For more information related to RMBO’s Science bird monitoring programs, please click here or email your questions to the Landowner Liaison at landowner@rmbo.org.

      RMBO and our partners conduct surveys in twelve states including Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.  RMBO also has an International Team that conducts research in Mexico.

      A technician walks from one predetermined point to another. At each point, the technician watches and listens for birds for a few minutes and record what (s)he sees or hears. A technician will survey as many as 16 points in a morning.

      Technicians are only on your property to observe. The surveys are always done on foot and vehicles are only used to access the initial survey location (with your permission). Technicians are instructed to leave the property as they found it. This means they leave open gates open and closed gates closed after they pass through them. If you have any specific instructions, please include them in the Special Instructions section of the Landowner Information Return Card or email them to the Landowner Liaison at landowner@rmbo.org.

      RMBO analyzes the data we collect and then provides the results to our partners. Additionally, we create distribution maps, available on our website, showing the general location of birds. Those locations are never displayed on the map exactly where the birds were actually found. This maintains the anonymity of the landowner and prevents the birds from being overly pressured by bird watchers, hunters, etc. (If you would like see our distribution maps, please click here.)

      RMBO has a variety of partners (click here for a complete list) who may assist in regional monitoring efforts or use survey results for management recommendations.  If you would like to know who we partner with for the survey location associated with your property, please email the Landowner Liaison at landowner@rmbo.org.

      Our monitoring efforts are funded by various agencies and organizations, which vary depending on your property’s location. If you would like specific information, please email the Landowner Liaison at landowner@rmbo.org.

      The survey sites are randomly chosen by a computer program.

      Once a survey site is randomly chosen, staff at RMBO contacts the county assessor to obtain the landowner name and address for each survey site. We check phone directories to obtain your phone number.

      The surveys occur when the birds are most active, from about a half an hour before sunrise until about 11 a.m. The length of an actual survey varies depending on terrain, weather and the time it takes the technician to access the survey site.

      The information RMBO gathers from our regional bird monitoring efforts improves population estimates for most birds found in your region. The conservation efforts we employ with our partners and landowners have the goal of maintaining or increasing key bird species, which helps prevent birds from being listed as threatened or endangered or helps birds get taken off that list. The chance of a technician finding an endangered species on your property is very low.

      Thank you for participating in RMBO’s bird monitoring efforts! The crew leader or technician responsible for conducting the survey on your property will contact you at least 24 hours (but usually 2 days) before the survey will be conducted, unless you included other instructions on your Landowner Information Return Card. Unfortunately, many factors (like weather) prevent us from being more specific about our survey dates. If you have concerns about possible survey dates, please include that information on the Landowner Information Return Card or email the Landowner Liaison at landowner@rmbo.org. 

      RMBO does not currently conduct surveys specific to energy development. We are interested in how birds are doing on a regional scale. The information energy companies collect is site specific and cannot be used to assess bird populations at a larger scale, so we need to conduct separate surveys to study these dynamics.

      RMBO understands that you may not want surveys conducted on your property. If your reason is specific to this coming year and you may permit us access in following years, we will send permission letters in the future when a randomly selected survey site is located on your property. We also respect your decision if you wish to deny any access to your property. If this is the case, please state your request on the Landowner Information Return Card or send your request by email to the Landowner Liaison at landowner@rmbo.org.

      RMBO has conducted surveys on hundreds of privately owned properties for many years. If you would like to speak to a landowner in your area who has a relationship with RMBO and has agreed to act as a reference, please email our Landowner Liaison at landowner@rmbo.org. In addition to our survey work, RMBO has a Stewardship Team that works to help conserve birds and their habitat through partnerships with private landowners. For more information, please click here.

      Technicians are covered by worker’s compensation while surveying birds on your land. You WILL NOT be held liable for injuries an RMBO employee receives while working on your property. Technicians carry an emergency beacon to alert emergency services if they are injured while out in the field.

      Your contact information is kept in a secure database maintained by RMBO. Your information is used only for purposes related to these bird surveys. We will never sell your information to a third party.

      Please email the Landowner Liaison at landowner@rmbo.org and we can get the information you would like us to have.