Getting started with BirdSTATs and TRIM

To get acquainted with BirdSTATs and TRIM and to understand how things work it is best to perform a first analyses on the testdata delivered together with the programs. In this paper the necessary steps to run this analyses are described. After this test-run users should be able to get started with their own data. An addendum at the end of this paper should help you to organize your data in a way that is suitable for BirdSTATs. Step 1. Installation Make sure you have Microsoft Access version 2000 or higher on your computer. Install the programs by unzipping the installation file in a separate map on your computer or network. This will result in a copy of TRIM.exe (version 3.54), together with this Access tool, the manual, two *.stu files and the Access file with testdata. If wanted, you may choose different folders for the files as long as you keep the two *.stu files together in one folder. Step 2. Settings of BirdSTATs and TRIM - Open the BirdSTATs tool with Microsoft Access. The tool will open with a form with 5 tab cards. The first tab card, named 'Settings and tables' will be open. - Search for and/or type the full name of the TRIM directory in the TRIM_location field on this tab card. - Search for and/or type the full name of the folders you want to use as TRIM workspace in the TRIM-workspace field on the tab card. It may be temporary folders, since this folder will be used for temporary files. Use the same folder for both the data and batch start files. Later on you can always change this if you want to. - Click on the button to open TRIM and set its file options (menu 'Options' / 'files') to the same folders as mentioned under 5 and 6. Do this in all three fields. - Just have a look at the other settings, but don't change any of them now. They can always be changed later on Step 3. Importing data - Open the Access file with test data and take a look at the contents of the three tables in it. Notice that every record of the counts table contains only one count of a species. (If your own
counts data have more than one count or more than one species in a row, you should change the layout of your table before importing your data. To do this you may use the button 'Transform/transpose counts data' on the 'Settings and tables' tab cardsee the addendum)

Also notice that there are no 0 values in the counts table in spite of the fact that 0's are as important as positive counts. So where are they? In the test data 0's can be derived from the visits table: every count date in the counts file has a corresponding date in the visits file. But the other way round this is not the case: the visits file also has some count dates without

corresponding dates in the counts file, meaning all relevant species should have count value 0 on this count date. - Once you know the file structure of the test data, click on the second tab card, called 'Import'. To import the (MS Access) test data, set the file type to 'Access.mdb' and make sure the table structure is not marked as 'Counts and visits in one table'. - Click on the search button to find the file and path of the test data. The tool will determine what tables are inside the file you have chosen. - Click on the pop-up's in the fields for the table names to mark the correct table names for plot info, counts info and visits info. Click on the 'Link' button after doing this. The tables are now available from within the tool. - When tables are linked a small new form ('STAT_FieldSelection') opens with fields information of internal and linked data tables. BirdSTATs does not (alter or) use linked tables directly, but copies information to internal tables for further use. Therefor the function of this form is to tell BirdSTATs where it can find the correct information for fields in the internal tables. So specify for each field in the internal plot table which of the fields in the linked plot table should be copied into it. Do the same for the visits table and the counts table. If you have no corresponding field in your data for fields in BirdSTATs tables you can leave the fields blanc. Tick the bookmarks to switch between tables and press ready when you've done all three tables; the field selection form will then disappear. - Import the data by pressing the 'Import data' button. BirdSTATs will ask you some confirmations when doing this. - Combine visits and counts table by pressing the button for this. By combing these tables, BirdSTATs is checking for 0 values (derived from the visits table) and places these 0's into the counts table. The counts table will also be extended with all other information available as extra fields in the visits table, making the visits table actually redundant for further use. - Check the contens of the tables if you want to see the results of the import procedures. Step 4. Checking for faults and inconsistencies in your data - Go to the 'Checks' tab card and have a look at the functions of the check buttons. Notice that the upper button is not realy a check, but provides you with some summarised information on your data. Press the buttons one by one and check the results messages. There should be no errors with the test data, but you should get a warning that there are species in your counts data for which no stratumselections have been made yet. To solve this, go to the next tab card, named 'Stratification'. Step 5. Stratification In the test data counts are available for seven species in 509 plots. In order to be able to perform seven trend calculations for all seven species you must specify seven species codes and for every species code a selection of plots/data you want to use and what time period the trend calculation should take into consideration. These are called species-stratum combinations. Near the bottom-left of the tab card 'Stratification' you can see navigation buttons with which you can leaf through all records of species-stratum combination you have made. Since there are no species-combinations yet, you have to make them. - Start with a blanc (new) form and fill in the species-code for the first species you want to perform trend calculation for. In blanc/new forms you may use the popup for species codes available in your data.

- Fill in a numerical stratum code, for example 1. Use any number not already used as stratum code for the same species. - Provide a name for this species-stratum combination (for example: test). - Select all or just a part of the plots as preferred. Accept the default value 'true' if you want to use data from alle plots. Use a query (SQL) statement for other selections (for example: [Plot]>100 for plotnumbers greater than 100). - Fill in first and last year of the period you want to analyse (1990-2005 are available in the test data) or just hit the 'Auto select' button. - Change (after autoselect) or pick any year within the time period (for example first year) as TCF_basetime. To this year TRIM will attach an index value of 100 and all other years will have index values relative to this. - Change (after autoselect) or pick any year within the time period as TCF_Slope_From (for example the last year minus 5). This way you can limit a partial period (from this year to the last year) for a second trend calculation by TRIM. In long time series this is used for trend detecion in the most recent years. Now you are ready defining one species-stratum combination. Navigate to a new/blanc record on the form and start again for the next species. If you want to define many similar species-stratum combinations, you can accelerate the proces by copying species stratum combinations. You can do this with the button 'Copy this stratum to other species'. By doing this you open a form in which you can select the species you want to define speciesstratum combinations for. Select all species in the counts table (upper right button). Check what possible species stratum combinations you may overwrite and add these strata when you are satisfied with the selection using the buttons on the bottom of the form. If you want special options for the calculations with TRIM, such as including weight factors or covariates or if you want to select data based on information in the counts table etc., you can do this by editing advanced settings per species stratum combination. Press the button 'Advanced settings on/off' to see the possibilities. See the 'i' (information) buttons or the TRIM manual for more information. Step 6. Analyses Switch to the tab card 'Analyses' when you are ready defining species stratum combinations. Press the three buttons on the left, starting with Step1. Wait until

BirdSTATs is ready with its procedures before pressing the next button. Information on the status of the calculations and relevant settings is given in text under these buttons. When all calculations are ready, BirdSTATs will show a table with the results. Results can also be showed (as table or as graph) with the buttons on the right. Erroneous speciesstratum combinations can also be viewed. TRIM results for all calculations are stored in *.out files in the workspace. In these files more information about the trends and the data is provided then in BirdSTATs. You can check these files with Windows Explorer. For your convenience you can start Explorer in the workspace map with a button visible with 'Advanced settings on' in the 'Stratification' tab card. Addendum: Organizing your counts data When you have your counts data in a table with a 'horizontal' lay-out such as in the example in the upper right figure, you should adapt it to a 'vertical' format such as the example in the second figure. Converting the lay-out of your data can be done in BirdSTATs with a special form that can be accessed from the '' Settings and tables tab card. BirdSTATs will make a new table with converted lay-out. It will not change your original data. Before you transform your data, make sure you have them accessable in BirdSTATs by linking or importing the data. It is also advisable to rename columns with species names to species codes and to replace any blancs that represent a count value of 0 into real 0's. Press the button 'Transform/transpose counts data' to open the form. Type the name of the table you want to transform (tabel1 in the example in the figure on the right). Press the button '1. Read table info'. Mark the fields with counts of species that should be organised vertical (see figure). Press button '2 Transform to Transf_table' to actually transform your data. The resulting table will open after processing or can be opened (again) by pressing button '3. Open Transf_table'. Copy or rename this table with a name of your own choice when the new lay-out and data are okay.