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• Birds. Bird species were sampled by a variety of techniques. Observations (either incidental or <br />concurrent with surveying activities) indicating breeding, significant migratory behavior, and <br />significant utilization of one or more habitats in the study area were noted in field books. These <br />notes were later transferred to permanent species accounts journals. <br />The general frequency of bird species occurrence was determined using road cruise counts. A <br />4.2 mile (6.7 km) route was established in the study area (Map 2.04.11-1). The route was <br />traversed by vehicle twice in spring (27-28 May 1987) and twice in fall (8-9 October 1987). Each <br />count began about 1.5 hours before sunset and ended at sunset. Fifteen three-minute stops <br />were made on each replication. All birds detected at each stop were recorded. Results are <br />reported as the proportion of all stops at which a species was detected in each season to the <br />total of 30 station stops to provide an index of relative abundance. The road count was also <br />used to quantify the occurrence of three upland game bird species: the ring-necked pheasant, <br />common snipe, and mourning dove. <br />Winter raptor use of the study area and vicinity was assessed during an afternoon and morning <br />of cruising roads and glassing fields, trees, and skylines on 12-13 January 1988. The effort was <br />directed toward locating key roosting and/or hunting areas. Road cruises and glassing were <br />• also conducted during the spring survey period (20-22 and 26-29 May 1987) to locate raptor nest <br />sites. In addition, all observations of raptors made during the course of field work were <br />recorded. <br />Seasonal small bird densities were determined in the farmsteads/orchards, Swale, and <br />rangeland habitats. The small, fragmented nature of these habitats in the study area <br />necessitated the use of differing census techniques in each. Both the Swale and <br />farmsteads/orchards habitats had blocks in the study area that were of sufficient size to allow <br />absolute sampling of all birds found in them. The Swale habitat block selected for study was <br />present as a linear stringer of willows surrounded by hydrophytic graminoids (Map 2.04.11-1 ). <br />By walking first one side and then the other, all the birds present could be counted. The total <br />count of individuals of a given species for each side of the swale was recorded. The higher of <br />the two numbers was retained as the number of individuals present for that particular census <br />day. The census was repeated on three consecutive days and the three day average for each <br />species was used as the number of individuals present. The Swale densities were converted to <br />number of individuals /100 ac (40 ha) after the area of the block was determined. The <br />farmstead/orchard habitat allowed complete sampling since, like the swale habitat, it presented <br />a small discrete unit in which all birds could be counted (Map 2.04.11-1). A single pass through <br />• this habitat was repeated on three consecutive days and the average number of individuals of <br />(REVISED 6/27/01) 2.04.11-11 <br />