Resources Directory – Planning

This section provides information about bird conservation partnerships and plans. Many, but not all, of these plans are split into four bird guilds: landbirds, shorebirds, waterbirds, and waterfowl. The plans provide information about the most important species, habitat needs, and necessary conservation actions at multiple scales. Further, the partnerships offer many other resources that may be useful to land trusts.

  • NBHCI Mapping Tool

    The Northeast Bird Habitat Conservation Initiative has launched an interactive mapping tool using eBird data designed to aid northeastern conservation practitioners and organizations in advancing conservation.

  • eBird Status and Trends

    See seasonal abundance patterns that reveal migratory pathways and when and where species occur as well as where bird populations are increasing or decreasing at local and regional scales. Building knowledge about status and trends will also help us answer questions about climate change, using birds as environmental indicators.

  • State-level eBird Data Summaries

    The eBird state-level data summaries are downloadable data products from eBird Status and Trends that provide summaries at a state level for relative abundance and population metrics. “Relative abundance” is defined by eBird as the count of individual birds of…

  • eBird Abundance Maps

    Abundance maps illustrate the relative abundance patterns of bird species throughout the year. For example, this information includes where a bird breeds, migrates, winters, or stays year-round. Abundance maps can be viewed for a bird’s full annual life cycle or…

  • eBird Trip Reports

    Looking for new ways to tell stories on your land? eBird Trip Reports are a great way for land trusts to engage the birding community and share birding stories.  

    With eBird trip reports, birders can compile their eBird checklists to make…

  • Download eBird Data

    eBird has open data access products available in several formats that can be helpful in your strategic conservation planning, scientific modeling, and analyzing data from your land trust hotspots. Note: You must have an eBird account and be logged in…

  • 2022 U.S. State of the Birds

    The State of the Birds 2022 report sounds an alarm about steep population losses in virtually all habitats. The report identifies 70 Tipping Point species that have lost half or more of their breeding population since 1970, and are on tract to lose another half or more in the next 50 years.

  • NABCI Relevancy Toolkit

    The North American Bird Conservation Initiative offers a relevancy toolkit that demonstrates how bird conservation can contribute to a diverse set of economic interests, human health, clean air, and clean water.

  • ShorebirdViz: Track Shorebird Migration on Your Land

    Shorebirds make some of the longest migratory trips in the bird world, with some species travelling from South America to Alaska every year and seeking wetland refuge throughout their journey. To better understand shorebird movement and relative abundance, the Cornell…

  • Land Trusts and Wildlife Crossing Structures Toolkit

    The Center for Large Landscape Conservation published a 29-page Land Trusts and Wildlife Crossing Structures Toolkit in 2023, which explores how land trusts can engage in wildlife crossing projects.