Rock ptarmigan road transect survey

Study Extent

Iceland mainland

Sampling

Since 1981, the Icelandic Institute of Natural History has surveyed rock ptarmigan using a distance sampling methodology (Buckland et al., 2001) along road transects located in the lowlands to derive population indices (Icelandic Institute of Natural History, 2021a). Transects are monitored in late April or early May, which corresponds to the period when birds are expected to have moved to the breeding grounds, where they will stay until the end of August (Gardarsson, 1988). During sampling, observers recorded the location on the transect when a bird was observed as well as the distance from the transect to the bird and whether it was located on the left or the right side of the transect (Ferrarini, 2022). In 2011, data from 2005 to 2010 were processed and assigned a geographic position for each bird sighting, i.e., using the distance to the individual and direction of the observation, geographic records were moved from the transect to the estimated location of the animal.

Method steps

1. See Ferrarini, M. 2022. Population index for the rock ptarmigan (lagopus muta) in Iceland: Analysis of road transect data. M.Sc. thesis, University of Iceland, Reykjavik.

1. Lagopus muta
   common name: Rock ptarmigan rank: species
2. Lagopus muta islandorum
   common name: Rock ptarmigan rank: subspecies

Iceland mainland