This dataset is a record of bird species that have been observed at Sheep Creek and Margaret Lake in Ivvavik National Park. The survey is designed to detect changes in the abundance of a selected suite of individual species within each of the vegetation communities at selected elevations sampled in the forested taiga and tundra. From 2009-2014 data was collected bi-annually in early June and late June/early July using a traditional visual point-count method. From 2015-2017 data has been collected annually during the first week of June using a bioacoustics point-count survey method. The bioacoustics method was adopted in 2015 because the short birding season in the Arctic made it logistically challenging to obtain experienced birders to perform the surveys.
Changes in bird abundance or species composition may be in response to human activity or to natural processes such as succession, insect cycles or fires. When combined with habitat data, point count surveys can help identify the cause of observed changes and also permit inferences to be made beyond the sampling locations.