PROGRESS REPORT NUMBER 1 COVERING THE PERIOD JANUARY 1983 - DECEMBER 1983

Title: NATURAL HISTORY OF ST. VINCENT ISLAND,

Number: 41650-11-82 (St. Vincent NWR Special Use Permit Number) 86852-1290-948 (Denver Wildlife Research Center, Ecology Section)

Refuge: St. Vincent NWR, P.O. Box 447, Apalachicola, FL 32320

Investigator: Dr. Steven P. Christman, Wildlife Biologist (Research), Denver Wildlife Research Center, 412 NE 16th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32601

Date Submitted: January 1984

ABSTRACT:

During 1983 I surveyed St. Vincent Island in an effort to learn which of fresh water fish, amphibians, reptiles, , mammals, and trees and shrubs occur on the island. Based on ray observations and those of previous observers, I have compiled preliminary lists of the vertebrate and woody plants known from St. Vincent Island. These lists are included in this x'eport.

Submitted by: INTRODUCTION:

St. Vincent Island is a 5000 ha barrier island in the northern near the mouth of the Apalachicola River. Formerly a private hunting and fishing preserve, St. Vincent Island was acquired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and incorporated into the National Wildlife Refuge System in 1968. No systematic faunal arid floral surveys have ever been conducted, and FWS managers do not know what species of plants and animals occur on the island. This study was designed to fill that information gap.

METHODS:

Fishes: During 1983 I surveyed much of the fresh waters of St. Vincent Island by seining, dip-netting, trapping, and angling. In addition, I was permitted to examine some of the electro-shocking catch made by FWS fisheries biologists on the island. Whenever possible, I also examined the catches made by sport fishermen. Voucher specimens of fresh water fishes were deposited in the Florida State Museum where their identities were confirmed by Dr. Carter Gilbert, Curator of Fishes.

Amphibians: Frogs are easy to survey because they sing distinctive songs during their breeding congregations. I listened and searched for frogs at night during all seasons in 1983. Frogs wore also trapped in pit-fall and funnel traps, described below. Although salamanders are usually absent from islands, I searched for these by seining, dip- netting, trapping in water and on land, and by looking under logs in moist places. In addition, I used set lines in an attempt to catch larger salamanders such as sirens or amphiumas. Voucher specimens were deposited in the Florida State Museum.

Reptiles: Early in the study, I constructed several drift fence traps for small reptiles and amphibians. Each trap consisted of a 25 foot long length of galvanized valley tin, 18 inches high, and buried 4- 6 inches in the sand. Near the middle, and on each side of the drift fence, I placed an aluminum screen funnel trap against the ground and the side of the fence. At sites where the water table was sufficiently below ground level, I buried a five gallon plastic bucket, flush with ground level at each end of the drift fence. Animals moving along the fence were thus funneled into the screen traps or they fell into the pit-fall buckets. Two drift fence traps were installed at each of five sites (Fig. 1). The traps were checked weekly during mild weather, more often during hot weather, arid closed so that they would not catch animals when I was away from the island for more than a week at a time. Reptiles were also hand collected when found beneath cover, on the roads, or in the woods. I set basking traps and baited traps in water to survey for aquatic turtles. I monitored the small gopher tortoise colony on the. east end of the island, and noted box turtles wherever they occurred. I conducted one preliminary alligator survey by canoe at night. I made no special effort, towards marine turtles, but did report stranded (dead) individuals to the refuge manager. Voucher specimens of species not previously known from the island have been deposited in the Florida State Museum.

Breeding birds: Most species of nesting birds can be identified by their distinctive songs. I conducted a Breeding Census (BBC) on a 51 ha tract on the east end of the island. Within this plot, 1 mapped all nesting birds of all species by repeatedly traversing the plot during the early morning hours. 7I also censused the plot at night for owls, nighthawks and Chuck-Will's-widowa. By plotting the locations of singing birds detected on over 20 visits, I was able to map the territories of all birds present. The location of the BBC plot is shown on the accompanying map (Fig,. 1). I also set up 4500 meters of transects along roads (Fig. I) and traversed these during the early morning hours of the 1983 breeding season. (March-June). These transects were located in a salt marsh and on a road which crosses the entire island, north to south. I plotted the locations of all birds seen or heard on maps of the transects. In addition to the formal transects, I also walked along several other roads in early mornings, recording all birds seen or heard. I listened frequently at night for owls all over the island. I drove and walked along the beaches searching for shore birds, and searched the marshes for birds as well. In June I entered what is apparently the only remaining colonial bird rookery (Fig. 1) and attempted to count all nests present. No birds were collected in 1983.

Non-breeding birds: When not defending territories, birds are somewhat more difficult to survey. During the spring migration in March and April, I spent a great deal oi time recording bird species present and observing their behavior and usage as they passed through the islend on their journeys northward. Surveys of the fall migration and of the birds present during the winter months were conducted by walking along roads, fire lanes and beaches at all hours of the day.

Mammals: The mammal fauna of St. Vincent Island is better known than the other vertebrate, classes. I used live and snap traps along the beaches and secondary dunes to search for beach mice. Rodents were also trapped in the pit-fall traps. Shrews are readily sampled by pit-fall traps as well. Previous mammal surveys by Wilson Baker of Tall Timbers Research Station form the basis for the present list of mammals of St. Vincent Island.

Trees and shrubs: 1 reviewed previous collections and publications concerning the plants of St. Vincent Island, and systematically searched for and collected specimens of woody plants when they were in flower. Voucher specimens were deposited in the Herbarium of the Florida State Museum where their identities were confirmed by curators there.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

Fishes: A list of the 18 species of fish now known to occur in the fresh waters of St. Vincent Island is provided (Table 1). The American eel and the rainwater killifish are suspected to occur on the island but have not yet been confirmed. Additional sampling in 1984 will probably add several species to this list. No previous compilations of the island's fresh water fishes are available.

Amphibians: Ten species of frogs are now known from St. Vincent Island (Table 2), Absence of the bullfrog is surprising; perhaps I have just missed it, but its loud, distinctive song cannot be mistaken. No salamanders are known from the island, but the presence of the mud snake, which feeds on s'irens, suggests that these large aquatic salamanders may be present. The amphibian list is probably complete unless the bullfrog and the siren can be shown to be present. Blaney's (1971) list of St. Vincent amphibians included the bullfrog, but failed to include the oak toad, pine woods treefrog and green treefrog, all three of which are common on the island.

Reptiles: The reptile list for St. Vincent Island now includes 34 species (Table 3), Not counting the recently introduced indigo snake and the marine turtles which Blaney (1971) did not include, I have added 12 species to the reptile list. Subspecific allocation of several reptile populations has proven to be difficult, if not impossible. The reptile list is probably very nearly complete; I doubt if more than a half dozen species remain to be discovered on St. Vincent Island. The new distribution records obtained for amphibians and reptiles on St. Vincent Island will be submitted to the journal, Herpetological Review in 1984.

Birds; I found 24 species and 64 pairs of birds on the Breeding Bird Census plot. These numbers are quite low for forested areas in eastern , but probably typical for a barrier island. The results of the Breeding Bird Census have been submitted to American Birds and will appear in the January 1984 issue. A copy of that manuscript is included with this report (Appendix A). The list of birds known to nest on St. Vincent Island now includes 49 species (Table 4). It seems that some species that nested in the past (e.g., great horned. owl and the night herons) did not nest on St. Vincent in 3983, No doubt, further censusing will add several species to this list. A total of 238 species of birds is known or suspected to occur on the island. The previous refuge bird list included only 182 species. In the list provided here, the birds are categorized as summer residents (sr), winter residents (wr), permanent residents (pr), transients (t), visitors (v) , and accidentals (a). Only two species of woodpeckers nest on St. Vincent, and except for the bald eagle and the osprey (and possibly the screech-owl), no raptors nest on the island. I counted 187 nests in the colonial bird rookery. This is about half the number obtained by refuge staff in previous years, but the census techniques were different. Results of the census were submitted to the Colonial Bird Register at Cornell. University, and a copy of that report is included here (Appendix B).

Mammals: The mammal list includes 13 species confirmed and another 13 as suspected to occur on the island (Table 5). Among the suspected species are some (e.g., bobcat and round-tailed muskrat) that have occurred on the island in the past and may still occur there. Future searching will certainly confirm some of the expected species but may not add any additional mammals to the list. I have not identified any species that were not already known from the island.

Trees and shrubs: I have located nearly all of the species of woody plants listed by McAtee (1913), and added many new species as well. The list of woody plants now includes 80 species (Table 6). It is not likely that very many additional species of trees or shrubs remain to be discovered on St. Vincent Island.

SUMMAPA7 AND CONCLUSIONS:

Preliminary lists of the vertebrate animals and woody plants known to occur on St. Vincent Island have been developed for review and comment. These lists are based on field surveys.conducted in 1983 and review of published and unpublished records of past surveys. The lists are believed to be quite accurate for the woody plants, amphibians, reptiles and mammals, but less so for the fishes and birds. If funding levels permit, the surveys will continue in 1984.

One very important aspect of the terrestrial ecology of St. Vincent Island has apparently been poorly understood by previous workers. The extensive stands of slash pine that occur on the island are unique in that they represent forests whose species composition has changed little since pre-Columbian times. Such forests of slash pine originally occurred only on islands (surrounded by water or wetlands) where the frequency of natural fires was lower than in mainland pine forests. The thousands of hectares of slash pine flatwoods that occur on the mainland of northern Florida and southern today are actually growing on sites that formerly supported longleaf pine (Pinus P^liLs^trjijj)/wiregrass (Ari_s_tida 8jt£lc_t§) flatwoods (Clewell 1971). When the longleafs were lumbered out, the frequency of natural fires reduced, and domestic pigs released to run free in the pine woods, longleaf pine regeneration ' virtually ceased and slash pine became the dominant tree species. Today, the original wiregrass/longleaf pine flatwoods has been replaced with slash pine stands where longleafa are rare (and not reproducing) and wiregrass is but. a minor relict. . On islands, however, where natural fires were always less frequent than in mainland situations, the wiregrass/longleaf pine habitat never occurred. Instead, communities adapted to less frequent fire, such as coastal hammock, scrub and island slash pine, developed. Whereas extensive mainland pine forests were originally characterized by relatively frequent, low intensity natural fires, which resulted in their domination by longleaf pine and wiregrass, island pint; forests were shaped by the consequences of hurricanes (Stoneburner 1978) and irregular, but rare, catastrophic fires. This realization should have; important consequences to the management of St. Vincent Island: Clearly, management practices developed for commercial slash pine stands growing on former longleaf pine sites should not be applied (without careful study) to the unique island slash pine of Gulf of Mexico barrier islands.

The fresh water ponds and marshes of St. Vincent Island are rapidly degrading owing to the accumulation of sediments and vegetation. Prior to the construction of dams on the creeks that drain the ponds, the natural flushing and drying actions of flood and drought conditions kept the ponds open and free of choking vegetation. Today the ponds are almost covered with cattails and filled with bladderwort (Utricularia) . and the bottom sands are buried under an ever-deepening layer of silt. As long as natural flushing is prevented by the water control structures now in place, the ponds will continue to deteriorate. The increasing dependence on chemical herbicides to kill wetland vegetation in the ponds only makes the situation worse, because the dead vegetation merely falls to the bottom where it contributes to the sediment buildup while the nutrients are recycled back into new plant growth. The presence of such primary division fresh water fish species as the lake chubsucker (Erimyzon sucetta) and the bowfin (.Amjua calva) (neither of which was likely introduced by man)» suggests that the fresh water fauna would not be eliminated under natural conditions. Under conditions of extreme drought, the fresh water fauna might have been restricted to alligator holes and the like, but was probably never completely eliminated. In addition to the obvious negative impacts to anadromous and estuarine species, which are now prevented from entering the ponds and marshes, and the negative impacts to fresh water species as their habitat is engulfed by silt arid vegetation, the elimination of the natural cycle of periodic flooding and drying also excludes those terrestrial species, such as the wood stork, that depend on fluctuating water levels for their survival.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

I thank the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Regional Office and St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge for permission to study the plants and animals of St. Vincent Island. I thank Wendell Metzen for introducing me to the opportunity for research on St. Vincent. I thank the following people for helping with surveys and identifications: Dr. Fred Thompson, Dr. Loran Anderson, Dr. Dale Jackson, Dr. Walter Judd, Dr. Laurence Alexander, Dr. David Hall, Dr. Carter Gilbert, and Mr. Kent Perkins. I especially thank refuge manager Martin Perry and maintenance worker Robert Gay for putting up with me and helping me throughout the course of my field work on St. Vincent Island.

LITERATURE CITED:

Blaney, Richard M. 1971. An annotated check list: and biogeographic analysis of the insular herpetofauna of the Apalachicola region, Florida. Herpetologica 27(4):406-430.

Christman, Steven P. 1984. Breeding Bird Census. Gulf of Mexico Barrier Island. Arner. Birds 38 (in press).

Clewell, Andre F. 1971. The vegetation of the Apalachicola National Forest: an ecological perspective. Prepared under Contract No, 38-2249, U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Office of the Forest Supervisor, Tallahassee, Florida. 152. pp.

McAtee, W.L. 1913. A list of plants collected on St. Vincent Island, Florida. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 26:39-52.

Stoneburner, Daniel L. 1978. Evidence of hurricane influence on barrier island slash pine forests in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Amer. Midi. Natur. 99(1):234-237. ST. VINCENT NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE TED s'l-FS FRANKLIN COUNTY. FLORIDA *vor

Drift fence traps O Colonial bird rookery Bird survey transects Breeding Bird Census plot

COKM4.CO IN THE DIVISION Of *£*LT mOU 9UBVETS IT if,S«4 *«0 UHlAt PHOTOCKAPH5

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Figure 1. Locations of sampling sites mentioned in text. 00 Table 1. FISHES KNOWN FROM THE FRESH WATERS OF ST. VINCENT

name eomname

Lepisosteus oculatus spotted gar Amia calva bowfin Cyprinus carpio carp Erimyzon sucetta lake chubsucker Ictalurus nebulosus marmoratus brown bullhead Fundulus chrysotus golden topminnow Leptolucania ommata pygmy killifish Gambusia affinis holbrooki eastern mosquitofish Heterandria formosa least killifish Poecilia latipinna sailfin molly Menidia beryllina tidewater silversides E1 a s soina eve rg 1 ade 1 Everglades pygmy sunfish Lepomis gulosus warmouth Lepomis macrochirus bluegill Lepomis microlophus redear sunfish Micropterus salmoides largenouth bass Mugil cephalus striped mullet Dormitator maculatus fat sleeper

Count: 18 10

Table 2. AMPHIBIANS KNOWN FROM ST. VINCENT ISLAND

NAME comname

Bufo quercicus oak toad Bufo terrestris southern toad Acris gryllus dorsalis Florida cricket frog Hyla cinerea green treefrog Hyla femoralis pine woods treefrog Hyla squirella squirrel treefrog Linmaoedus ocularis little grass frog Gastrophryne carolinensis eastern narrow-mouthed toad Rana grylio pig frog Rana sphenocephala southern leopard frog

Count: 10 11

Table 3. REPTILES KNOWN FROM ST. VINCENT ISLAND

NAME comname

Chelydra serpentina serpentina common snapping turtle Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum eastern mud turtle Pseudemys concinna ssp river' cooter Pseudemys floridana ssp Coastal Plain cooter Terrapene Carolina major Gulf Coast box turtle Gopherus polyphewus gopher tortoise Caretta caretta caretta Atlantic loggerhead Lepidochelys kempi Atlantic ridley Trionyx ferox Florida softshell Alligator mississippiensis American alligator Anolis carolinensis carolinensis green anole Qphisaurus ventralis eastern glass lizard Cneaiidophorus sexlineatus sexlineatus six-lined racerunner Eumeces laticeps broad-headed skirik Leiolopisma laterale ground skink Cemophora coccinea copei northern scarlet snake Coluber constrictor priapus southern black racer Drymarchon corals couperi eastern indigo snake Elaphe guttata guttata corn snake( Elaphe obsoleta spiloides gray rat snake Farancia abacura abacura eastern mud snake Lampropeltis getulus ssp kingsnake Masticophis flagellum flagellum eastern coachwhip Nerodia cyclopion floridana Florida green water snake Nerodia fasciata ssp' water snake Opheodrys aestivus rough green snake Seminatrix P3'gaea pygaea North Florida swamp•snake Storeria dekayi wrightorum midland brown snake Tharanophis sauritus ssp ribbon, snake Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis eastern garter snake Virginia striatula rough earth snake Agkistrodon piscivorus conanti Florida cottonmouth Crotalus adamanteus eastern diamondback rattlesnake Sistrurus miliarius barbouri dusky pigmy rattlesnake

Count: 34 Table 4. Bi: .NOWN OR SUSPECTED TO OCCUR 0 VINCENT

name St.V. nestSt.V.

common loon wr pied-billed grebe wr horned grebe wr northern gannet wr? American white pelican t brown pelican pr double-crested cormorant pr anhinga magnificent frigatebird American bittern least bittern sr y great blue heron pr y great egret pr y snowy egret pr y little blue heron pr , y tricolored heron pr y cattle egret pr green-backed heron pr black-crowned night heron v yellow-crowned night heron V white ibis V wood stork V snow goose wr? Canada goose ? wood duck pr green—winged teal wr wr? mottled duck v wr northern pintail wr blue-winged teal wr northern shoveler wr gadwall wr American wigeon wr canvasback wr redhead wr ring-necked duck wr greater scaup wr ^lesser scaup wx- cdtamon goldeneye wr bufflehead wr hooded merganser wr red-breasted merganser wr ruddy duck wr turkey vulture pr osprey pr y American swallow-tailed kite v bald eagle wr y northern harrier wr sharp-shinned hawk ? Cooper's hawk t? red-shouldered hawk wr broad-winged hawk t red-tailed hawk wr golden eagle a? Table 4. BI INOWN OR SUSPECTED TO OCCUR 0 , VINCENT

name St.V_ nestSt.V.

American kestrel wr merlin wr peregrine falcon t wild turkey pr y northern bobwhite pr y black rail pr y clapper rail pr y king rail pr y Virginia rail wr sora wr. purple gallinule pr y common moorhen pr y American coot pr? ? black-bellied plover wr snowy plover pr y Wilson's plover sr y semipalmated plover wr piping plover wr killdeer wr American oystercatcher wr greater yellowlegs wr lesser yellowlegs wr solitary sandpiper t willet wr spotted sandpiper wr? whimbrel v long-billed curlew a marbled godwit t? ruddy turnstone wr red knot t sanderling wr semipalmated sandpiper t western sandpiper wr least sandpiper wr pectoral sandpiper t? dunlin wr short-billed dowitcher wr common snipe wr American woodcock ? laughing gull . pr Bonaparte's gull wr ring-billed gull pr herring gull pr gull-billed tern v Caspian tern pr royal tern pr sandwich tern sr common tern t Forster's tern wr least tern sr y black tern t black skimmer pr mourning dove t v common ground-dove wr black-billed cuckoo t Table 4. Bl :NOWN OR SUSPECTED TO OCCUR C . VINCENT 14

name St.\<. nestSt.V.

yellow-billed cuckoo t sv eastern screech-owl pr? ? great horned owl v barred owl v? common nighthawk ? ? Chuck-Will' s-wiciow sr y whip-poor-will wr? chimney swift sr y ruby-throated hummingbird sr ? belted kingfisher wr red-headed woodpecker t red-bellied woodpecker pr y yellow-bellied sapsucker wr downy woodpecker pr y northern flicker wr pil«ated woodpecker wv eastern wood-pewee t Acadian flycatcher t least flycatcher t? eastern phoebe wr great crested flycatcher sr y western kingbird t? eastern kingbird sr y gray kingbird ? ? scissor-tailed flycatcher a purple martin t tree swallow wr northern rough-winged swallow t cliff swa11ow t ? barn swallow v blue jay wr ? fish crow sr ? Carolina chickadee pr y red-breasted nuthatch wr? brown-headed nuthatch pr y brown creeper wr? Carolina wren pr y house wren wr winter wren wr? sedge wren . wr marsh wren wr golden-crowned kinglet wr? ruby-crowned kinglet wr blue-gray gnatcatcher pr y eastern bluebird ? veery t? gray-cheeked thrush , t? Swainson's thrush t hermit thrush wr wood thrush t American robin wr gray catbird wr northern mockingbird wr brown thrasher wr water pipit ? Table 4. Bli .MOWN OR SUSPECTED TO OCCUR 0" "™ VINCENT 15

name S t. V ne s t S t. V.

cedar waxwing wv loggerhead shrike ? white-eyed vireo pr y solitary vireo wr yellow-throated vireo t red-eyed vireo sr y blue-winged warbler t golden-winged warbler t Tennessee warbler t orange-crowned warbler wr Nashville warbler t northern parula sr y yellow warbler t chestnut-sided warbler t magnolia warbler t Cape May warbler t black-throated blue warbler t yellow-rumped warbler wr black-throated green warbler t blackburnian warbler t yellow-throated warbler pr y pine warbler pr y prairie warbler t palm warbler wr bay-breasted warbler t blackpoll warbler t cerulean warbler t? black and white warbler wr American redstart t prothonotary warbler sr y worm-eating warbler t Swainson's warbler t? ovenbird t northern waterthrush t Louisiana waterthrush t Kentucky warbler t common yellowthroat pr y hooded warbler sr y yellow-breasted chat sr y summer tanager sr y scarlet tanager t northern cardinal pr y rose-breasted grosbeak t blue grosbeak t indigo bunting t painted bunting t dickcissel a rufous-sided towhee pr y chipping sparrow wr field sparrow wr vesper sparrow wv? savannah sparrow wr grasshopper sparrow wv? sharp-tailed sparrow wr seaside sparrow pr y Table 4. BI KNOWN OR SUSPECTED TO OCCUR 01TOT. VINCENT

name v St.V. nestSt.V.

song sparrow wr swamp sparrow wr white-throated sparrow wr white-crowned sparrow t dark-eyed junco wv? bobolink t red-winged blackbird pr y eastern meadowlark wr rusty blackbird wv? Brewer's blackbird wv? boat-tailed grackle pr y common grackle pr? ? brown-headed cowbird sr y orchard oriole sr" y northern oriole tr purp"le finch wv? pine siskin wv? American goldfinch wr

Count: 238 56 Table 5. MAMMALS KNOWN OR SUSPECTED FROM ST. VINCENT

St.V. comname y Didelphis marsupialis opossum y Scalopus aquaticus eastern mole Myotis austroripax'ius southeastern myotis Pipistrellus subf1avus eastern pipistrelle Eptesicus fuscus big brown bat Lasiurus borealis red bat Lasiurus seminolus Seminole bat Lasiurus cinereus hoary bat y Lasiurus interrnedius yellow bat 9 Nycticeius humeral is evening bat Plecotus rafinesquei eastern lump-nosed bat Tadarida brasiliensis Brazilian free-tailed bi Sylvilagus palustris marsh rabbit Sylvilagus floridanus eastern cottontail y Sciurus carolinensis gray squirrel y Oryzomys palustris rice rat y Peromyscus gossypinus cotton mouse y Sigmodon hispidus cotton rat Neofiber alleni round-tailed muskrat Urocyon cinereoargenteus gray fox y Procyon lotor raccoon y Lutra canadensis river otter ? Lynx rufus bobcat y Sus scrofa y Cervus unicolor Sambar deer y Odocoileus virglnianus white-tailed deer

Count: 26 Table 6. ;S, SHRUBS AND WOODY VINES OF VINCENT 18

name cotnname

Pinus clausa sand pine Pinus elliottii slash pine Taxodium ascendetis pond-cypress Juniperus silicicola southern redcedar Yucca aloifolia Spanish bayonet Sabal palmetto cabbage palm Serenoa repens saw palmetto Salix caroliniana coastal plain willow Myrica cerifera southern waxmyrtle l.eitneria floridana corkwood Carya glabra pignut hickory Stillingia aquatica Quercus chapman!i Chapman oak Quercus falcata southern red oak Quercus gemlnata sand live oak Quercus hemisphaerica laurel oak Quercus lyrata overcup oak Quercus minima dwarf live oak Quercus myrtlfolla myrtle oak Quercus nigra water oak Quercus virginiana live oak Hypericum hrachyphyllum Hypericum cistifolium 'Hypericum fasciculatum Hypericum hypericoides Hypericum microsepalum Hypericum nitidum Celtis laevigata sugarberry Ulmus americana American el in Morns rubra red mulberry Batis maritima saltwort Ma g n o1i a g r and1f1o ra southern issgnol ia Magnolia virginiana sweetbay Persea borbonia redbay Persea palustris swampbay Liquidambar styraciflua sweetguni Aronia arbutifolia Amorpha herbacea Daubentonia punicea Lupinus westianus Zanthoxylutn clava-hereul is Hercules-club Rhus copal Una shining sumac Rhus radicans poison ivy Cyrilla parvifolia little—leaf cyrilla Ilex ambigua Carolina holly Ilex cassine dahoon Ilex coriacea 1 a r g e gallbe r r y Ilex glabra bitter gallberry Ilex opaca American holly yaupon Acer rubrum red maple Sapindus marginatus Florida soapberry Rhamnus caroliniana Carolina buckthorn S ag e re t i a mi nuti f1ora Ampelopsis arborea peppervine Table 6. , SHRUBS AND WOODY VINES OF SiJ|VINCENT 19

name comname

Parthenocissus quinquefoila Virginia creeper Vitis aestivalis summer grape Vitis rotundifolia muscadine Nyssa ogeche Ogeechee tupelo •Ceratiola ericoides rosemary Gaylussacia mosieri Gay1ussacia nana Kalmia hirsuta Lyonia ferruginea tree lyonia Lyonia lucida fetterbush Vaccinium arboreum tree sparkleberry Vaccinium darrowi Vaccinium stamiiteum Bumelia lanuginosa gum buraelia Diospyros virginiana common persimmon Osmanthus americana devilwood Callicarpa americana American beautyberry Conradina canescens Lycium carolinianum matrimony vine Cephalanthus occidentalis common buttonbush Baccharis angustif oil a. false willow Baccharis halimifolia saltbush Borrichia frutescens sea ox-eye- Chrysoma pauciflosculosa bush gpl.deri.rod Iva frutescens marsh elder

Count: 80 Appendix A. Breeding Bird Census Report. xx- GyLE Of. MEXICO BMRJIR ISLAND • - LOCATION: Florida; Franklin Co., St. Vincent Island, (St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge), SE tip of island, bordering West Pass; 29° 38' N, 85° 06' W, West Pass Quadrangle, USGS. CONTINUITY: New. SIZE: 51.4 ha = 127 acres (four-sided), measured on a 1:2400 scale air photo. DESCRIPTION OF PLOT: This representative sample of a northern Gulf barrier island includes about 3.4 ha (= 8.4 acres) of beach, 14.8 ha (*• 36.6 acres) of overwash savannah, 16.1 ha (= 39.8 acres) of maritime forest, 12.6 ha (= 31.1 acres) of insular slash pine forest, and 4.5 ha (= 11.1 acres) of fresh to sometimes brackish marsh. A tidal stream flows through the plot and empties into the Gulf of Mexico at West Pass. There is a house, barn and equipment compound covering about 2 ha (= 4.9 acres) situated in one corner of the plot. The plot is crossed by several infrequently used jeep trails. The beach is mainly unvegetated but has scattered patches of Sea Oats (Unigl a panicul ata ) and the Morning glory (IjDomoea pes-caprae). The overwash savannah has a few small colonizing specimens of Slash pine (Pinus elliottii ) and Rattlebox (Sgsbajiia punicea) ; otherwise, the knee- high ground cover includes the grasses Muhlenbergia, Schizachyir^um, . patens, Sporobolus, MjLtjj^hJ_ls_ s£i_cata_ and Cenchrus and the forbs Gaura_ angusti folia, Oengthera hyjmfUsa_, Heterotheca_ subaxilaris, H.ydro£0tl_e_ bpriarl^^s,£nj^pj£ol_us_ stijm^josjjs_, Croton p_unctatus_, Galium, Physalis niaj2itima_, Opjinti_a_ dr^mp_ndjj_, Helj[ajTthejmim , ChejTpj5pjji_um_ and Atriplex. Smija^ bona^no^, Hyperi_cum hj/oericoides and Conradina canescens are also present. Feral pigs (Sus scrofa) have dug holes over much of the overwash savannah. The maritime forest is dominated by the live oaks (Quercus yj£gjjri_ana^, Q^. gemijiata^, and Q_. hemisphaerica, and Cabbage Palm (Sabal palmetto). Important understory components include Saw-palmetto (Serenoa_ r§P§H§.)» Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria), Muscadine (Vvtj[s_ rotundjfplia^), Wax Myrtle (Myjrj_ca_ cerifera_) , and Sparkleberry (Vacc 1 njurn arborea_). The forest floor is continuously and extensively uprooted by the large population of feral pigs. Small depressions are maintained as mud wallows, and few plants grow under the oaks where pigs root for acorns. A quantitativ survey (10 randomly-placed 0.1 acre circular samples) of the vegetation in the maritime forest portion of the BBC plot gave the following results: 2 Trees 3 in. diameter and over, 262/acre; total basal area 101.5 ft /acre. Species (^3" dbh) comprising 93% of the total number of trees: Cabbage Palm, 107, 41, 40, 100; Live oak (£. virglniana), 84, 32, 27, 100; Slash Pine, 30, 11, 11, 70; Dead Trees, 12, 5, 1, 40; Laurel oak (iQ. hemisphaerica), 11, 4, 3, 40. Trees by diameter size class: A (3-6 in.) 41, 16, 1.7, 2; B (6-9 in.) 47, 18, 7.1, 7; C (9-15 in.) 151, 58, 60.4, 59; D (15-21 in.) 18, 7, 16.2, 16; E (21-27 in.) 2, 1, 3.2, 3; F (27-33 in.) 2, 1, 4.9, 5; G (33-40 in.) 1, 0.4, 8, 8. Shrub and sapling stems/acre, 1105; ground cover, 24%; canopy cover, 81%; average canopy height, 20 ft (range 10-25). The Slash Pine forest, dominated by naturally occurring Slash pine trees, Cabbage Palms, and Red Cedar (Jun ijDe r u s y i r g i n i a n a) is an unusual habitat type that owes its existence to the relative rarity of ground fire on islands. Important subcanopy species include Yaupon, Wax myrtle, Salt bush (Baccharis halimifolia), and Saw-palmetto. Much of the ground is covered with a layer of pine needle duff up to 18 in. deep in places. Important ground level plants include sedges in the genera

i's» and F'imk!QJLtyJjJL> tne Q^ass Setaria and the composites Eupatonum m1kanoj_des and H uchea_ o do rat aL . Other important forbs include Centella asjatjca,, PI antagp vi rgjnica , DijxHa_ yirgjnjana, Cjrsium horidulurn, Rtex/m Tjjtea, and S_abat_1a. The grapes V.- rotundlfolla and V_. aestivalis, and SmiJ_a)£ sp., Peppervine (Anipeljjjisis arborea ) , Virginia creeper ( Par thenpc jis us quljrcquef Q.1 la_) » Poison Ivy (Toxi codendron radicans ) and Mikania scandens_ are common vines in the slash pne type. A quantitative survey (10 randomly-placed 0.1 acre circular samples) of the vegetation in the slash pine forest portion of the BBC plot gave the following results: Trees 3 in. diameter and over, 330/acre; total 2 basal area 79.6 ft /acre. Species (^3" dbh) comprising 90% of the total number of trees: Slash Pine, 248, 75, 75, 100; Cabbage Palm, 25, 8, 20, 70; Red Cedar, 23, 7, 2, 70. trees by diameter size class: A (3-6 in.) 138, 42, 6.9, 9; B (6-9 in.) 82, 25, 12.3, 15; C (9-15 in.) 83, 25, 33.2, 42; D (15-21 in.) 24, 7, 21.6, 27; E (21-27 in.) 2, 1, 3.1, 4; F (27-33 in.) 1, 0.3, 2.5, 3. Shrub and sapling stems/acre, 1215; ground cover 49%; canopy cover 48%; average canopy height 33 ft (range 25-40). The marsh are mostly small patches along the creek and in depressions on the overwash savannah; the largest freshwater marsh covers 2.4 ha and is dominated by saw grass ( Cl adi urn jamaj cense ) and Black Rush (Juncus roemeri anus ) , with a few scattered clumps of Salt Bush. The mallow jCpsteletskya and the morning glory (J_. SjJjjrtjJtaJ are also present. EDGE: Two sides of the plot, totalling 4800 ft., are bordered by the Gulf of Mexico (West Pass and Apalachicola Bay); about 4000 ft of the perimeter are bordered by maritime forest; about 1000 ft. by island slash pine forest, and about 800 ft. by overwash savannah. TOPOGRAPHY: Gentle ridge and swale. ELEVATION: 0-8 ft. WEATHER: Normal. COVERAGE: April 22 - May 28; Sunrise - 0900 and 1700-2200; Total man-hours: 42. CENSUS: Blue- gray Gnatcatcher, 11 (21,9); Northern Parula, 7 (14,6); Carolina Wren, 6 (11,5); Pine Warbler, 6 (11,5); Brown-headed Cowbird, 6 (11,5;) Northern Cardinal, 4 (8,3); Chimney Swift, 3 (6,2); Red-bellied Woodpecker, 3 (6,2); Yellow-throated Warbler, 3 (6,2); Common Yellowthroat, 3 (6,2); Summer Tanager, 2; Great Crested Flycatcher, 1.5; Wild Turkey> 1; Purple Gallinule, 1; Chuck-Will's-Widow, 1; Ruby-throated Hummingbird, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Eastern Kingbird, 1; Carolina Chickadee, 1; Blue Grosbeak, 1; Red-winged Blackbird, 1; Osprey, +; Bald Eagle, +; Barn Swallow, ++. TOTAL: 24 species; 64.5 family units (125/km , 51/100 acres). VISITORS: Brown Pelican, Double- crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, Green-backed Heron, Wood Duck, Turkey Vulture, Snowy Plover, American Oystercatcher, Laughing Gull, Caspian Tern, Least Tern, Common Ground Dove, Great Horned Owl, Common Nighthawk, Blue Jay, Fish Crow, Brown-headed Nuthatch, White-eyed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Rufous-sided Towhee, Orchard Oriole. REMARKS: The Chimney Swifts nested in the chimney at the house, but foraged widely. Some 8 or 10 Barn Swallows foraged daily over the overwash savannah, but I have no idea where they had tt eir nests. The single male Blue Grosbeak was unmated, but he sang every day of the census. There were many additional species of visitors (at least 21, not counting short-term transients), but I have included only those I believe to be nesting nearby. There were no nests on the beach or the overwash savannah (too many feral pigs?). Nests found: Osprey (off the plot), Bald Eagle (off the plot), Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Wren (2), and Northern Parula (2). I thank Lawrence Alexander for help with the vegetation sampling and Refuge Manager Martin Perry for his hospitality and logistic support. — STEVEN p. CHRISTMAN, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Denver Wildlife Research Center, 412 NE 16th Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601.