Survey teams are back on the steppe this month for the annual spring census, the single most important data-gathering exercise in the SCA calendar.
Counting a migratory species across landscapes this large is never straightforward. Teams work in coordinated transects over several weeks, combining ground observation with aerial survey where conditions and permissions allow.
Counting a migratory species across landscapes this large is never straightforward — consistency between years matters as much as the count itself.
Field observations are recorded by hand before being reconciled with survey data.
Early reports from the western sites are encouraging, with several large aggregations recorded in areas that were quiet during last year's count. Numbers will not be confirmed until all data is reconciled later in the season.
The census feeds directly into the range-wide population estimate used by governments and the IUCN, which makes consistency between years as important as the count itself.