Index
6.1 Concepts
![image](/dam/jcr:5c254fb3-8c1f-42fe-baf8-48fe6c364719/PaulReeves_Perisoreus%20canadensis.jpg)
A point count is a methodology used to survey animals. It involves an observer standing at a pre-determined location for specific period of time, counting the individuals they detect. Specifically for birds, this detection can either be aurally or visually.
To account for error in detecting a species, either because it didn't sing during the survey, or the observer misses it or misidentifies it, distance estimation and duration intervals are used. All these attributes are what define a survey in WildTrax. When the observer detects a species, it is assigned into a distance band, the duration interval it was detected, a species and the abundance (or count of individuals). Each detection becomes an observation.
Surveys and visits are different things in WildTrax. Visits refer to a human going to a location whereas surveys are the unique combination of methods used to conduct a point count.