Selecting survey points

Selecting appropriate survey points is a critical component of the project. These must be in appropriate breeding habitat for your target species. Check the References: Species Accounts section of this binder to identify potential habitats for your study species. We define “forest” as vegetation with an average canopy height greater than 20 feet (6 meters). All “forest” stands with vegetation less than 20 feet (6 meters) tall, even regenerating forest, is considered “nonforest.”

You may establish as many or as few survey points as you like—we hope you will be able to conduct BFL at about eight, although data from even one site is important. Because one of the objectives of BFL is to assess breeding success in small forest patches (less than 25 acres or 10 hectares), these areas, where available, should be given high priority. However, data are needed for comparison purposes from all forest patches, sizes, including large to contiguous forests, so please conduct BFL in larger forest tracts if these are the only areas available to you.

First, select appropriate forest patches, then identify survey points within the patches, and finally establish study sites around each survey point (see definitions at left). Please be sure to ask permission before venturing onto private land. We suggest presenting the “Letter to Landowners” to private landowners.