2012 Armstrong Preserve Spring-Summer Bird Survey

Matthew Fuirst

Introduction: This study focuses on the current bird species found within the Armstrong Preserve. The bird surveys were conducted on the Armstrong Preserve, a forested property of the Pound Ridge Land Conservancy, located in Pound Ridge, New York. The objective of these surveys was to take inventory of the birds living among the preserve and to identify any migratory species that were in the preserve temporarily and birds currently nesting. In addition, the presence of notable birds was used to make an inference about the forest structure. Each survey was conducted early morning at an interval of around 5 days. This time ranged around 5:45am since the surveys were done from mid May to late June. Surveys were taken at five separate habitat types and all bird species were recorded. Methods:

Fields Methods: The surveyor would arrive early morning, already partially familiarized with recordings of regional birds and photo identification. Surveying would start around 5:45am, while proceeding to each of the following habitat types: upland oak forest, lowland mixed-deciduous forest, vernal pool, meadow/old-field, and residential area. At each habitat the surveyor would stand quietly for 10-15 minutes, writing down any species of bird that was heard or seen. Any songs or calls that were unidentifiable were recorded with a cell phone voice recorder. The time and location was written for each habitat, along with any species identified. Notes were also taken if unique or unordinary sightings appeared. These included bird nests, predacious actions, mating signs, or unusual species occurrences. Analytical Methods:

After conducting the survey, a couple weeks were spent reviewing field guides and websites to understand the physiology, behaviors, and ranges of the birds that were recorded. Specifically, I searched for habitat preferences, regional abundance, and seasonal occurrences. Once this information was obtained, it was compared with the data recorded. This was done to see if there were any patterns throughout the bird surveys that corresponded with information about each species. Results:

List A: Birds found on Armstrong Preserve: - Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)

- Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) - Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

- Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) - American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

- Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) - Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)

- Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) - Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

- Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus) - Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)

- White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) - House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)

- Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) - American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

- Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) - Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)

- Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata) - Black-throated Green Warbler (Dendroica virens)

- Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) - Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)

- Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) - Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)

- White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) - Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) - Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)

- Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

List B: Birds found within specific habitats only: Upland Oak Forest:

- Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens)

Lowland Mixed-Deciduous Forest: -Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

-Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

Old-Field/Meadow: -Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)

-Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)

Vernal Pool (100ft diameter): -Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Residential Area:

-Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) -House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)

List C: Expected Nesting Birds in Armstrong Preserve: - Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) - Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens)

-Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) -Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

-Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) -Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

- Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) - Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

-Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) - Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo flavoviridis)

- White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) - Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)

- American Robin (Turdus migratorius) - Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)

- Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata) - Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla)

- Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) - Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)

- Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Discussion:

When the surveys concluded among the Armstrong Preserve, a total of 27 bird species had been recorded, among which 19 were inferred to be currently nesting within the preserve (See list c). The birds in list C have been differentiated due to the fact that they were present in one or more habitats consistently for about every bird survey that was conducted, which I inferred to indicate nesting.

Out of the 19 species of birds that were identified, 4 of the species were of interest. According to The National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America and the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, the Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis), is a relatively common northeastern bird, which nests in tree holes in preferred habitats such as scattered woodlands, rural orchards, and fields. However, within the last decade, bluebird populations have declined due to a loss of nesting habitats, which are dead or dying standing trees. We can assess, that although the bluebird has become more rare in the north, it has preferred the meadow and wetland forest habitats because of the large amount of dead snags that are present in the preserve’s woodland. Another species of interest is the Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum), which according to the previous field guide prefers open- spaced habitats where there are available berries and insects as a primary food source. Our results showed that the Cedar Waxwing was only found within the meadow habitat of the Armstrong preserve, which provides such fruiting vegetation like Wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius) and Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii), along with rich amounts of insect species. Two separate species, the Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) and the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), were both found only within the meadow and vernal pool habitats. According to The National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, both species can be found within common woodland edges, but prefer grassland and swampy habitats, which specifically matched with the areas where they were found among the preserve. This indicates that the presence of the two species nesting within these habitats is due to the selection of more open and/or moist habitats. The remaining 15 bird species were identified as common woodland birds, therefore we can conclude that the woodlands of the Armstrong Preserve contain an ecology like many northeastern forests.

References:

Dunn, Jon L., and Jonathan K. Alderfer. National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2006. Print.

"Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center." USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center. USGS, 16 Aug. 2006. Web. 04 July 2012. .