Chapter 3 North Carolina Species
Priority Conservation Action, Examples of Focal Species or Focal Habitats
Barn Owl Cooper’s Hawk Loggerhead Shrike Merlin
Northern Harrier Northern Saw-whet Owl Rusty Blackbird Saltmarsh Sparrow
Sedge Wren Sharp-shinned Hawk Short-eared Owl Worm-eating Warbler
3.3.8.2 Monitoring Monitoring involves repeated observation and recording of specific parameters to show trends over time. Long-term monitoring that includes statistical and quantitative analysis in the design is critical to assessing species and ecosystem health and gauging the resilience of organisms to changing conditions (Gitzen et al. 2012, Lindenmayer and Likens 2009) . Monitoring efforts should include identification of population trends, as well as assessment of impacts from conservation or development activities. These efforts will inform species and habitat management decisions. Long- term monitoring sites need to be identified and monitoring protocols developed for all priority species. Monitoring plans should be coordinated with other existing monitoring programs where feasible. Priority Conservation Action, Examples of Focal Species or Focal Habitats • Develop and implement a long-term occupancy monitoring program using bioacoustics for breeding populations.
Northern Saw-whet Owl
• Expand the range wide Nightjar Survey Network (https://www.nightjars.org) across North Carolina to meet scale requirements for a population estimate or trend index. This supports priorities for Atlantic Flyway Council’s Landbird Committee work on Aerial Insectivores.
Chuck-will’s-widow
Common Nighthawk
Eastern Whip-poor-will
• Continue regular colonial waterbird surveys during the breeding season (currently conducted coast-wide every three years on average).
Coastal Plain Ecoregion
Colonial waterbirds
• Establish long-term monitoring for all marsh birds; conduct monitoring that incorporates detection of marsh bird SGCN to the maximum extent possible.
Freshwater Marsh Brackish Marsh Salt Marsh
Black Rail King Rail Virginia Rail
American Bittern Least Bittern
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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