DOCSLIB.ORG

Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia Motacilla) Christopher N

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia Motacilla) Christopher N Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) Christopher N. Hull Keweenaw Co., MI 4/6/2008 © Mike Shupe (Click to view a comparison of Atlas I to II) This fascinating southern waterthrush sings its loud, clear, distinctive song over the sound of The species is considered area-sensitive babbling brooks as far north as eastern (Cutright 2006), and large, continuous tracts of Nebraska, lower Michigan, southern Ontario, mature forest, tens to hundreds of acres in size, and New England, and as far south as eastern are required (Eaton 1958, Eaton 1988, Peterjohn Texas, central Louisiana, and northern Florida. and Rice 1991, Robinson 1995, Kleen 2004, It winters from Mexico and southern Florida Cutright 2006, McCracken 2007, Rosenberg south to Central America, northern South 2008). Territories are linear, following America, and the West Indies. (AOU 1983, continuously-forested stream habitat, and range Robinson 1995). 188-1,200 m in length (Eaton 1958, Craig 1981, Robinson 1990, Robinson 1995). Hubbard (1971) suggested that the Louisiana Waterthrush evolved while isolated in the Distribution southern Appalachians during an interglacial Using the newer findings above, which were period of the Pleistocene. It prefers lotic derived using modern knowledge and (flowing-water) upland deciduous forest techniques, the "logical imperative" approach of habitats, for which it exhibits a degree of Brewer (1991) would lead us to predict that the morphological and behavioral specialization Louisiana would have been historically (Barrows 1912, Bent 1953, Craig 1984, Craig distributed throughout the SLP to the tension 1985, Craig 1987). Specifically, the Louisiana zone, and likely beyond somewhat, in suitable Waterthrush avoids moderate and large streams, habitat. The Louisiana probably ranged at least selecting small, fast-flowing, first-order streams somewhat into the NLP, and potentially even with gravel bottoms in hilly, upland deciduous the UP, since its range in New England reaches forest (Mengel 1965, Graber et al. 1983, Eaton the latitude of the Keweenaw Peninsula 1988, Peterjohn and Rice 1991, Robinson 1995, (Robinson 1995), and habitats occupied in the Bruner 1998, Cutright 2006, McCracken 2007, northernmost portions of its range often contain Rosenberg 2008). It may nest in swamps and significant coniferous components (Cutright bottomlands without gravel substrates, but less 2006, McCracken 2007, Rosenberg 2008). commonly (Bruner 1998, Kleen 2004, Unfortunately, the statewide deforestation McCracken 2007, Rosenberg 2008), and in brought about by lumbering and settlement lower densities (Graber et al. 1983). preceded ornithologists’ ability to reliably © 2011 Kalamazoo Nature Center Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) Christopher N. Hull identify this species and accurately define its the species' presettlement range, rather than an habitat (Sager 1839, Gibbs 1879, Cook 1893, expansion of it. Ridgway 1902, Barrows 1912, Wood 1951, Zimmerman and Van Tyne 1959, Brewer 1991). Breeding Biology The Louisiana Waterthrush is among the first of However, even after deforestation had taken the warblers to return in the spring, as well as place, both Cook (1893) and Barrows (1912) one of the first to nest, and has been recorded as considered the Louisiana Waterthrush to be early as 28 March (Kelley 1983). This may be common throughout the SLP, but found an adaptation to the species' habit of nesting in nowhere north of Saginaw or Montcalm and along streambanks, since nests are Counties. In 1936, it was found slightly further vulnerable to flooding (Kleen 2004), and early north, in Newaygo County. (Wood 1951). arrival allows the birds to conduct nest site Declines were reported for the western selection when stream flows are at or near their (Zimmerman and Van Tyne 1959) and then seasonal maxima (Bruce and Peterjohn 1991, eastern (Kelley 1978) SLP, and finally Payne Bruner 1998, Cutright 2006), thus reducing the (1983) reported that the species had become risk of a later nest loss due to flooding. This uncommon and local in the SLP. may also be one of the advantages of selecting small streams, where flood peaks and flow Similar to MBBA I (Hull 1991), MBBA II data volumes are lower than for larger streams (C. (see map) show the Louisiana Waterthrush Hull, pers. obs.). Most nesting occurs from late today to be sparsely distributed in a V-shaped May to mid-June, but a few nests have been pattern which extends northward up the western found during the first two weeks of July (Kelley third of the SLP and into the west side of the 1978, Schumacher 1983). Nests are situated in NLP as far north as Manistee County (just west a hollow or cavity in a stream- or ravine- bank, of the adjacent Wexford County northern limit or in a root mass or stump of an overturned tree of MBBA I); and northward up the eastern third (Barrows 1912, Wood 1951, Bent 1953, of the SLP, into the Thumb as far north as Robinson 1995). Data from Eaton (1958) and Tuscola County (same county and townships as Robinson (1995) suggest that pairs may favor in MBBA I). As in MBBA I, the species was south-facing slopes for nest sites. Clutch size largely unrecorded in the central SLP, most of ranges from four to six, and typically five. Only the NLP, and the entire UP. Also as in MBBA one brood is raised. Louisiana’s are frequently I, the species was reported in far fewer blocks in parasitized by cowbirds, and suffer significant the east than in the west. Generally, there was losses, especially where forest cover is reduced close correspondence with locations for which (Wood 1951, Bent 1953, Eaton 1958, Robinson the species was reported in MBBA I. Many of 1995). the townships in which the species had been detected in MBBA I revealed it again in MBBA Abundance and Population Trends II; quite a number did not, and for far fewer, In MBBA I, the Louisiana Waterthrush was MBBA II revealed new locations. The Wexford reported in 86 blocks statewide: 12 NLP and 74 and Manistee Counties locations are two tiers of SLP (Hull 1991). In MBBA II, it was reported counties north of Wood's (1951) northernmost in 52 blocks statewide: 11 NLP and 41 SLP. breeding record from 1936, and three tiers north This amounts to a decrease in blocks of 40% of the records known by Barrows (1912). statewide: 8% in the NLP, and 45% in the SLP, Thus, the Louisiana Waterthrush has extended between MBBA I and MBBA II. If these its range northward over the past 100 years; figures are adjusted by estimates of reduced however, this is most likely a reoccupation of Atlas effort in these two regions (13.6% in the © 2011 Kalamazoo Nature Center Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) Christopher N. Hull NLP, and 9.3% in the SLP), the Louisiana compelling reason for the decline of the species Waterthrush may have experienced a 5% in Michigan, particularly in the SLP; and it may increase in number of blocks in the NLP; but it explain why the species appears to be holding seems clear that it suffered a substantial decline its own, or even slightly increasing, in the NLP in the SLP (36%, adjusted), and a visual – where there is overall lower development examination of the map reveals that the greatest pressure. The timing of the species' decline in decline occurred in the west, where a large the SLP, decades after the lumbering era, but number of MBBA I blocks did not yield the bird coincident with increasing development, would in MBBA II. seem to support this conclusion, as would the relative abundance of the Northern Waterthrush The Louisiana Waterthrush's early nesting (which is less demanding of continuous forest season, local distribution, and habitat cover, and is more of a wetland generalist) in preferences are not conducive to roadside the SLP (Hull 2010). The Louisiana detection on BBS routes. As in MBBA I, only Waterthrush, with its narrower ecological three BBS routes reported the species amplitude, is more vulnerable to habitat (compared with 61 for all of FWS Region 3, degradation and loss. with a regional abundance of < 1.0 birds per route). While the Region 3 BBS trend analysis Conservation Needs for 1983-2007 (Sauer et al. 2008) shows a Nationally, the Louisiana Waterthrush is not a general increase in birds per route from 0.15 in species of concern. It is not listed on the U.S. 1983 to over 0.25 in 2007, this was not Watchlist of Birds of Conservation Concern statistically significant, due to the overall low (NAS 2010, ABC 2010), and the IUCN Red List abundance and small sample size. lists it as a species of Least Concern (IUCN 2010). However, significant declines have been The vast deforestation of the logging era, and reported in Ontario, due to forest and wetland concomitant stream degradation due to erosion, loss (McCracken 2007); and in New York, for siltation, and transportation of sawlogs probably unknown reasons, though loss of forest cover resulted in substantial population reductions for due to exotic pests, food loss due to stream this species. Stream damage from the lumber acidification, and high mercury levels are all era, in the form of erosional sedimentation postulated (Rosenberg 2008). (which imbeds essential invertebrate substrates) and increased flood peaks and "flashiness" As a result of the findings of MBBA I (Hull (which endangers nests), remains today in many 1991), the Louisiana Waterthrush is designated streams, and continues to degrade habitat as a species of Special Concern in Michigan quality and reduce wildlife (USDA 1986, (Gibson 2007). The marked decline in records Fitzpatrick et al. 1999, Fitzpatrick and Knox for the species in MBBA II, particularly in the 2000, Riedel et al. 2001, Anderson et al. 2006). SLP, is a cause for concern. Modern-day forestry and development of all types continue to contribute these prevalent To maintain stable, sustainable populations in nonpoint source impacts to streams (USEPA Michigan, the Louisiana Waterthrush requires 1996, MDNR and MDEQ 2009).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Northern and Louisiana Waterthrushes in California
    CALIFORNIA BIRDS Volume 2, Number 3, 1971 NORTHERN AND LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSHES IN CALIFORNIA Laurence C. Binford INTRODUCTION No thorough summaryof the Californiastatus of the Northern Waterthrush Seiurus noveboracensis and the Louisiana Waterthrush S. rnotacillahas been publishedsince 1944 (Grinnelland Miller). Since then the statusof the LouisianaWaterthrush has not changed,there still beingonly one recordfor the state. For the Northern Waterthrush, on the other hand, the increasein number and sophisticationof birdershas producedmany additional records, from which certain trends begin to emerge. One problem that rendersthese new data difficult to interpret is "observerbias." Field ornithologiststend to be selectivein their birding habits in respectto localitiesand dates. As a result, large areas of the state remain virtually unworked, and other localities are visited only at certain times of the year. My remarksconcerning the statusof the Northern Waterthrushin Californiaare thereforelargely speculative. Calif. Birds2:77-92, 1971 77 WATERTHRUSHES IN CALIFORNIA NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH The Northern Waterthrush breeds from north-central Alaska and the tree line in northern Canada south to central British Columbia and the northern tier of states from Idaho eastward. In winter it occursprimarily from southernMexico, the Bahamas,and Bermuda south through Central America and the West Indies to northern South America. It winters in smaller numbers on both coasts of Mexico north to San Luis Potosi,Sinaloa (rare), Nayarit (common), and southern Baja California, and casuallyin southeasternUnited States(Alden, 1969; AmericanOrnithologists' Union, 1957; Miller, et al., 1957). Althoughthis speciesmigrates principally through central and eastern United States and acrossthe Gulf of Mexico, it is known to be a regular but rather uncommon transient through eastern Arizona(Phillips, et al., 1964).
    [Show full text]
  • Designing Suburban Greenways to Provide Habitat for Forest-Breeding Birds
    Landscape and Urban Planning 80 (2007) 153–164 Designing suburban greenways to provide habitat for forest-breeding birds Jamie Mason 1, Christopher Moorman ∗, George Hess, Kristen Sinclair 2 Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA Received 6 March 2006; received in revised form 25 May 2006; accepted 10 July 2006 Available online 22 August 2006 Abstract Appropriately designed, greenways may provide habitat for neotropical migrants, insectivores, and forest-interior specialist birds that decrease in diversity and abundance as a result of suburban development. We investigated the effects of width of the forested corridor containing a greenway, adjacent land use and cover, and the composition and vegetation structure within the greenway on breeding bird abundance and community composition in suburban greenways in Raleigh and Cary, North Carolina, USA. Using 50 m fixed-radius point counts, we surveyed breeding bird communities for 2 years at 34 study sites, located at the center of 300-m-long greenway segments. Percent coverage of managed area within the greenway, such as trail and other mowed or maintained surfaces, was a predictor for all development- sensitive bird groupings. Abundance and richness of development-sensitive species were lowest in greenway segments containing more managed area. Richness and abundance of development-sensitive species also decreased as percent cover of pavement and bare earth adjacent to greenways increased. Urban adaptors and edge-dwelling birds, such as Mourning Dove, House Wren, House Finch, and European Starling, were most common in greenways less than 100 m wide. Conversely, forest-interior species were not recorded in greenways narrower than 50 m.
    [Show full text]
  • Louisiana's Animal Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)
    Louisiana's Animal Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) ‐ Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Animals ‐ 2020 MOLLUSKS Common Name Scientific Name G‐Rank S‐Rank Federal Status State Status Mucket Actinonaias ligamentina G5 S1 Rayed Creekshell Anodontoides radiatus G3 S2 Western Fanshell Cyprogenia aberti G2G3Q SH Butterfly Ellipsaria lineolata G4G5 S1 Elephant‐ear Elliptio crassidens G5 S3 Spike Elliptio dilatata G5 S2S3 Texas Pigtoe Fusconaia askewi G2G3 S3 Ebonyshell Fusconaia ebena G4G5 S3 Round Pearlshell Glebula rotundata G4G5 S4 Pink Mucket Lampsilis abrupta G2 S1 Endangered Endangered Plain Pocketbook Lampsilis cardium G5 S1 Southern Pocketbook Lampsilis ornata G5 S3 Sandbank Pocketbook Lampsilis satura G2 S2 Fatmucket Lampsilis siliquoidea G5 S2 White Heelsplitter Lasmigona complanata G5 S1 Black Sandshell Ligumia recta G4G5 S1 Louisiana Pearlshell Margaritifera hembeli G1 S1 Threatened Threatened Southern Hickorynut Obovaria jacksoniana G2 S1S2 Hickorynut Obovaria olivaria G4 S1 Alabama Hickorynut Obovaria unicolor G3 S1 Mississippi Pigtoe Pleurobema beadleianum G3 S2 Louisiana Pigtoe Pleurobema riddellii G1G2 S1S2 Pyramid Pigtoe Pleurobema rubrum G2G3 S2 Texas Heelsplitter Potamilus amphichaenus G1G2 SH Fat Pocketbook Potamilus capax G2 S1 Endangered Endangered Inflated Heelsplitter Potamilus inflatus G1G2Q S1 Threatened Threatened Ouachita Kidneyshell Ptychobranchus occidentalis G3G4 S1 Rabbitsfoot Quadrula cylindrica G3G4 S1 Threatened Threatened Monkeyface Quadrula metanevra G4 S1 Southern Creekmussel Strophitus subvexus
    [Show full text]
  • Vulnerability of At-Risk Species to Climate Change in New York (PDF
    Vulnerability of At-risk Species to Climate Change in New York Matthew D. Schlesinger, Jeffrey D. Corser, Kelly A. Perkins, and Erin L. White New York Natural Heritage Program A Partnership between The Nature Conservancy and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation New York Natural Heritage Program i 625 Broadway, 5th Floor Albany, NY 12233-4757 (518) 402-8935 Fax (518) 402-8925 www.nynhp.org Vulnerability of At-risk Species to Climate Change in New York Matthew D. Schlesinger Jeffrey D. Corser Kelly A. Perkins Erin L. White New York Natural Heritage Program 625 Broadway, 5th Floor, Albany, NY 12233-4757 March 2011 Please cite this document as follows: Schlesinger, M.D., J.D. Corser, K.A. Perkins, and E.L. White. 2011. Vulnerability of at-risk species to climate change in New York. New York Natural Heritage Program, Albany, NY. Cover photos: Brook floater (Alismodonta varicosa) by E. Gordon, Spadefoot toad (Scaphiopus holbrookii) by Jesse Jaycox, and Black Skimmers (Rynchops niger) by Steve Young. Climate predictions are from www.climatewizard.org. New York Natural Heritage Program ii Executive summary Vulnerability assessments are rapidly becoming an essential tool in climate change adaptation planning. As states revise their Wildlife Action Plans, the need to integrate climate change considerations drives the adoption of vulnerability assessments as critical components. To help meet this need for New York, we calculated the relative vulnerability of 119 of New York’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) using NatureServe’s Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI). Funding was provided to the New York Natural Heritage Program by New York State Wildlife Grants in cooperation with the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecology, Morphology, and Behavior in the New World Wood Warblers
    Ecology, Morphology, and Behavior in the New World Wood Warblers A dissertation presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Brandan L. Gray August 2019 © 2019 Brandan L. Gray. All Rights Reserved. 2 This dissertation titled Ecology, Morphology, and Behavior in the New World Wood Warblers by BRANDAN L. GRAY has been approved for the Department of Biological Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences by Donald B. Miles Professor of Biological Sciences Florenz Plassmann Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 ABSTRACT GRAY, BRANDAN L., Ph.D., August 2019, Biological Sciences Ecology, Morphology, and Behavior in the New World Wood Warblers Director of Dissertation: Donald B. Miles In a rapidly changing world, species are faced with habitat alteration, changing climate and weather patterns, changing community interactions, novel resources, novel dangers, and a host of other natural and anthropogenic challenges. Conservationists endeavor to understand how changing ecology will impact local populations and local communities so efforts and funds can be allocated to those taxa/ecosystems exhibiting the greatest need. Ecological morphological and functional morphological research form the foundation of our understanding of selection-driven morphological evolution. Studies which identify and describe ecomorphological or functional morphological relationships will improve our fundamental understanding of how taxa respond to ecological selective pressures and will improve our ability to identify and conserve those aspects of nature unable to cope with rapid change. The New World wood warblers (family Parulidae) exhibit extensive taxonomic, behavioral, ecological, and morphological variation.
    [Show full text]
  • NH Bird Records
    New Hampshire Bird Records Spring 2014 Vol. 33, No. 1 IN CELEBRATION his issue of New Hampshire Bird Records with Tits color cover is sponsored by a friend in celebration of the Concord Bird and Wildlife Club’s more than 100 years of birding and blooming. NEW HAMPSHIRE BIRD RECORDS In This Issue VOLUME 33, NUMBER 1 SPRING 2014 From the Editor .......................................................................................................................1 Photo Quiz ..........................................................................................................................1 MANAGING EDITOR 2014 Goodhue-Elkins Award – Allan Keith and Robert Fox .....................................................2 Rebecca Suomala Spring Season: March 1 through May 31, 2014 .......................................................................3 603-224-9909 X309, [email protected] by Eric Masterson The Inland White-winged Scoter Flight of May 2014 ..............................................................27 TEXT EDITOR by Robert A. Quinn Dan Hubbard Beyond the Sandhill Crane: Birding Hidden Towns of Northwestern Grafton County ............30 SEASON EDITORS by Sandy and Mark Turner, with Phil Brown Eric Masterson, Spring Backyard Birder – Waggle Dance of the Woodpeckers .............................................................32 Tony Vazzano, Summer by Brenda Sens Lauren Kras/Ben Griffith, Fall Field Notes ........................................................................................................................33
    [Show full text]
  • Wood Warblers Wildlife Note
    hooded warbler 47. Wood Warblers Like jewels strewn through the woods, Pennsylvania’s native warblers appear in early spring, the males arrayed in gleaming colors. Twenty-seven warbler species breed commonly in Pennsylvania, another four are rare breeders, and seven migrate through Penn’s Woods headed for breeding grounds farther north. In central Pennsylvania, the first species begin arriving in late March and early April. Louisiana waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) and black and white warbler (Mniotilta varia) are among the earliest. The great mass of warblers passes through around mid-May, and then the migration trickles off until it ends in late May by which time the trees have leafed out, making it tough to spot canopy-dwelling species. In southern Pennsylvania, look for the migration to begin and end a few days to a week earlier; in northern Pennsylvania, it is somewhat later. As summer progresses and males stop singing on territory, warblers appear less often, making the onset of fall migration difficult to detect. Some species begin moving south as early as mid and late July. In August the majority specific habitat types and show a preference for specific of warblers start moving south again, with migration characteristics within a breeding habitat. They forage from peaking in September and ending in October, although ground level to the treetops and eat mainly small insects stragglers may still come through into November. But by and insect larvae plus a few fruits; some warblers take now most species have molted into cryptic shades of olive flower nectar. When several species inhabit the same area, and brown: the “confusing fall warblers” of field guides.
    [Show full text]
  • Final Report for Year Three of the Effects Of
    FINAL REPORT FOR YEAR THREE OF THE EFFECTS OF HABITAT FRAGMENTATION (SELECTIVE LOGGING) ON ADJACENT SITES AT THE TRAIL OF TEARS STATE FOREST (EFFECTS OF SELECTIVE LOGGING ON NEOTROPICAL MIGRANT BIRDS) Contract No .: Prepared by : Dr. Scott K . Robinson Illinois Natural History Survey . 607 E. Peabody Drive Champaign, IL 61820 Attention: Dr. Peter Stengel National Fish and Wildlife Foundation 1120 Connecticut Ave .; N.W. #900 Washington, D .C. 20036 and Mr. Vernon Kleen IL Department of Conservation Division of Natural Heritage Lincoln Tower Plaza 524 South Second Street Springfield, IL 62701-1787 0 7 2 INTRODUCTION This report summarizes the results of the third year of a study of the effects of selective logging on nesting forest songbirds, especially neotropical migrants. Remarkably little is known about how selective logging alters bird community composition, brood parasitism levels and rates of nest depredation (see enclosed review of the literature) . The goal of this study is to compare bird community composition and nesting success in recently (55 years), old (12-year), and adjacent uncut ravines in the Trail of Tears State Forest, including the Ozark Hills Nature Preserve . This report emphasizes the results of the 1992 field season, but will also compare the results with the previous two years. The final report will be prepared for the project by the end of 1993 . STUDY AREA The Trail of Tears State Forest is located in the Illinois Ozarks region of Union County in extreme southern Illinois . The topography of this 2,050-ha forest is uniform with narrow ridges and ravines covered with oak-hickory forest and tulip-tree in the wider ravines .
    [Show full text]
  • Nature Essentials Surround - Data Sheet Nature Essentials
    NATURE ESSENTIALS SURROUND - DATA SHEET NATURE ESSENTIALS FILENAME DESCRIPTION QP01 0001 Wind soft 5.0.wav Wind. Light wind gusts, expansive. QP01 0002 Wind mod soft 5.0.wav Wind. Wind soft, whistling at times, variable, very faint bird chirp and grasshopper clicks at times. QP01 0003 Wind moderate 5.0.wav Wind. Wind ripples through grasses and reeds from left to right. QP01 0004 Wind mod strong 5.0.wav Wind. Wind lightly whistling, quickly variable. QP01 0005 Wind howling 5.0.wav Wind. Wind howling. QP01 0006 Wind strong 5.0.wav Wind. Wind severe, howling. QP01 0007 Thunder close 5.0.wav Thunder. Thunder close, single shot. QP01 0008 Thunder resonant 5.0.wav Thunder. Thunder slow and resonant across sky, single shot. QP01 0009 Thunder distant 5.0.wav Thunder. Thunder slow and rolling, distant, single shot. QP01 0010 Thunder very distant rolling 5.0.wav Thunder. Thunder deep, distant, single shot. QP01 0011 Rain soft 5.0.wav Rain. Light rain, drops distinct. QP01 0012 Rain moderate 5.0.wav Rain. Rain moderate, distinct drops on leaves, intimate space. QP01 0013 Rain strong 5.0.wav Rain. Rain moderately strong, drops still distinct. QP01 0014 Rain downpour 5.0.wav Rain. Rain strong, drops remain distinct, puddles evident. QP01 0015 Rain storm aftermath 5.0.wav Rain. Rain drops dripping off branches and leaves, puddles. QP01 0016 Thunderstorm 5.0.wav Thunder. Frequent thunder then rain subsides and thunder continues, single shot. QP01 0017 Stream sparkling 5.0.wav Stream. Small stream, sparkling, relatively close perspective.
    [Show full text]
  • Schodack Birding Checklist
    Species Sp Su F W Species Sp Su F W SHRIKES & VIREOS WOOD-WARBLERS (cont.) Northern Shrike R Black-throated Blue Warbler C C BIRDS Yellow-throated Vireo C C Black-throated Green Warbler C C Red-eyed Vireo C C Blackburnian Warbler U U OF Warbling Vireo C C Prothonotary Warbler U U Blue-headed Vireo C C Black-and-white Warbler C C JAYS & CROWS Mourning Warbler U U SCHODACK ISLAND Blue Jay A A A A Cerulean Warbler*# U U American Crow* A A A A Canada Warbler U U STATE PARK Fish Crow O O O American Redstart* C C 1 Schodack Landing Way SWALLOWS Common Yellowthroat C C Schodack Landing, NY 12156 Purple Martin U C Pine Warbler U U (518) 732-0187 Tree Swallow* U C Prairie Warbler U C Barn Swallow* U C Blackpoll Warbler U U Bank Swallow* U C Hooded Warbler U C CHICKADEES, TITMICE & NUTHATCHES Yellow-throated Warbler O O Black-capped Chickadee A A A A SPARROWS Tufted Titmouse C C C C Eastern Towhee C C White-breasted Nuthatch C C C C Field Sparrow C C CREEPERS, WRENS & KINGLETS Song Sparrow* C A C C Brown Creeper U U U U Swamp Sparrow C C House Wren* U C American Tree Sparrow C C C C Carolina Wren C C C C Chipping Sparrow* C C Marsh Wren U C U Savannah Sparrow C C Ruby-crowned Kinglet U U White-throated Sparrow C U U U Golden-crowned Kinglet U U White-crowned Sparrow U U Blue-gray Gnatcacther C Dark-eyed Junco C C C C Cerulean Warbler THRUSHES, MIMICS, STARLINGS & WAXWINGS CARDINALS American Robin* A C C O Northern Cardinal* A A A A Located on a peninsula in the northern region of Eastern Bluebird* A A C O Scarlet Tanager U C the Hudson River Estuary system, Schodack Island Veery* A C U Rose-breasted Grosbeak* U C State Park’s 864-acre Bird Conservation Area is Wood Thrush* A C U Indigo Bunting U C critical breeding habitat for many species, including Hermit Thrush C C U ORIOLES & BLACKBIRDS species of special concern such as Cerulean Warblers.
    [Show full text]
  • Evaluating the Impact of Eastern Hemlock Decline On
    EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF EASTERN HEMLOCK DECLINE ON LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH DEMOGRAPHICS AND BEHAVIOR IN GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK Lee Cotten Bryant A Thesis presented to the faculty of Arkansas State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BIOLOGY ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY May 2018 Approved by Dr. Than Boves, Thesis Advisor Dr. Travis Marsico, Committee Member Dr. Thomas Risch, Committee Member ABSTRACT Lee Cotten Bryant EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF EASTERN HEMLOCK DECLINE ON LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH DEMOGRAPHICS AND BEHAVIOR IN GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is declining throughout the eastern United States due to the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand). In the southern Appalachians, hemlock is concentrated in moist ravines and its loss threatens riparian specialists and habitat quality. The Louisiana waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) is an obligate-riparian species that could be sensitive to hemlock condition in the southern Appalachians, but how hemlock decline might impact it is currently unknown. I addressed this knowledge gap by evaluating relationships between hemlock decline and waterthrushes. First, I evaluated the ultimate effects hemlock decline could have on waterthrushes, focusing on survival and habitat selection. Second, I explored the proximate effects hemlock decline could have on waterthrushes via altered habitat quality, focusing on territory length and nestling provisioning and body condition. Short- term effects on waterthrush appear minimal, but long-term changes to riparian forest structure could have negative consequences for this species in the future. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research was initiated as a citizen science project in 2012 by Tiffany Beachy at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont (a residential outdoor education center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park) to explore the effect of eastern hemlock decline on streamside birds, specifically the Louisiana waterthrush.
    [Show full text]
  • Rotenberg, J. A. Et Al. P 493-507
    Proceedings of the Fourth International Partners in Flight Conference: Tundra to Tropics 493–507 AN INTEGRATED COMMUNITY-BASED HARPY EAGLE AND AVIAN CONSERVATION PROGRAM FOR THE MAYA MOUNTAINS MASSIF, BELIZE JAMES A. ROTENBERG,1,4 JACOB MARLIN,2 SAM MEACHAM,3 AND SHARNA TOLFREE2 1Department of Environmental Studies, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA; 2Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE), P.O. Box 129, Punta Gorda, Belize; and 3El Centro Investigador del Sistema Aquífero de Quintana Roo (CINDAQ), Retorno Copan Lote 85, Manzana 22, Playacar Fase 2, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico 77710 Abstract. Historically, research and monitoring of fl ora and fauna in the protected areas of the Maya Mountains Massif (MMM) of Belize have been conducted primarily by foreign scientists. This is par- ticularly true in areas such as the Bladen Nature Reserve (BNR) where its strict category of protection prevents even tourism as a means of alternative livelihoods for locals. Past studies have had little to no direct benefi ts (economic or educational) to buffer zone villages that border the BNR. What benefi ts that have been received are short-term in nature, and have had a strong negative impact on the local population’s appreciation of the protected areas themselves. Locals perceive the parks as a benefi t only for non-Belizeans. Our goal is to build capacity for avian conservation in the Maya Mountains by enhancing the links between protected areas and their surrounding communities. To achieve this goal, our project begins with a community-based alternative livelihood strengthening program for the development of a core group of avian technicians from buffer zone villages, and provides the tools for the acquisition of science based skills related to their work as parabiologists.
    [Show full text]