Online Resources

The Ramsar Sites Database is now online

Wetlands International manages and develops the Ramsar Sites Database under contract to the Ramsar Convention Secretariat. The Ramsar Sites Database is now fully accessible through the internet! This new information tool will provide useful data to the public for designated wetlands around the globe in order to promote their conservation. For any further information on the Ramsar Sites Database, the Ramsar team will be pleased to help you. Please contact Ellen Diémé at Wetlands International: ellen.dieme@wetlands.org.

USFWS Birds of Conservation Concern

The overall goal of this report is to accurately identify the migratory and non-migratory bird species (beyond those already designated as Federally threatened or endangered) that represent our highest conservation priorities and draw attention to species in need of conservation action. The geographic scope of this endeavor is the United States in its entirety, including island "territories" in the Pacific and Caribbean.

A WHSRN General-Audience PowerPoint Presentation

This resource is created for site managers and anyone wishing to describe the WHSRN shorebird network as part of a presentation. There are 18 slides which can be used as “stand alone” or integrated according to your needs. The same PowerPoint is offered in 2 formats based on how easily the room can be darkened. Each file is about 2.2MB in size.

PIF Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory Database

In 1991, Partners in Flight (PIF) began developing a Species Assessment Process to objectively evaluate the conservation status of each bird species in North America, and to identify areas where conservation efforts for those species would be most effective. This process assigns scores to species in categories pertaining to their biology and conservation. Although it was originally intended to assist in regional conservation priority-setting among breeding birds, specifically in U.S. states and PIF Physiographic Areas (PAs), the PIF process can also be used simply as a means of assessing conservation status.

Migratory Bird Data Center

The Migratory Bird Data Center Web site provides access to bird population and habitat information relevant to population management, conservation planning, and evaluation. In order to make important agency databases available through the Bird Conservation Node, the FWS and USGS formed this Migratory Bird Data Center. Building upon complementary capabilities of the FWS and the USGS, the objectives of this Center are to: (1) assemble and document bird population and habitat data maintained by these agencies at their finest levels of spatial and temporal resolution; (2) assure that databases remain current through periodic update; and (3) provide Web-based access to the data by researchers and managers for strategic planning and evaluation of avian conservation strategies.

Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey

The Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey was initiated experimentally in 1947 and became operational in 1955. It has been conducted every year since. The primary purpose of the survey is to provide information on spring population size and trajectory for certain North American duck species. These data are used extensively in the annual establishment of hunting regulations in the United States and Canada and provide long-term time series important in researching bird-environment relationships critical to effective conservation planning for waterfowl.

Waterfowl Mid-Winter Survey data

Some species of ducks, geese, and swans are not presently monitored during the spring and summer on breeding areas because they are either difficult to survey using airplanes or they nest in remote and inaccessible Arctic areas. Abundance indices for some of these species are obtained from surveys on wintering areas. The Mid-winter Waterfowl Survey is a nationwide effort to survey waterfowl in major concentration areas. The Mid-winter Survey is a primary source of information on population trends for some species. This survey also is useful in documenting the distribution of waterfowl on their wintering grounds and in assessing habitat use.

Species-habitat models for the Gulf of Maine Watershed

The Gulf of Maine Coastal Program has completed a project which identifies important habitats within the U.S. portion of the Gulf of Maine watershed. Sixty-four endangered, threatened and declining Fish and Wildlife Service 'trust' species which use this area were selected. Habitats for each species then were mapped and ranked-- from actual sightings, or by developing habitat suitability models reflecting the environmental requirements for each species. These models were applied to environmental map themes such as land cover, soils, or water depths, and select locations suitable to the needs of each species. Species-specific maps then were combined and processed to display particularly high-value areas. The environmental themes, species maps, and combined data are being made available to assist and focus habitat protection efforts in areas of greatest biological value.

Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Bird Links

Links to bird related projects being conducted at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center as well as links to bird population studies, historical bird data, National Biological Information Infrastructure Bird Conservation Node mapping application, and population analysis software.

South Atlantic Migratory Bird Initiative Shorebird and Waterfowl Survey data

New England/Mid Atlantic Habitat Assessment

In 2000, a habitat assessment project was initiated to catalog and evaluate lands within the Partners in Flight (PIF) collective. Digital orthophotography was used to evaluate more than 900 properties controlled by PIF partners in BCR 30. Habitat and partner-specific data can be used to customize action plans. The application of regional habitat assessments to conservation plans serves to clarify conservation priorities and links land managers to specific habitat targets.

The Birds of North America Online

The Birds of North America (BNA) is only the fourth comprehensive reference covering the life histories of North American birds. This site lets you access accounts for 716 species found in North America.

Shorebird Habitat Management

The shorebird habitat management forum is a cooperative effort of partners of the U. S. and Canadian Shorebird Conservation Plans and is maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ultimately, we hope this listserve will help meet management objectives for the conservation of shorebirds. Specifically, the listserve will provide users with: 1) a forum to discuss approaches to managing shorebird habitats, 2) information on shorebird management resources, 3) answers to specific, regional management questions, 4) a forum to discuss regional-scale projects, and 5) technical advice on monitoring shorebirds.

Survey trends of North American shorebirds: population declines or shirfting distributions?

This paper examines whether shorebird population trend changes detected in earlier studies are still ongoing. Analyses are on combined data from the two major shorebird migration monitoring programs in North America, the Maritimes Shorebird Survey (MSS), covering sites in eastern Canada, and the International Shorebird Survey (ISS), which included coverage of sites in eastern and central USA. Our goals were to estimate trends in mean numbers of shorebirds reported in central and eastern North America and to evaluate whether trends in migration counts indicate a trend in size of the breeding population.

Western Hemisphere Migratory Species Initiative

The Rainforest Alliance and the International Division of the USFWS are pleased to announce that the WHMSI Pathway Web site is now online. (Spanish)

Marine Bird Working Group

Not nearly enough is known about Atlantic seabirds and their vulnerability to a number of ongoing and emerging threats while in their primary offshore habitats. Data on their pelagic distribution and abundance are critical for monitoring population trends, understanding their basic ecology and role in marine ecosystems, assessing actual or potential impacts from oil spills, fisheries by-catch, and offshore development (shipping, wind generation, gas and mineral exploration), identifying critical marine habitats, and educating the public about marine conservation issues. The Northwest Atlantic Birds at Sea Conservation Cooperative has formed and is committed to engaging resource agencies and partners in and outside its membership to develop new alliances to prioritize and implement research, management, policy and educational actions needed to sustain marine birds in their offshore environments.

Florida Bird Conservation Initiative

The Florida Bird Conservation Initiative was formed as a voluntary public-private partnership that seeks to promote the sustainability of native Florida birds and their habitats through coordinated efforts that strategically address critical needs related to conservation planning, delivery of conservation programs, research and monitoring, education and outreach, and public policy.

Western Atlantic Shorebird Association

The Western Atlantic Shorebird Association is an international joint venture of federal, state, local and non-profit organizations, developed to promote the integration of shorebird research, monitoring, and education efforts along the Western Atlantic flyway to support management efforts. The intent of WASA is not to duplicate existing efforts, but to facilitate integration and coordination of existing and future efforts utilizing a web-based infrastructure. The Web site is structured to incorporate new research and monitoring efforts, and to integrate existing educational programs such as the Shorebird Sister Schools Program. WASA's success will be measured by its ability to attract, respond to, and support the research, education, and management communities throughout the flyway from Tierra del Fuego to the Canadian Arctic

Managing Land in the Piedmont of Virginia for the Benefit of Birds and Other Wildlife

The publication is the 2nd edition of an existing guide developed by VABCI partners, and expands the geographic scope of the original to encompass the entire Virginia Piedmont. It provides management recommendations by land use/habitat type, including agriculture, grassland, shrubland, forest and savanna, wetland and developed areas, as well as sections on invasive exotics and biofuels. Although it can be used by anyone, the guide is designed primarily as a landowner outreach tool to address bird conservation in an area of the state where the bulk of lands are under private ownership. As such, it includes information on planning, technical and cost-share assistance as well as a list of implementation resources.