Background
About Barn Swallows
The decline in Barn Swallow abundance is under investigation by Olga Lansdorp, currently an MSc of Biology at Simon Fraser University. The analysis of this project is based on her findings and data collected from field research. To research why the Barn Swallow population is in decline, the study area was narrowed down to the district of Metro Vancouver. In this study area, the habitat suitability of Barn Swallows was investigated using several forms of criteria. The criteria used were insect abundance using insect habitat suitability, land cover classification of the district focussed mainly on human structures and agricultural lands, and livestock abundance by municipality. Due to the insectivorous nature of the Barn Swallow, insects are an important factor in research for Barn Swallow abundance.
Coordinates to eleven specific structures were provided to show potential habitats for Barn Swallows. These study points were already nesting grounds for Barn Swallows and therefore were used to investigate the suitability of specific nesting grounds.
Objectives
The main objective of this project was to map habitat suitability and possible nesting sites for Barn Swallows in the Metro Vancouver district. In order to properly study the nesting habitats in the area, there were 4 individual objectives that needed to be accomplished before the main objective could be completed.
The first objective was to map the insect abundance in the district. This was to be accomplished by taking Land cover classification and re-classifying it into a scale between 1 and 5, with 5 denoting the highest abundance.
The next objective was to map the possible nesting grounds for Barn Swallows based on the fact that the species nests almost exclusively in human structures, specifically barns and smaller building such as single family homes. In order to accomplish this objective, the main task was to find the land cover classification of the entire district, and create a map showing exclusively homes and buildings where a Barn Swallow may nest. The main goal of this task was to quantify the amount of potential nesting sites within the district.
Not only do building structure and insect abundance have an effect on habitat suitability, but so does the abundance of livestock in the district. In order to show the effect of livestock abundance on the suitability for nesting sites, historical data on livestock was to be acquired and quantified. The change in the relative abundance of livestock in each municipality would show the possible effect on Barn Swallow populations at specific study sites.