Songbird Management

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Songbird Management
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Why Manage for Songbirds?
Who Cares???
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Population Trends

• Continental Declines
• Greatest Declines in Prairie Regions
• Regional Declines
• 70 of those declining are grassland species
• 41 species are increasing

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Causes of Songbird Decline

• Potential Causes
• Habitat Loss, Degradation, or Fragmentation
• Migratory Routes
• Breeding Grounds
• Wintering Grounds
• Reproductive Issues

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Issues along Migratory Routes

• Also habitat loss and associated decrease in food
  availability

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Habitat Loss

• Conversion of early-successional landscape to
  mature forest
• Urban and Recreational Development
• Mining
• Forest Health Management
• Invasive Plant Species
• Habitat loss in wintering grounds

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Habitat Fragmentation

• Creates edge effects
• Increases susceptibility to Opportunists
• Limits opportunities Area-sensitive species

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Reproductive Issues

• Brood Parasitism
• Nest Predation
• Hybridization

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Habitat Suites

• Often conflicting priorities between Early and
  Late-successional habitats and species
• What is the true baseline for historical presence
  and importance
• Management different in each suite

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Mature Deciduous Forest
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Habitat Use

• Species use different components of a forest
  landscape
• Successional Stage (mid-late)
• Elevation
• Canopy
• Shrub
• Ground
• Snags

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Species of Interest/Concern

• Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea)
• Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)
• Kentucky Warbler (Oporornis formosus)
• Worm-Eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum)

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Cerulean Warbler

• Declining over breeding range
• Habitat Requirements
• Tall complex canopy
• Large tracts of land

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Songbird Management in Deciduous Forests

• Should address microhabitat needs
• Maintain a balance of forest-age structures
• Ensure long-term tree-species composition
• Maintain structural diversity
• Minimize levels of fragmentation

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Riparian/Bottomland Forest
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Species of Interest/Concern

• Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea)
• Louisiana Waterthrush (Seiurus motacilla)
• Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens)

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Louisiana Waterthrush

• Prefers large tracts (gt100 ha)
• Requires clean, rapidly flowing water
• Rare in fragmented areas or those with poor water
  quality

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Songbird Management in Riparian Forests

• Minimize timber activity near forested riparian
  areas
• Maintain wide riparian forest corridors
  (preferably 100 meters)

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Shrub - Early Successional
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Species of Interest/Concern

• Appalachian Bewicks Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)
• Golden-Winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera

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Golden-Winged Warbler

• Declining 10.8/yr
• Prefers dense patches of herbs/shrubs with few
  trees
• Favor mid-size (10-15 ha) patches
• Susceptible to hybridization nest
  parasitism/predation

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Songbird Management in Early-Successional
Landscapes

• Primary Goal Maintain areas in
  early-successional stage
• Possible cooperators
• Power Companies
• Mining Companies
• Promote value of shrub/scrub habitat to the public

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Grasslands
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Species of Interest/Concern

• Henslows Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii)
• Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)
• Dickcissel (Spiza americana)

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Henslows Sparrow

• Continentally Very Rare
• Regionally Strong
• Prefers tall unmowed hayfields reclaimed
  surface mines

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Songbird Management in Grasslands

• Enhance existing agricultural and reclaimed mine
  sites
• Consolidation of adjacent fields
• Prescribed fire to control woody growth
• Mowing

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Songbird Monitoring Techniques

• Abundance Species Composition
• Spot or Territory Mapping
• Point Counts Line/Point Transects
• Demographic Monitoring
• Capture Marking (Mist-nets)
• Nest Surveys
• Radio Tracking
• Migration counts

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Methods to Assess Abundance-What Birds How
Many

• Point Counts
• Fixed or Variable Radius
• Dependent on Habitat
• Line Transects (set or variable distance)
• Cover greater area than point counts
• More Difficult statistically
• Spot Mapping
• Provides density specific life history info
• Expensive labor intensive

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Spot Mapping (Territory Mapping)

• Map identity activity of all birds (or focal
  species)
• Ex. songs, calls, aggressive encounters
• Over several visits, clusters of sightings should
  occur indicate individual territory

• Note Effective with territorial species ONLY.

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Point Counts Transects

• Record activity at a fixed/variable distance over
  a set time
• Type depends on habitat complexity

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Demographic Assessment

• Mist-nets
• Provides information on productivity and
  survivorship of populations
• Limited by area covered
• Monitors many species at one time
• Nest Monitoring
• site-specific and habitat-specific information on
  productivity and reproductive status.
• VERY labor intensive.

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Nest Surveys
Requires Excellent Observational Skills Luck
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Songbird Management Monitoring Programs

• Partners in Flight (PIF)
• North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS)
• Audubon Christmas Bird Count
• WatchList
• Project Feeder Watch

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• FIELD ASSISTANTS NEEDEDMay August, 2009Fort
  Necessity National BattlefieldFarmington,
  PAIndividuals needed to help with a research
  project examining the effects of invasive
  honeysuckle on wildlife populations. The work
  will involve mist-netting and banding of
  songbirds as well as performing call counts, and
  nest monitoring. This project also includes
  small mammal and amphibian trapping as well as
  invertebrate collection and vegetation surveys.
  Applicants should have knowledge of songbird or
  small mammal identification and be willing to
  work in a variety of terrain and weather
  conditions. Additional training will be
  provided.Pay 1000 - 1100/month Housing
  Interested? Send a resume to Holly McChesney at
  hmcches1_at_mix.wvu.edu.