distance sampling

To test the long-term efficacy of mammalian pest control, annual distance sampling estimates of the density of North Island kākā (Nestor meridionalis septentrionalis) within the southern Waipapa Ecological Area (WEA), Pureora Forest Park from 2008–2020 are compared to previously published estimates made at the same sites and time of year (October) between 2000–2007. Kākā density increased approximately four-fold from an average of c. 0.5 (95% CI 0.5–0.6) birds ha⁻¹ between 2000 and 2007 to c. 2.3 (95% CI 1.9–2.8) birds ha⁻¹ in 2020.

Long-term data are needed to assess the impact of management initiatives such as mammalian predator-exclusion fences, but long-term monitoring programmes can be difficult to maintain. We used annual line transect distance sampling data collected by undergraduate students to model trends in native bird densities at Bushy Park, New Zealand, from 2002 to 2018, including 14 years of data collection following the installation of a predator-exclusion fence in 2005.

The hihi/stitchbird (Notiomystis cincta), an endangered New Zealand endemic species, has one self-sustaining population not subject to human intervention, located on Little Barrier Island (Te Hauturu-o-Toi), in the Hauraki Gulf, Auckland. All other hihi populations have been derived from Little Barrier Island and all require active management. Changes in the population of hihi on Little Barrier Island are, therefore, of great conservation interest.

Urban areas can support significant bird populations, including species of conservation concern, but urban ecologists have been slow to apply detectability-based counting techniques. We compared abundances and relative abundances of eight urban birds, derived using two commonly applied techniques (fixed-radius point and strip sampling) and distance sampling. We evaluated the influence of habitat and two covariates (observer and whether birds were seen or heard) on detectability. Due to built-up structures in urban areas, point counts are appropriate.

When designing large-scale bird monitoring schemes, financial constraints often require researchers to make trade-offs in the spatial resolution and precision of the density estimates by varying the number of sites monitored and the intensity of sampling effort per site.

Factors influencing detection probability in line transect distance sampling were investigated to estimate the abundance of four common farmland birds on 12 sheep & beef farms in the South Island of New Zealand. Our primary aim was to evaluate the necessity of employing distance methods to correct for heterogeneity in detection probability.

Growing concerns about significant biodiversity decline due to agricultural intensification are increasingly leading consumers to seek agricultural products that are produced sustainably. To raise awareness of sustainable land management and direct policy and research to mitigate adverse impacts, large-scale bird monitoring programmes are being used in Europe. New Zealand’s first farmland bird monitoring scheme was established in 2004 to quantify bird abundance on 98 farms across three sectors (sheep & beef, dairy and kiwifruit).