Regional-scale monitoring focuses on understanding how and why boreal songbirds, including several Species at Risk, are affected by human activity across the Peace, Athabasca and Cold Lake oil sands area. Data are collected across multiple habitat types and across a range of disturbance intensities from low to high. Bird data were collected in various habitats, including some previously unsurveyed habitats, to fill information gaps in bird-habitat associations.
Two datasets are available on the data link. Dataset 1 (2011–2013) comprises bird surveys in 41 representative habitat types within the Athabasca, Peace River and Cold Lake oil sands areas. Data are available for 44,873 individual birds representing 142 species from 3685 independent sites sampled using point count surveys. Uncommon and rare habitat types were surveyed at higher sampling intensity. Dataset 2 (2014) comprises bird surveys across a gradient of oil sands development-related disturbance (low to very high) within the Athabasca oil sands area. Data are available for 12,062 individual birds representing 141 species from 884 sample sites. Sample sites include both survey grids of nine point count sites and matched pairs of point count sites (one point count in pipeline, seismic line, wellsite or road, and one point count in adjacent undisturbed habitat).