| Camas National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) occupies the Snake River Plain in southeastern Idaho,
USA and includes riparian habitat augmented by shelterbelts. A baseline study conducted from
2005 - 2007 indicated that Camas was a regionally important stopover site for migrating
passerine birds. Since then, regional climatic and water use changes have been of sufficient
magnitude to cause the riparian habitat and shelterbelts to diminish. I investigated if Camas has
continued to function as an important migratory passerine stopover site. From 2022 - 2023, I
replicated the baseline study’s surveys and banding during spring and autumn migration to
evaluate use by migrant passerines. I found continued heavy use by migrating passerine birds,
but passerine biodiversity, abundance, and stopover dynamics shifted during the 17-year period
since initial sampling. These shifts likely reflect a combination of local habitat change at Camas
and recent broad-scale changes in North American passerine bird populations.
Key Words: alpha diversity, before-after control-impact, BACI, bird banding, Camas National
Wildlife Refuge, passerine migration, point count survey, stopover ecology |