Plans and Implementation - BCR 4: Northwestern Interior Forest
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Bird Conservation Region Bird Conservation Region 3 Bird Conservation Region 4 Bird Conservation Region 5 Bird Conservation Region 6 Bird Conservation Region 9 Bird Conservation Region 10

Bird Conservation Region 9 (Canada's Great Basin is the current conservation priority for PIF BC/Yukon.

 

Northern Interior Forest (NIF 4):

Planning and Implementation:

Landbird conservation planning is yet to be fully initiated within BCR 4. The following summarizes a draft list of priority species, habitats and conservation concerns for landbirds within this region (BC only)

 

Northwestern Interior Forest: Bird Conservation Region #4
BC Ecoprovince: Northern Boreal Mountains
 
Status Summary:
105 landbird species in BC
Number of PIF priority species  

38

Number of COSEWIC-listed species

 

1

Number of provincially-listed species

 

3

Number of species with high regional responsibilitya

 

44

 

 

 

Trends b

Whole BCR

BC/YK Portion

Number of species with no trend data

90

82

Number of species declining

N/A

7

Number of species increasing

N/A

8

 

 

 

Breeding Bird Surveysc

2 routes

Christmas Bird Counts

X

Migration Monitoring Stations

None in BC

Additional Monitoring Programs

None in BC

Draft list of priority landbird species and their habitats*

 
Conifer Alpine/Sub-boreal Riparian/Marsh
Black-backed Woodpecker American Pipit Alder Flycatcher
Blackpoll Warbler American Tree Sparrow American Dipper
Bohemian Waxwing Golden-crowned Sparrow Bank Swallow
Boreal Chickadee Gray-crowned Rosy Finch Northern Waterthrush
Boreal Owl Northern Wheatear Rusty Blackbird
Gray-cheeked Thrush Smith's Longspur2  
Gray-headed Chickadee White-crowned Sparrow Grassland
Northern Goshawk White-tailed Ptarmigan Brewer's Sparrow
Northern Hawk Owl Willow Ptarmigan Short-eared Owl1,2
Olive-sided Flycatcher Yellow Wagtail  
Pine Grosbeak   Rock
Spruce Grouse Shrub Gyrfalcon2
Swainson's Thrush Wilson's Warbler Rock Ptarmigan
Three-toed Woodpecker  
Townsend's Warbler Woodland  
Varied Thrush Northern Shrike  
White-winged Crossbill    
 
abased on abundance in Bird Conservation Region relative to abundance within North American range (i.e. PIF Area Importance Score≥4)
bBCR trends based on US analysis of longest run of data from Breeding Bird Survey, BC/YK trends based on CWS analysis of same data (Appendix 1B)
cNumber of BBS routes run in the 1990’s
*Habitat classes based on provincial bird-habitat associations. Bird-habitat associations will be modified in BCR-level plans to reflect regional variation.
1listed as endangered, threatened or special concern by COSEWIC
2listed in red or blue at risk categories by BC Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management

 

 

NORTHERN ROCKIES
BIRD CONSERVATION REGION #4
% PRIORITY SPECIES WITHIN EACH HABITAT CLASS
Migration monitoring stations of BCR 4 Graph of percentage priority species within each habitat class
Migration
Monitoring Stations highlighted

 

 

Conservation Issues:

High Canadian responsibility for many species. Inadequate BC and Yukon data for over 80% of species (poorest species coverage in BC). Very limited data on habitat associations and ecological requirements of landbirds. Regeneration and recovery times for habitats are extended and unknown and are compounded due to harvesting and resource extraction in this region. Sanitation logging for bark beetle outbreaks is a major threat to species in the southern portion of this BCR, primarily through loss and degradation of continuous areas of old/mature forest and associated attributes including loss of snags, large diameter trees, and a diverse range of composition, age class, and structure of forest. Mineral exploration and extraction are threats in northern regions. Mechanism, timing, and success of habitat recovery after harvest or resource extraction is poorly understood. Remote areas and subsequent limited capacity for volunteer-based monitoring requires increased funding for training and education programs for local community or for hiring contractors to fulfill monitoring needs.

 

Monitoring Needs:

  • Greater collaboration with Alaska regarding monitoring

  • Increased BBS and migration monitoring coverage

  • Habitat-based monitoring for conifer, alpine/sub-boreal/tundra, and riparian landbirds

  • Species based-surveys for owls, woodpeckers, grouse and Rusty Blackbirds

  • Programs that monitor productivity (MAPS, BBIRD, nest monitoring)

  • Habitat-based inventories of landbirds

 

Research Needs:

  • Impacts of alternative silviculture practices on landbird species composition and productivity

  • Interaction between insect outbreaks (e.g. bark beetles) and the landbird community

  • Studies on habitat requirements of northern nesting species and populations

 

Conservation Needs:

  • Partnerships with industry to research and implement harvesting techniques specific to forest regeneration and landbird requirements of northern ecosystems

  • Partnerships with First Nations and other local communities to exchange and develop education, monitoring and stewardship programs

 

 

Bird Conservation Region 3 Bird Conservation Region 5 Bird Conservation Region 9 Bird Conservation Region 4
© 2006 Partners in Flight BC and Yukon | update: 15 January 2006