Bird community monitoring at George Washington Carver National Monu-ment, Missouri: Status report 2008–2020

Breeding bird surveys were initiated on George Washington Carver National Monument, Missouri, in 2008 to assess temporal changes in the species composition and abundance of birds on the park and to improve our understanding of relationships between breeding birds and their habitat and the effects of management actions, such as invasive plant species control and tree thinning, on bird populations. Birds were sampled using point counts with 70 variable circular plots located on a systematic grid of 100 x 100-m cells (originating from a random start point). All birds seen or heard on a plot during a 5-min sampling period were recorded. In the 13 years since initiating our breeding bird surveys on the park, birds were surveyed on as many of the 70 variable circular plots as possible each year, resulting in 520 cumulative plot visits. Surveys have yielded records for 100 different species of birds. Ninety-seven of the species recorded are classified as permanent or summer residents to the area, two are classified as transients in the area, and one as a winter resident to the area. Six breeding species recorded are considered species of conservation concern for the Central Hardwoods Bird Conservation Region, the bird conservation region in which George Washington Carver National Monument is located. Of the 97 breeding species recorded, ten species in grassland habitat and six in woodland habitat occurred in numbers large enough to calculate annual abundances with some degree of confidence. Trends in abundance were classified as uncertain for most species, which means that there were no significant increases or decreases, but it is not certain that trends were < 5% per year. The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) in woodland habitat was stable. The Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) in grassland habitat was in moderate decline, and the Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) in grassland habitat was in steep decline. Comparing population trends (i.e., changes in population size over time) on the park with regional trends for the Central Hardwoods Bird Conservation Region suggests that the bird community at George Washington Carver National Monument is faring similarly to that of the region as a whole. Trends in the park’s popula-tions of Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) and Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) in grassland habitat and Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) in woodland habitat were uncertain, whereas they declined significantly in the larger region, which could be a result of management on George Washington Carver National Monument. Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) population trends, while uncertain in grassland habitat on the park, increased significantly in the region. The Red-bellied Woodpecker utilizes trees for foraging, which are sparse in the grassland habitat on the park. Declining diversity and richness values suggest that park habitat is declining in its ability to meet the requirements of many of the park’s breeding bird species. This decline in species richness could reflect habitat management practices, but it could also reflect the influences of larger-scale factors such as weather or climatic conditions on vegetation. Therefore, continued monitoring of birds and their habitats on George Washington Carver National Monument as management and weather and climatic conditions change is essential for park management.