Large–River Systems

The Idea –

Large-river systems that are dominated by cottonwoods have been severely stressed by a variety of anthropogenic factors, including river damming, human recreation, grazing, and other disturbances, each of which can have negative impacts on wildlife populations. Understanding how recreation, land use, and river management practices affect wildlife populations along these rivers will be critical for conserving wildlife populations in Montana and is a top priority in Montana’s Coordinated Bird Monitoring (CBM) plan.

Starting in 2002, the Avian Science Center, with funding from PPL-Montana and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), developed a standardized protocol for monitoring birds in riparian habitats and began conducting intensive bird surveys along > 500 miles of the Madison and Missouri rivers. In 2005, the Avian Science Center expanded this program with support from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to riparian habitats along major rivers across western Montana. We are relating patterns of bird distribution and abundance to both local-level and landscape-level land use and recreation. In addition, we are estimating breeding success of selected riparian bird species in relation to vegetation structure, which is heavily influenced by different land-use practices. The relationships we find can be used in future land management, habitat restoration, and conservation strategies focused on large-river systems.

Megan and Kristina relaxing on their 36 mile paddle - White Cliffs section

Methods –

Download our Riverine Methods Manual (.pdf)

Results –

The five most common species we detected in the riparian areas in descending order were Yellow Warbler, House Wren, Least Flycatcher, American Robin, and Mourning Dove. A table containing a list of all birds detected within 50 m and within an unlimited count radius can be found here.