Walking transect path

We designed a 12.2 km walking transect so that an observer would pass within 50m of all habitat in the estuary and also minimize fording large channels. This transect was drawn using the path tool in Google Earth on a satellite image of the survey area. The path was printed on top of paper maps and used by observers as a map in the field. Most often, the entire transect was walked by two observers, one starting in the far West, the other in the middle of the estuary. Observers were permitted to deviate from the map to get clear views of certain features like incised channels or to identify a particular bird. The transect spacing worked for most birds, but was too sparse to accurately count Belding’s Savannah Sparrows. In general, the transect was walked from west to east, though there was no fixed direction and observers could choose a direction based on convenience and the angle of the sun.