ABC's Science and Monitoring Programs

The foundation of all good bird conservation is good science. From monitoring bird populations and trends to ascertain which species are most in need of conservation attention, to testing how birds react in labs to light stimuli in order to make recommendations on communication tower lighting, to tracking bird migrations using satellite transmitters to see where they might be encountering threats, science answers the fundamental questions that enable us to identify problems and find the right solutions.

ABC has traditionally relied on science conducted outside the organization to provide the data that is essential to our conservation programs. Many members of the Bird Conservation Alliance are primarily science groups, and ABC has further relationships with such science-oriented institutions as Point Reyes Bird Observatory and Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Increasingly, however, ABC is becoming involved in conducting science and monitoring efforts itself.

In particular, ABC collaborated with the National Audubon Society to produce the WatchList of birds of conservation concern. The list scores every bird species (using a system originally devised by Partners in Flight for landbirds only) on the basis of its abundance, distribution, population trend, and threats. This system has enabled scientists to unify priorities for conservation efforts, to ensure that the species most at-risk are receiving adequate resources.

ABC is also playing a central role in changing the way birds are monitored, developing protocols for greater coordination and collaboration among monitoring institutions in the Northeast, and is also involved in conducting surveys of several priority species such as the Interior Least Tern, Cerulean Warbler, and Black Swift.