Bird tracks

Bird tracking provides a way to assess the habitat range and behavior of birds without ever seeing the bird. Bird tracking falls under the category of tracking and is related to Animal tracking. A guide to bird tracking has been published. cite book|title=Bird Tracks & Sign : A Guide to North American Species|author=Mark Elbroch, Eleanor Marks, C. Diane Boretos|date=2001|publisher=Stackpole Books] Bird tracking is a tool for naturalists to use in order to assess what birds are present in an ecosystem even if the bird is rarely seen.

Bird Species

At right is pictured the tracks of the Greater Yellowlegs.

Data collection

In the Pacific Northwest of the United States a program called [http://depts.washington.edu/natmap/ Nature mapping] collects data by educating the public and having them pool their data in a citizen science application. Data can be collected in the field using a handheld palm pilot and GPS system that streamlines the collection process. This free program is called [http://www.cybertracker.co.za/ CyberTracker] . In order to make sure that data is reliable, a tracker evaluation system has been put in place [http://www.cybertracker.co.za/index_Art%20of%20Tracking.html (click here)] through the Cybertracker organization.

Training programs

Bird tracks can be difficult for the beginner to distinguish. There are many training programs to help people learn to distinguish them, including the [http://www.wildernessawareness.org/index.html Wilderness Awareness school's] tracking intensive, [http://www.trackerschool.com/ Tom Brown's Tracker School] , [http://www.vermontwildernessschool.org/school/ Vermont Wilderness School] and [http://www.keepingtrack.org/ Keeping Track] to name just a few.

References