Alaska provides breeding habitat for >140 regularly occurring species of landbirds, half of which breed predominantly north of the U.S.–Canada border. The road-based North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provides some data on population trends in Alaska, but most northern species are inadequately monitored by that continental program because of a paucity of roads. Boreal Partners in Flight developed the Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey (ALMS) to monitor breeding populations of landbirds in the vast off-road areas of Alaska and to complement data collected from the roadside BBS.
Return to Terrestrial Ecosystems >> Landbird Research in Alaska >> Boreal Partners in Flight
ALMS is a statewide cooperative monitoring program in which federal and state agencies conduct standardized point-count surveys of breeding birds and measure associated habitat in off-road areas on public lands, then submit the data to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Alaska Science Center for centralized storage and analysis. This program, established in 2003, has contributed to analysis of population trends at regional and continental levels and enables modeling of changes in bird distribution, habitat use, and population size in relation to climate, vegetation, development, and other environmental factors across the landscape.
The primary objective of ALMS is to monitor population trends of northern populations of landbirds using replicated point-count surveys in off-road areas to complement data collected by the roadside BBS. Equally important, however, are similar surveys conducted for inventories or other purposes, which can be incorporated into analyses of distribution, habitat use, and population size (Figure 1). Most ALMS samples consist of a mini-grid of 12–25 points arrayed within a randomly shifted 10 km × 10 km grid across continental Alaska.
Surveys for population trends are conducted biennially, with half of the samples surveyed in alternating years. Samples are stratified by accessibility and cost, and the initial stratum includes areas accessible by foot, vehicle, boat, or fixed-winged aircraft. The initial allocation of samples is concentrated in the Northern Pacific Rainforest and Northwestern Interior Rainforest Bird Conservation Regions, where landbird populations are most diverse and abundant. Additional samples have been allocated to Arctic and Western Alaska, and surveys in the remote Aleutian and Bering Sea islands are conducted by Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge biologists as logistics allow.
The recently updated (Handel et al. 2021) ALMS protocol specifies 10-minute point counts replicated once per breeding season, with bird detections recorded in time and distance intervals so that detection probability can be estimated. Associated data on habitat are collected the first summer point counts are conducted; thereafter, habitat surveys are repeated every 10 years or whenever a major disturbance has occurred. Long-term monitoring will enable analysis of change in bird populations in relation to fire, disease and insect damage, resource development, climate-related change, and other landscape-level disturbances.
ALMS has received broad backing from nine state, federal, and non-governmental agencies, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2005 supporting the program. To find out more about how to participate in ALMS or add sampling sites, please see the additional information included on this site or contact the Program Coordinator.
Additional information on ALMS
- Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey: Alaska Regional Protocol Framework for Monitoring Landbirds Using Point Counts—REVISED in 2021! Revised protocol (Handel et al. 2021) for ALMS program on National Wildlife Refuges and other public lands. (3414 KB PDF)
- ALMS forms and reference materials (19 October 2020; species' codes updated June 1, 2022)
- Data forms and reference sheets for collecting ALMS data in the field.
- Packing list of equipment and supplies needed when conducting ALMS surveys.
- A fillable form for completing a safety plan before heading to the field to conduct ALMS surveys.
- Supporting agencies—A memorandum of understanding supporting ALMS was signed in 2005 by nine federal, state, and non-governmental agencies.
- Original (2004) protocol for setting up and conducting surveys—Original instructions (Handel and Cady 2004) for conducting ALMS surveys. See Handel et al. (2021) above for revised protocol.
Program coordinator
Colleen Handel
U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center
4210 University Dr., Anchorage, AK 99508
907-786-7181, cmhandel@usgs.gov
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Boreal Partners in Flight
Meeting and Project Summaries for Boreal Partners in Flight
About Boreal Partners in Flight
Monitoring and Research Boreal Partners in Flight Projects
Conservation of Landbirds in Alaska
Bird Conservation Areas
Festivals Celebrating Birds in Alaska
Alaska Raptor Group
Resources and Links for Boreal Partners in Flight
There is enormous value in learning about our natural world. Educational resources help us with this endeavor and help us teach others about landbirds. Note: This list is for your convenience. We are not advertising or endorsing any product or entity listed.
Beak Deformities in Landbirds
Landbird Research in Alaska
- Overview
Alaska provides breeding habitat for >140 regularly occurring species of landbirds, half of which breed predominantly north of the U.S.–Canada border. The road-based North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provides some data on population trends in Alaska, but most northern species are inadequately monitored by that continental program because of a paucity of roads. Boreal Partners in Flight developed the Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey (ALMS) to monitor breeding populations of landbirds in the vast off-road areas of Alaska and to complement data collected from the roadside BBS.
Return to Terrestrial Ecosystems >> Landbird Research in Alaska >> Boreal Partners in Flight
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. Visit Media to see details.Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey emblem, Boreal Partners in Flight. (Public domain.) ALMS is a statewide cooperative monitoring program in which federal and state agencies conduct standardized point-count surveys of breeding birds and measure associated habitat in off-road areas on public lands, then submit the data to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Alaska Science Center for centralized storage and analysis. This program, established in 2003, has contributed to analysis of population trends at regional and continental levels and enables modeling of changes in bird distribution, habitat use, and population size in relation to climate, vegetation, development, and other environmental factors across the landscape.
The primary objective of ALMS is to monitor population trends of northern populations of landbirds using replicated point-count surveys in off-road areas to complement data collected by the roadside BBS. Equally important, however, are similar surveys conducted for inventories or other purposes, which can be incorporated into analyses of distribution, habitat use, and population size (Figure 1). Most ALMS samples consist of a mini-grid of 12–25 points arrayed within a randomly shifted 10 km × 10 km grid across continental Alaska.
Surveys for population trends are conducted biennially, with half of the samples surveyed in alternating years. Samples are stratified by accessibility and cost, and the initial stratum includes areas accessible by foot, vehicle, boat, or fixed-winged aircraft. The initial allocation of samples is concentrated in the Northern Pacific Rainforest and Northwestern Interior Rainforest Bird Conservation Regions, where landbird populations are most diverse and abundant. Additional samples have been allocated to Arctic and Western Alaska, and surveys in the remote Aleutian and Bering Sea islands are conducted by Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge biologists as logistics allow.
The recently updated (Handel et al. 2021) ALMS protocol specifies 10-minute point counts replicated once per breeding season, with bird detections recorded in time and distance intervals so that detection probability can be estimated. Associated data on habitat are collected the first summer point counts are conducted; thereafter, habitat surveys are repeated every 10 years or whenever a major disturbance has occurred. Long-term monitoring will enable analysis of change in bird populations in relation to fire, disease and insect damage, resource development, climate-related change, and other landscape-level disturbances.
ALMS has received broad backing from nine state, federal, and non-governmental agencies, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2005 supporting the program. To find out more about how to participate in ALMS or add sampling sites, please see the additional information included on this site or contact the Program Coordinator.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Figure 1. Locations of blocks and routes surveyed as part of the Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey (ALMS), North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), and the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (AMNWR) monitoring program in relation to Bird Conservation Regions (US NABCI 2000) within Alaska. Solid markers are blocks and routes regularly surveyed for long-term bird population trends. Open markers show blocks and routes that have been surveyed irregularly or dropped (Other, Inactive). From: Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey: Alaska Regional Protocol Framework for Monitoring Landbirds Using Point Counts(Public domain.) Additional information on ALMS
- Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey: Alaska Regional Protocol Framework for Monitoring Landbirds Using Point Counts—REVISED in 2021! Revised protocol (Handel et al. 2021) for ALMS program on National Wildlife Refuges and other public lands. (3414 KB PDF)
- ALMS forms and reference materials (19 October 2020; species' codes updated June 1, 2022)
- Data forms and reference sheets for collecting ALMS data in the field.
- Packing list of equipment and supplies needed when conducting ALMS surveys.
- A fillable form for completing a safety plan before heading to the field to conduct ALMS surveys.
- Supporting agencies—A memorandum of understanding supporting ALMS was signed in 2005 by nine federal, state, and non-governmental agencies.
- Original (2004) protocol for setting up and conducting surveys—Original instructions (Handel and Cady 2004) for conducting ALMS surveys. See Handel et al. (2021) above for revised protocol.
Program coordinator
Colleen Handel
U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center
4210 University Dr., Anchorage, AK 99508
907-786-7181, cmhandel@usgs.gov
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. Visit Media to see details.Logo by Bryce Robinson, ornithologi.com - Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Boreal Partners in Flight
WELCOME to the Alaska Landbird Resource Information System, the official web site for Boreal Partners in Flight! Thanks for taking the time to learn more about the Boreal Partners in Flight program and our efforts to understand and conserve northern populations of landbirds.Meeting and Project Summaries for Boreal Partners in Flight
Information on topics discussed by Boreal Partners in Flight (BPIF) working groups organized by year.About Boreal Partners in Flight
Boreal Partners in Flight is a coalition of individuals who are working together to help conserve bird populations throughout boreal regions of North America. Boreal Partners in Flight is the official Alaska state working group of the international Partners in Flight program. We also have many members from Canada because we share many of the same species, habitats, and problems. The international...Monitoring and Research Boreal Partners in Flight Projects
Boreal Partners in Flight has five major regional projects designed to monitor broad-scale trends in populations of landbirds. There are also many projects throughout Alaska that address specific research questions or local monitoring needs.Conservation of Landbirds in Alaska
Alaska lies at the convergence of four major global migration flyways and encompasses a diverse array of important landbird habitats. Temperate rainforests tower along the southern coast, boreal forests span the vast interior, and low-lying tundra blankets the continent’s northern and western fringes.Bird Conservation Areas
Five Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs) were designated in Alaska as part of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative in order provide a framework that would facilitate coordinated conservation and evaluations of major bird initiatives.Festivals Celebrating Birds in Alaska
Here are a few festivals celebrating birds around the state of Alaska.Alaska Raptor Group
Thirty-one raptor species, including 18 species of diurnal raptors (Orders Accipitriformes and Falconiformes) and 13 species of owls (Order Strigiformes), have been documented in Alaska, 23 of which are known to breed within the state.Resources and Links for Boreal Partners in Flight
There is enormous value in learning about our natural world. Educational resources help us with this endeavor and help us teach others about landbirds. Note: This list is for your convenience. We are not advertising or endorsing any product or entity listed.
Beak Deformities in Landbirds
Over the past 20 years, Alaskans have witnessed a startling increase of beak deformities among Black-capped Chickadees and other species of resident birds. This disease, called avian keratin disorder (AKD), is characterized by debilitating beak overgrowth and other abnormalities of keratinized tissues. Affected birds have difficulty feeding and preening, and may suffer high rates of mortality.Landbird Research in Alaska
On this page, learn about USGS work on Beak Deformities and Boreal Partners in Flight. - Multimedia
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