Raptor Surveys and Monitoring

This research largely involves developing and applying survey methods to gather and analyze data to study raptor population biology and population status. Results also provide land and wildlife managers with information about the general distribution and local occurrence of birds of prey. Most raptor species occur in low densities compared to other birds. Raptors are widely dispersed during much of the year, and they often exhibit behavior that makes them difficult to observe. Our work has involved innovation with searching strategies and sampling designs to develop safe, practical methods for finding and counting raptors in diverse, sometimes remote locales. We also use existing records of observations and counts for learning where raptors occur in areas of interest to managers, and to synthesize information to be used to summarize the status of raptors.