I am currently working on planning out a spot mapping survey for Grasshopper Sparrows in North Dakota. I've reviewed the literature pretty extensively and have found that about 8-10 surveys is suitable for the season, but I don't see any specific number of registrations/observations that need to be made to accurately map out a territory? I'm trying to determine whether it is feasible to spot map and drag for nests but it depends on how intense the spot mapping procedures will be.
Have you already selected an area of interest? Are you doing this on paper or digital data collection, alone or with others? Is there some theoretical min / mean / max area or radius that an individual nest stake out? Are they constrained by habitat characteristics like plant species, vegetation height, elevation ( i.e. they prefer nesting in rocky aeries among the glaciated peaks of the Turtle Mountains : -) ?.
At first glance, it would seem that whatever strategy is constrained more by your time on site, data collection rate, contact acquisition range / bracketing, and linear movement capacity during an observation period. Certainly you can make a preliminary GIS model and vary the various assumptions.
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