Incidental and long-distance bird observations in the Shoshone, Toiyabe, Toquima, and Monitor ranges, Nevada: 3rd edition

These data document detections of birds in canyons throughout four mountain ranges in the central Great Basin (Lander, Nye, and Eureka counties, Nevada): the Shoshone Mountains, Toiyabe Range, Toquima Range, and Monitor Range. A small number of detections were made in the valleys adjacent to these mountain ranges and in the Desatoya Range. Data were collected during the breeding season from 2002 through 2015 and 2018 through 2024. These data complement those in Fleishman (2019, https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2011-0002-4), which included detections of breeding birds during fixed-radius point counts within 100 meters of the observer. The data in this data publication allow more-complete documentation of the composition and distribution of the local and regional avifauna than would be possible with the fixed-radius point-count data alone. Some birds documented in these data were detected during fixed-radius point counts but were outside the radius of the sample point (e.g., > 100 meters from the observer) or flying over the point rather than apparently using resources within the point. Others were detected opportunistically while traveling to sampling locations or at other times. The detections also include juveniles, which are not included in published analyses. Data include species detected, date of detection, and, in most cases, method of detection and either coordinates or an approximate location.These data were collected in the course of sampling to examine relations between occupancy and abundance of birds and topography, vegetation, land use, and fire. Data also were collected to investigate baseline variation in occupancy and abundance of birds in space and time and to compare distributions of birds and butterflies in space and time. Knowledge of baseline variation informs assessment of possible effects of environmental change, whether natural or anthropogenic. These data complement those in Fleishman (2019, https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2011-0002-4), which had strict criteria or standards with respect to, for example, sampling methods, bird behavior, location, and age class. The data in this file are reliable, but do not meet those strict criteria. The data are useful for documenting species composition and distribution across space and time. Some species included in these data are not represented in the data from the fixed-radius point counts.There are multiple reasons these data are considered incidental or long distance (hence included in this file rather than Fleishman 2019, https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2011-0002-4) and we provide a few of those reasons. A bird was detected during a fixed-radius point count but observer did not record distance from the point center (thus it is unclear whether the detection was within 100 meters of the observer, which is a criterion for many analyses); detected during point counts but at > 100 meters from the point center (the limit for inclusion in many analyses); not detected during point counts (e.g., bird was observed while traveling between sampling locations or in the afternoon or evening rather than during morning point-counts); juvenile bird rather than adult (most analyses are restricted to adults assumed to be breeding in the vicinity). Various measurements of vegetation at or near point-count locations, which may be useful for exploring associations with presence, are available in Fleishman (2025, https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0007-3). There are two previous editions of this data publication. These editions were published on 11/18/2013 and 05/13/2015. This third edition, published with some minor metadata edits on 04/26/2019, adds another year of data and further metadata improvements. This third edition was also updated on 01/08/2020 to include data from the 2019 breeding season and a small number of records from previous years that inadvertently were omitted. On 08/09/2022, data from the 2020-2022 breeding season were also included, along with a few additional metadata edits and a few corrections and updates to species names. On 02/28/2025, this third edition again was updated to include data from the 2023 and 2024 breeding seasons and to update species’ names to reflect the 65th supplement to the American Ornithological Society’s check-list of North American birds.

本数据集记录了大盆地（Great Basin）中部四个山脉群内峡谷中的鸟类观测记录，涉及区域为美国内华达州兰德县、奈县与尤里卡县，涵盖肖肖尼山脉、托亚比山脉、托基马山脉及莫尼托山脉。另有少量观测记录来自上述山脉周边的山谷以及德萨托亚山脉。
本数据集的观测数据采集于繁殖季，时间跨度为2002年至2015年，以及2018年至2024年。本数据集可作为Fleishman（2019，https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2011-0002-4）研究数据的补充，后者收录了在观察者100米范围内通过固定半径样点计数法（fixed-radius point counts）获得的繁殖鸟类观测数据。相较于仅依靠固定半径样点计数数据，本数据集能够更全面地记录当地及区域鸟类区系的组成与分布情况。
本数据集收录的部分鸟类虽在固定半径样点计数过程中被观测到，但位于样点半径范围之外（例如距离观察者超过100米），或是在样点上空飞过而非实际利用样点内的资源；其余观测记录则是在前往采样点途中或其他时段偶然获得的。本次观测记录还包含幼鸟，而已发表的相关分析中未纳入幼鸟数据。数据集包含观测到的鸟类物种、观测日期，在多数情况下还包含观测方法，以及坐标或近似位置信息。
本数据集的采样工作旨在探究鸟类的栖息占有率与种群丰度，同地形、植被、土地利用及火灾之间的关联；同时也用于调查鸟类栖息占有率与种群丰度在时空维度上的基线变化，并对比鸟类与蝴蝶的时空分布特征。掌握基线变化数据，有助于评估自然或人为环境变化可能带来的影响。
本数据集同样可作为Fleishman（2019，https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2011-0002-4）研究数据的补充，后者对采样方法、鸟类行为、观测位置以及年龄阶层等设有严格标准。本文件中的数据可靠，但未达到上述严格标准，可用于记录不同时空下的鸟类物种组成与分布情况。部分收录于本数据集的物种并未出现在固定半径样点计数数据中。
本数据集的观测记录被归类为偶然观测或远距离观测（因此未纳入Fleishman 2019的数据集，https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2011-0002-4），本文列举部分归类原因如下：在固定半径样点计数过程中观测到鸟类，但观察者未记录其与样点中心的距离（因此无法确定该观测是否处于观察者100米范围内，而这是多数分析的纳入标准）；在样点计数过程中观测到鸟类，但距离样点中心超过100米（这超出了多数分析的纳入阈值）；未在样点计数过程中观测到鸟类（例如在前往采样点途中，或是在午后、傍晚而非晨间样点计数时段观测到鸟类）；观测到的是幼鸟而非成鸟（多数分析仅纳入被认为在样点周边繁殖的成鸟）。
Fleishman（2025，https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0007-3）的研究中提供了样点位置及其周边的多种植被测量数据，可用于探究植被与鸟类存在的关联。
本数据集出版物此前共有两版，分别于2013年11月18日和2015年5月13日发布。本次发布的第三版于2019年4月26日完成少量元数据（metadata）修订，新增了一年的观测数据并进一步优化了元数据。2020年1月8日，该第三版再次更新，纳入了2019年繁殖季的观测数据，以及此前因疏漏未收录的少量历史记录。2022年8月9日，本次更新补充了2020年至2022年繁殖季的观测数据，同时完成了少量元数据修订，并对部分物种名称进行了校正与更新。2025年2月28日，该第三版再次更新，纳入了2023年与2024年繁殖季的观测数据，并依据美国鸟类学会（American Ornithological Society）《北美鸟类名录》第65次增补版更新了物种名称。