Landbird Monitoring in the Arctic Network: Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve and Noatak

The Arctic Network Inventory and Monitoring program (ARCN) encompasses five park units including Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (GAAR) and Noatak National Preserve (NOAT). The landbirds assemblage (passerines, near-passerines, raptors and galliformes) was chosen by the ARCN for long-term monitoring because it includes many species that spend the majority of their lives in terrestrial environments. Specific objectives of the ARCN landbird monitoring program are to: 1) determine annual longterm trends in density and frequency of occurrence of 5-10 of the most commonly detected landbird species along selected river corridors across ARCN during the breeding season (June); 2) determine annual long-term trends in landbird species composition and distribution in selected sites across ARCN during the breeding season (June); and 3) improve understanding of breeding bird-habitat relationships and the effects of invasive plants and climatic changes on bird populations.