IMPLEMENTACIÓN Y
MÉTODOS

El sistema UTM (Universal Transversa de Mercator) es un marco de coordenadas global que divide la Tierra en zonas, cada una con una estructura de cuadrícula organizada. Utiliza metros como unidad de medida, lo que lo hace especialmente adecuado para la cartografía espacial precisa y el monitoreo ecológico.

En la Iniciativa PatchBird, aplicamos una cuadrícula UTM de 1×1 km, que divide el paisaje en unidades cuadradas uniformes, cada una equivalente a un kilómetro cuadrado. Esta estructura permite una recolección de datos coherente y estandarizada en hábitats y regiones diversas.

Cada cuadrícula está identificada mediante un código UTM único, que corresponde a las coordenadas de su esquina inferior izquierda. Esta referencia espacial precisa permite mapear y analizar con detalle la abundancia relativa, facilitando la visualización de tendencias, la comparación entre regiones y la evaluación de cambios a lo largo del tiempo.

SOBRE EL SISTEMA UTM.

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SOBRE EL SISTEMA UTM.

Al contactar al coordinador del proyecto, los participantes potenciales deben indicar el área general donde planean realizar sus conteos. Puede ser tu vecindario, un sitio de observación favorito o una zona cercana a tu lugar de trabajo.

Con base en el área seleccionada, el equipo del proyecto generará varios puntos de monitoreo. Luego podrás elegir uno o más para tu participación. Como estas ubicaciones no son Hotspots públicos de eBird, solo se harán visibles en tu cuenta después de que el coordinador comparta una lista vacía (sin especies registradas) vinculada al lugar asignado. Una vez aceptada la lista compartida, la ubicación aparecerá en tu cuenta de eBird y deberá usarse para todos los conteos del proyecto. Por favor, no crees nuevas ubicaciones por tu cuenta; utiliza siempre la que se te proporcione. Después de enviar tu primer conteo, la lista vacía será eliminada.

Para habilitar este proceso, se solicita a los participantes compartir de forma privada su nombre de usuario de eBird con el proyecto. También recomendamos marcar la ubicación asignada como un patch personal en eBird, ya que las visitas regulares a un mismo sitio suelen generar observaciones inesperadas y valiosas con el tiempo.

SOBRE EL SISTEMA UTM.

PatchBird Surveys use a simple, standardised method designed for repeated bird monitoring at fixed locations. Each survey consists of a 15-minute stationary count during which all birds detected by sight or sound are recorded.

The value of the method comes from consistency. Surveys conducted from the same location, using the same duration and recording principles, can be compared through seasons and across years as the dataset grows.

PatchBird survey locations are organised using a 1 × 1 km UTM grid. Each location is anchored by a fixed grid reference point, which provides the spatial framework for the survey network.

The grid reference point does not have to be the exact location from which the survey is conducted. Observers may select a suitable observation point within 300 metres of the reference point.

This flexibility allows the survey location to account for access, safety and local field conditions while remaining associated with the same PatchBird grid point.

Before conducting the first survey, choose a suitable observation point within the 300-metre radius.

The location should allow you to remain stationary for 15 minutes and provide reasonable opportunities to detect birds by sight and sound. When choosing the point, consider:

safety and accessibility
whether the location is likely to remain accessible in different seasons
disturbance from traffic, machinery or other sources
private property and access restrictions
whether you can reliably find the exact location again

Once the first survey has been completed, the observation point becomes fixed. Subsequent surveys should be conducted from the same location.

Record or save the exact coordinates of your observation point so that you can return to it accurately.

The observation point does not need to represent a single habitat type. Many PatchBird locations include a mixture of habitats such as woodland, farmland, grassland, wetlands, settlements or transitional areas.

This is intentional. PatchBird monitors the bird community detectable from a fixed point within the landscape rather than attempting to isolate individual habitat types.

When selecting a new observation point, avoid choosing a location solely because it is particularly rich in birds. The aim is to establish a practical and repeatable monitoring location, not necessarily the place with the highest bird activity.

Each PatchBird Survey is a 15-minute stationary count.

Remain at the fixed observation point for the full 15 minutes and record all birds detected by sight or sound.

Record:

every bird species detected
the number of individuals of each species
birds flying over the survey area as well as those using the surrounding habitat
zero counts where appropriate by submitting a complete checklist even when few or no birds are detected

Do not move around significantly to search for additional birds during the survey. Birds detected from the observation point may be recorded regardless of their distance from you, provided you can identify them with reasonable confidence.

The objective is not to find as many species as possible, but to document what is detectable from that location during the standardised 15-minute period.

Whenever possible, surveys should be conducted within four hours after sunrise, when many bird species are most active and detectable. This is the preferred survey period, but it is not a requirement.

Surveys conducted later in the day or in the evening are also valid and should be submitted. Practical circumstances, access and seasonal conditions may make morning surveys difficult or impossible.

For repeated surveys at the same location, conducting visits at broadly similar times of day is useful where practical, but maintaining regular coverage is more important than restricting surveys to a narrow time window.

The time of each survey is recorded with the checklist, allowing differences in survey timing to be considered during later analysis.

Repeated visits are fundamental to PatchBird Surveys.

Aim to revisit each survey location approximately every 10–14 days. Regular sampling across seasons is more valuable than concentrating many surveys into a short period.

Occasional longer gaps do not invalidate a survey location. Weather, access, travel and other practical circumstances will inevitably affect survey frequency. The objective is consistent long-term coverage rather than perfect adherence to a calendar.

Continue using the same observation point on every visit.

PatchBird Surveys are submitted as complete eBird checklists.

For each survey:

create a stationary checklist at the observation point
record the survey duration as 15 minutes
record all bird species and numbers detected
mark the checklist as complete
share the checklist with the PatchBird eBird account

Use the same eBird location for subsequent surveys from that observation point whenever possible. This helps maintain a consistent record through time.

Additional notes about unusual conditions, disturbance, access changes or other circumstances that may have influenced the survey can be added to the checklist comments.

Avoid conducting surveys in conditions that substantially reduce the ability to detect birds, particularly:

heavy rain
strong winds
dense fog or severely reduced visibility
unusually high levels of temporary noise or disturbance

Light rain, moderate wind or other less-than-perfect conditions do not automatically prevent a survey. Use reasonable judgement based on whether birds can still be detected effectively.

Recording surveys under a realistic range of conditions is preferable to restricting monitoring only to exceptionally favourable days.

PatchBird does not require the same observer to conduct every survey at a location. However, using the same observer where possible reduces variation associated with differences in identification skills and detection ability.

If another observer takes over a survey location, the observation point and survey protocol should remain unchanged.

Changes of observer are therefore acceptable; changes to the method are not.

Same place. Same method. Fifteen minutes. Repeated through time.

PatchBird does not depend on unusually high species counts or perfect field conditions. Its strength comes from many standardised observations collected repeatedly from fixed locations.

A quiet survey is just as important as a busy one. Changes in what is not detected can be as informative as changes in what is.

Checklist sharing

To ensure your data are included in the PatchBird Surveys dataset:

Add the PatchBird project’s eBird username (PatchBirdSurveys) to your contacts in the eBird app or website.
Add the project username as a friend in eBird; this prevents the account from appearing unfamiliar when you share checklists.
Shared checklists will then be included in the project’s analytical dataset.

Detailed information on eBird’s checklist-sharing process is available from the official eBird support resources.

COMPARTICIÓN DE LISTAS DE VERIFICACIÓN.

Agrega el usuario eBirdUTM a tus contactos en eBird.
Agrega eBirdUTM como amigo marcando la casilla correspondiente en la lista de "amigos" (de lo contrario, el nombre de usuario aparecerá como desconocido).
Más información sobre el proceso de compartición de listas de verificación en eBird está disponible aquí.

COMPARTICIÓN DE LISTAS DE VERIFICACIÓN.

Agrega el usuario eBirdUTM a tus contactos en eBird.
Agrega eBirdUTM como amigo marcando la casilla correspondiente en la lista de "amigos" (de lo contrario, el nombre de usuario aparecerá como desconocido).
Más información sobre el proceso de compartición de listas de verificación en eBird está disponible aquí.

PatchBird Surveys

IMPLEMENTACIÓN Y MÉTODOS

SOBRE EL SISTEMA UTM.

SOBRE EL SISTEMA UTM.

SOBRE EL SISTEMA UTM.

SOBRE EL SISTEMA UTM.

Checklist sharing

COMPARTICIÓN DE LISTAS DE VERIFICACIÓN.

COMPARTICIÓN DE LISTAS DE VERIFICACIÓN.

IMPLEMENTACIÓN Y
MÉTODOS