Transects
There are two types of transect most commonly used in bird surveying; line transects and point counts (or point transects). Both are based on recording birds along a predefined route within a predefined survey unit. In the case of line transects, bird recording occurs continually, whereas for point transects it occurs at regular intervals along the route and for a given duration at each point. There are variations on this theme whereby birds are recorded to an exact distance (variable distance) or within bands (fixed width) from the transect point or line. While there are some important differences between the line and point transects, there are many practical and theoretical similarities.