A Historical Assessment of Avian Presence and Absence in Montezuma's Castle National Monument

Abstract

Historical data are a vital and underused resource for monitoring long term trends of species over time. In this assessment, eleven avian count surveys at Montezuma’s Castle National Monument were examined to determine the avian species presence or absence trends during the past 93 years from 1916-2009. The surveys also assisted in the identification of bird species in the park that were of possible management concern. The study correctly identified the known arrival of invasive species into Arizona, but found no other changes in presence or absence status that are of current management concern. The use of these data is an important first step in establishing that the avian species at this park are stable and presently of low concern.