surveys such as the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and Christmas Bird Counts (CBC).

The majority of the target landbird species are neotropical migrants, spending the summer breeding season in the northern regions of Canada and Alaska and wintering south of the US/Mexican boarder. BBS, CBC and other methods of population tracking are not generally in place in these areas due to their extensive size and the lack of trained personnel.

Canada is becoming a world leader in the use of migration monitoring through the establishment of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network (CMMN), which shares regional migration data. Data collected at migration stations can highlight changes in the numbers and distribution of not only target species, but also confirm or detect significant population trends for species that are adequately monitored by other surveys. Migration data can also show changes in the productivity and/or survivorship of bird species. This demographic information can be a critical link in determining the causes of population trends and when addressing issues of habitat quality for migratory birds.

Each migration station monitors the presence of birds at standard, designated sites for a minimum of 2 months during the fall migration (July through to October, depending on location of station). Using rigourous, scientific protocols, birds are monitored by sight and sound along line transects, and at mist nets where birds are caught, identified and measured, banded and released. Station volunteers are able to monitor the number of species and individuals that migrate through, and stopover, at each site. They also measure the weight of each bird, assessing its condition to infer the quality of the food resources available, and estimate the birds age to determine the ratio of number of young to adult birds in order to detect breeding success. Results can also indicate habitat-associations of bird species breeding or feeding in the area. Depending upon funding and the degree of volunteer support, the migration stations can also conduct research, monitoring, and education programs during the spring and summer months.

Primarily volunteers run migration stations and a few key paid personnel provide training and ensure data is collected daily in a standardized manner. Volunteers develop technical skills, increase their knowledge of birds and habitats, and obtain data that can be used in local decisions regarding land management. The data can be analyzed locally by the migration stations, regionally by the Canadian Wildlife Service, and nationally by Bird Studies Canada, a non-government association involved in the coordination of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network. Results are used to alert communities, researchers, and resource/land managers as to which bird species and habitat require conservation, research and/or monitoring.

For more information on regional landbird monitoring in British Columbia contact:

Wendy Easton
Landbird Assessment Biologist
Canadian Wildlife Service
Pacific Wildlife Research Centre
RR#1, 5421 Robertson Road
Delta, B.C. V4K 3N2
wendy.easton@ec.gc.ca