The Citizen Scientist Newsletter
Volume 2, Issue 1 
Spring 2006

Download the PDF version of The Citizen Scientist Newsletter - Spring 2006 (Requires Adobe Acrobrat Reader).

While January seems only a few days ago, signs of spring are all around, from the blooming forsythia and redbud to the returning purple martins, and bald eagles are fledging.  Bluebirds are checking out their nest boxes, and cardinals are renewing their efforts to head butt all reflective surfaces.

Like the birds, we are gearing up for spring and summer field projects.  We hope this issue brings you up to date on some of the projects we are working on in the Nongame Endangered Wildlife Program.  We will cover upcoming educational events, from Birding Bootcamps to Bird Festivals, upcoming research and monitoring efforts, and give some of the results of previous efforts.

As you will see, there are many opportunities to get involved in a number of education, research and monitoring projects across the state, and we strongly encourage you to consider lending your considerable talents to one or more projects that work to study and protect our diverse wildlife.

- Nongame Staff

Joint Atlanta Audubon Society/DNR Greenspace Study
Tim Keyes
Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program

Download the PDF version of The Citizen Scientist Newsletter - Spring 2006 (Requires Adobe Acrobrat Reader).

As Georgias population increases, there has been a significant effort to preserve greenspace within rapidly urbanizing landscapes.  Greenspaces are justified for a number of reasons, ranging from improving water and air quality, to providing recreational opportunities, and protecting wildlife habitat.  While small forested patches within an urban landscape probably don’t provide quality nesting habitat for many bird species, they may offer valuable wintering habitat and stopover sites for birds to rest and refuel during spring and fall migration.

A collaborative project between the Atlanta Audubon Society and the Nongame Program seeks to address how and when birds use greenspaces. Throughout the year, and what components of urban greenspaces are most important for these birds.  We will be measuring greenspace size, landscape context, and local habitat variables as well as bird species and numbers found throughout the year.

We are hoping to recruit birders to visit local greenspaces and record what they find.  These surveys shouldn’t involve much more than birders are already doing.  For the purposes of this study, greenspaces are discrete natural areas, generally set aside as parks, riverside greenways, or forests that are surrounded by developed land.

If you are interested in participating, please visit the Greenspace Bird Survey link on the WRD website to download 2 data sheets.  You will find the Greenspace Site Data Sheet that only needs to be filled out once.  This sheet helps to describe the location, size, and habitat characteristics of the greenspace, as well as determining whether select invasive exotic plants are present.  The Greenspace Bird Survey Form is to be filled out with each visit to the area.

Todd Schneider
Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program

Download the PDF version of The Citizen Scientist Newsletter - Spring 2006 (Requires Adobe Acrobrat Reader).

The US Geological Survey recently recognized Georgia for our dramatic increase in Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) Routes run in 2005. We are hoping to continue this trend with an ambitious goal of running 20 new routes in 2006. This will keep us on track for achieving 90 routes run annually in Georgia by 2008.  With this many routes run regularly, we will be able to better track population trends for hundreds of species of landbirds.

We know that Georgia has plenty of experienced birders who havent participated, and we will be actively tracking you down.  This is your chance to take part in one of the most important bird monitoring projects in North America.  BBS data give us the most complete population information for hundreds of North American Species.

We want to extend a special thanks to all BBS volunteers!

The following people have generously donated their time and skills to the Breeding Bird Survey; the longest running and most wide-spread research project designed to track population trends for hundreds of North American land-birds.  Many have participated for years, some even decades.  Others ran their first route last summer.

Brandon Anderson
Alan Ashley
Wilson Baker
Mark Beebe
Brad Bergstrom
Bob Cooper
Richard Crawford
Leslie Curran
Jay Davis
Dean Demarest
Joyce Duncan
Todd Engstrom
Theresa Hartz
David Hedeen
Richard Hester
Jackie Heyda
Malcom Hodges
Chuck Hunter
Terry Johnson
Mark Kersey
Tim Keyes
Nathan Klaus
Carol Lambert
Don McGowan
Terry Moore
Helen Ogren
Karen Osborne
Jim Ozier
John Parrish
John Petrick
Paul Raney, Jr.
Robert Rhodes
Susan Richmond
Chuck Saleeby
Bob Sargent
Georgann Schmalz
Todd Schneider
Jeff Sewell
Dawn Sherry
Terril Soules
Phil Spivey
Jonathan Stober
Paul Sykes
Lydia Thompson
Ted Touchstone
Ed Van Otteren
Vic VanSant
Joel Volpi
Steven Wagner
Greg Waters
E.J. Williams
Sheila Willis
Jim Wilson
Helena Wood
Alex Woollcott
Keith Wooster

If you know your Georgia breeding birds by sight and sound, we strongly encourage you to take a route.  It requires a commitment of only one day each year.

Reggie Thackston
Bobwhite Quail Initiative

Download the PDF version of The Citizen Scientist Newsletter - Spring 2006 (Requires Adobe Acrobrat Reader).

As required for Georgia's participation in the Conservation Reserve Program Practice CP 33 Habitat Buffers For Upland Birds, spring (May 22 - June 11) monitoring will be conducted for bobwhites and 4 species of songbirds (eastern kingbird, field sparrow, eastern meadowlark, and loggerhead shrike); and fall (October 15 - November 15) covey count monitoring will be conducted for bobwhites only. Monitoring will occur at 40 treatment and 40 paired control points on private farmland in a 12 county area, mostly in SW Georgia. Your assistance is needed in locating volunteers, hopefully avid birders, to serve as observers in this survey.

Observer training will be conducted on May 20-21 (Saturday and Sunday) in Albany. Training will begin at 7am on May 20th, last all day and end around mid morning on May 21st. Nongame Program biologists Nathan Klaus, Tim Keyes and Todd Schneider will assist with training and/or locating volunteer observers.

With a minimum of 20 observers it will take around 6-7 days (including training) per person per year to monitor the points. Of course this will vary depending on the number of observers and the relative proximity of sample points. Funds are available to facilitate paying "volunteers," perhaps $100 or more per day, depending on the number of observers. This will compensate or at least offset travel costs. Ideally, the same observers will be available to monitor the same points during each of the three survey years.

All skilled birders who would like to volunteer (with a little pay) to assist in this survey, please contact Reggie Thackston: Reggie_Thackston@dnr.state.ga.us

Diana Swan
Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program, Coastal Office

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Thanks to all who reported sightings of swallow-tailed kites in 2005! We had one of our best years yet, with 39 kite nests and nest structures located, 13 fledglings and two adults fitted with radio transmitters, and infrared cameras installed at three nests.  The telemetry data we collect will add to our dataset and be used to estimate juvenile and adult survival, nest-site fidelity, age of first breeding, activity range size, and migration routes.  In addition, a radio-tagged Georgia bird was instrumental in locating an important pre-migration roost site in central Florida.  These sites can contain hundreds to thousands of kites and are critical as staging areas prior to the long journey over the Gulf and down to Brazil. Their preservation is critical to long-term swallow-tailed kite conservation.

In 2006, we are expanding our nest-searching efforts, in order to obtain a more accurate picture of swallow-tailed kite breeding distribution in Georgia.  The logistics of our previous research, investigating critical demographic questions, had geographically constrained our search efforts, but this year our goal is to survey the entire coastal plain.

YOU CAN HELP!  Kites have already been spotted in Georgia, and your sightings have been extremely helpful in contributing to the discovery of documented kite nests in the past.

Please report all swallow-tailed kites seen from now through early September with the kite sighting observation form.  You may fill out the form online, or fax or mail it in. Forms are available at http://www.gos.org. If you do not have access to the online report form, you can report sightings directly to Diana Swan at the address below -- via email (preferred), phone, or mail. All sightings locations will be included in DNRs Kite database, and the information will be forwarded to the swallow-tailed kite field biologists for nesting or roosting follow-up searches. Please be specific about the location and if possible reference the page, grid letter and number, and position from the DeLorme Georgia Atlas and/or provide a latitude and longitude. For use in the database, we have to be able to locate the kite observation on a map, and assign latitude and longitude.  Happy birding!

Diana Swan
GA Department of Natural Resources
4270 Norwich Street
Brunswick, GA 31520
Dswan@dnr.state.ga.us

Tim Keyes
Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program

Download the PDF version of The Citizen Scientist Newsletter - Spring 2006 (Requires Adobe Acrobrat Reader).

We will once again be looking for intrepid birders to continue our efforts to locate and count the birds of high conservation priority on state lands.  Similar to last year, our efforts will focus on Bachmans sparrows and Swainsons warblers.  At least some of the surveys will go hand in hand with a more focused study of Bachmans sparrow habitat use throughout the year.  As you probably know, Bachmans sparrows are typically found in pine savannas, with an open grassy understory.  They also will use early regenerating clearcuts.  We will be looking at some of the specific habitat variables that affect Bachmans sparrow use of clearcuts, from size and landscape context, to specific herbicide and planting regimes.

Other species we hope to continue to survey are worm-eating warbler and American redstart in the Coastal Plain.

Jim Wilson
Atlanta Audubon Society

Download the PDF version of The Citizen Scientist Newsletter - Spring 2006 (Requires Adobe Acrobrat Reader).

Piping plovers have been on the Endangered Species List for many years because their habitat, open beaches, have been slowly but surely taken over by our ever-growing human population.  In the early 1990s, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in coordination with the GA Department of Natural Resources and other government agencies, began a winter census along the Georgia coast every 5 years.  To make sure that the birds were accurately counted, all of the barrier islands were surveyed on a single day, during a single high tide cycle.   This census was broadened to include other shorebirds as well, because many species were also declining in numbers.

The survey gave a very accurate account of Georgias shorebird populations and was so successful that it was decided to conduct these censuses annually.  Georgia has been the only state to do this every year, which has generated valuable data on wintering shorebird populations along the entire coast.  The winter shorebird survey has since been expanded to include all coastal birds encountered during the count period, though the focus remains on priority shorebird species, such as red knot, piping plover, American oystercatcher, and marbled godwit.  A number of studies have placed color bands on shorebirds, and an important component of the winter shorebird survey is to locate and record color-banded birds.  Based upon the colors and in some cases the visible alpha-numeric codes, it can be determined when and where a particular bird was banded.

On February 3, 2006, the high tide was about noon, and 60 expert birders from the USFWS, USGS, GADNR, Audubon, and GA Ornithological Society participated in covering all of the beaches on all of Georgias barrier islands to count waterbirds.  Over 73,000 birds were counted, with about 55,000 of those being shorebirds.  Dunlins were the most numerous bird species seen by far, with 29,326 counted, and St. Catherines Island yielded the highest bird count with 17,709 tallied.  Two hundred PIPL were seen, many with leg bands that help to determine their age, breeding location, and migration status.

Overall, this single day of bird counting is providing the necessary data to find out if our conservation methods are working for shorebird and other coastal bird populations.

Jim Ozier
Nongame Endangered Wildlife Program

Download the PDF version of The Citizen Scientist Newsletter - Spring 2006 (Requires Adobe Acrobrat Reader).

The possible rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker in Arkansas has rekindled hope that maybe this magnificent bird still survives in other remote areas of suitable habitat as well.  As part of the "recovery" effort, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has limited funding available for states within the species' historical range to conduct searches at high priority locations.  These sites are being selected based upon the most recent historical occurrence records, our assumptions about the characteristics of suitable habitat, and GIS analysis of present habitat conditions.

Georgia DNR will be receiving a grant to work cooperatively with the Athens USFWS Field Office to plan and implement searches beginning this spring.  Initially, the effort will focus on the northwestern portion of the Okefenokee Swamp, and will later expand to areas within major coastal plain river bottoms.  The general approach will be to dispatch two-observer teams to remote locations, by foot or by boat or by helicopter, to search for signs of ivory-bill presence and gather information on habitat conditions.  Teams will be equipped with video cameras and GPS units to document observations, and will broadcast recorded ivory-bill calls as a response stimulus.  Observers will also be watchful for other wildlife species of concern, including Bachman's warbler, another species widely believed to be extinct.

Though it is highly unlikely that an ivory-bill will be found in Georgia, such a discovery could have enormous conservation implications. However, possibly one of the most important benefits of the search effort will be to focus public attention on the importance of large tracts of forested habitat.  As the search plan develops further, there might be opportunities for volunteer participation.  However, only limited equipment is available, so observers might need to bring their own cameras, etc.  Of course, independent searches are also welcomed.  Anyone producing documentation of ivory-billed woodpeckers in Georgia will get a free 2-year subscription to this newsletter.

Tim Keyes
Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program

Download the PDF version of The Citizen Scientist Newsletter - Spring 2006 (Requires Adobe Acrobrat Reader).

This year, Nongame staff will provide three Birding Boot Camps to help you brush up on bird identification skills.  We are opening these training sessions to the public free of charge this year under the condition that participants agree to help with one of a number of bird monitoring projects we are conducting throughout the state.  We are especially encouraging people to take on Breeding Bird Survey Routes.  We focus on bird identification by sight and sound.  Workshops are free but if you need lodging you will need to take care of that yourself.

Piedmont Boot Camp April 20-21
This boot camp will target Piedmont nesting species, including several species of high conservation concern, such as Swainsons warbler and Bachmans sparrow.  Sites will include Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge, Rum Creek WMA, Bond Swamp, and the grassland/agricultural areas west of Forsyth. Meet at the Nongame Office at Rum Creek WMA at 7AM on April 20.

Mountain Boot Camp April 26-27

This workshop will cover a number of key birding sites in the mountains of North Georgia, including Brasstown Bald, Ivy Log Gap, Coopers Creek WMA, the Cohuttas, and more. One of the highlights will be a chance to visit some of the Cerulean Warbler enhancement sites, where forests are being managed specifically for this declining species.  This bootcamp will get you in shape to help with a number of monitoring projects that we have in the northern portions of the state. Meet at 7AM at Vogel State Park on April 26.

Coastal Boot Camp May 2-3
This workshop will cover coastal plain species, focusing primarily on songbirds.  We will find painted buntings, Swainsons warbler and other denizens of southern swamps and maritime forests.  Sites will include Paulks Pasture WMA, Crooked River State Park, and other southern coastal sites. Meet at 7AM at Crooked River State Park on May 2.

If you are interested in joining us for one of these Birding Boot Camps please contact Tim Keyes (Tim_Keyes@dnr.state.ga.us) (478) 994-1438. We will need to know who plans to join us.

Kitty Spivey
Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program

Download the PDF version of The Citizen Scientist Newsletter - Spring 2006 (Requires Adobe Acrobrat Reader).

Bird watching has become one of the most popular forms of outdoor recreation.  To celebrate Georgia birdlife and to learn more about the adventures of birding, bring your entire family and join in the fun at the Pinewoods Bird Festival at Pebble Hill Plantation on Saturday, April 7-8, 2006.  The Festival will host a variety of activities for all ages to enjoy. 

Programs will focus on the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, rare Bachmans sparrows, bats, butterflies, prescribed fire and more.  Volunteers are still needed to help moderate presentations, man the registration booth, and fill in throughout the festival with a variety of tasks.  Volunteers can sign up for 3-hour blocks. Visit www.pinewoodsbirdfestival.com for more event details, or contact:

Pinewoods Bird Festival
Pebble Hill Plantation
P.O. Box 830, Thomasville, GA 31799
Phone: (229) 226-2344

Tim Keyes
Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program

Download the PDF version of The Citizen Scientist Newsletter - Spring 2006 (Requires Adobe Acrobrat Reader).

The March 31st deadline for teams to register for the Youth Birding Competition is rapidly drawing near.  More than 10 teams have already registered, ranging from elementary school to high school.  We even have a group of 7 year olds who will be the youngest participants.

Many of these teams have been matched with an experienced mentor, and they are meeting with each other in preparation for the April 23rd competition.  In order to help prepare students, we will offer a training day on April 8th at the Newman Wetland Center in Clayton County for any registered team that wants to learn more about bird identification, and birding strategies.

During the actual competition, Georgia Public TV will follow a high school team throughout the day to film the event. They didnt commit to a midnight start, but were willing to meet a team before daylight to search for owls.

We will need some volunteers to help on the day of the event, distributing T-shirts, collecting and tallying checklists, and enjoying the free banquet and birds of prey program.

If you know any kids interested in birding who are not already involved with this program, please get them word fast so they can join in the first (hopefully annual) Youth Birding Competition.

For more information please visit www.georgiawildlife.com and select the "Conservation" link.

Tim Keyes
Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program

Download the PDF version of The Citizen Scientist Newsletter - Spring 2006 (Requires Adobe Acrobrat Reader).

The theme for International Migratory Bird Day this year is Boreal Forest Birds.  Apart from wishing we were in the boreal regions during the heat of Georgias summer, what do the boreal forests have to do with us?  Surprisingly enough, a lot!

The vast expanses of boreal forests encompass 1.5 billion acres stretching from northern New England through the Maritime Provinces, and west across much of Canada and Alaska.  This huge area provides breeding habitat for billions of birds of 270 species. Many of these species migrate through Georgia in spring and fall, and several winter in the state. We cherish glimpses of birds such as the blackpoll, bay-breasted, and Cape May warblers in part because they spend so little time in Georgia, they can easily be missed.  These three warblers make the boreal forest their home as does the fox sparrow and yellow-rumped warbler, which are winter residents in Georgia.

For much of the last several centuries, the boreal forest has remained relatively untouched compared to the temperate regions in North America.  This neglect benefited many of the birds breeding there.  Today increasing pressure is being applied to these forests and the wildlife that inhabits them. 

For more information about the boreal forest and the array of birds that nest there, or to locate IMBD celebrations near you, please visit www.birdday.org.  Let us know if you plan any events for IMBD.  We have some funds to provide nature centers with posters and other IMBD materials.  We can also post your event on the IMBD webpage to help with promotion.

Georgia DNR and Partners in Flight (PIF) provide an excellent free-loan bird activity box to teachers and birding event planners.  Download the Friends of Feathered Flyers Bird Activity Box locations map here. (Requires Adobe Acrobrat Reader).

John Jensen
Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program

Download the PDF version of The Citizen Scientist Newsletter - Spring 2006 (Requires Adobe Acrobrat Reader).

Initiated by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in 1996, the volunteer-supported Georgia Herp Atlas (GHA) project provided over 6500 herpetofaunal records.  These substantially enhanced our understanding of the respective distributions of these species and consequentially improved the precision of range maps being used for an in preparation book to be titled Amphibians and Reptiles of Georgia.

During the five-year GHA period, 492 volunteers submitted verifiable records of amphibians and reptiles. Records were received from 158 of the 159 counties in the state. Towns County was not represented by any records. Verification came mainly in the form of photographs and, in the case of frogs and alligators, audio recordings. Videos, preserved specimens, and shed snakeskins were also sufficient vouchers.  89% of the 7452 submitted records were verifiable and accepted.

Each of 133 species was represented by one or more records.  The top five most reported species within each major category are listed at the end of this article.  There are many biases that preclude viewing these lists as representative of the most abundant species in the state; however, most of these would certainly qualify as being among the more conspicuous herpetofauna of Georgia.  Frog records far outnumber those of other groups primarily due to the relative ease of documentation through audio recordings. One particular volunteer, Walter Knapp, was especially zealous in his pursuit of audio frog records.  In fact, most of the recordings found on the CD Calls of the Wild: Vocalizations of Georgias Frogs are actual GHA records made by Knapp. Relative rarity of particular species obviously affected their encounter rates. However, cryptic or elusive behaviors and the inhospitable nature of certain habitats resulted in some species being reported infrequently or not at all, regardless of how rare they truly are. Quite a few species, especially toads, cricket frogs, dusky salamanders, several species of skinks, and mud turtles are underreported simply because many photographs did not capture the often subtle characteristics needed to differentiate between closely related and similar-looking species. Some species may actually be underreported because of their abundance.  For example, if a volunteer saw a dozen Spotted Dusky Salamanders and one Red Salamander along one stream during one observation period, he or she would likely turn in only one photo for each species.  Considering all the potential biases, therefore, the number of records should probably be viewed as representing the relative ease of documenting species occurrence rather than as an indication of actual species abundance.

Top Five Reported Herps by Group

FROGS: Green Tree Frog, Copes Gray Treefrog, Green Frog, Spring Peeper, Bullfrog
SALAMANDERS: Slimy, Southern Two-lined, Marbled, Red, and Three-lined Salamander
LIZARDS: Green Anole, Fence Lizard, Ground Skink, Six-lined Racerunner, Five-lined Skink
SNAKES: Eastern Rat Snake, Common Kingsnake, Black Racer, Northern Watersnake, Timber Rattlesnake
TURTLES: Eastern Box Turtle, Pond Slider, Common Snapping Turtle, Eastern Mud Turtle, Painted Turtle

Calls of the Wild: Vocalizations of Georgias Frogs

Make check for $15.36 payable to "Wildlife Conservation Fund" and send to:
Georgia Frog Call CD
Wildlife Resources Division
116 Rum Creek Drive
Forsyth, GA 31029

Todd Schneider
Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program

Download the PDF version of The Citizen Scientist Newsletter - Spring 2006 (Requires Adobe Acrobrat Reader).

Spurred on by the recent signing of a contract with the University of Georgia Press, we have redoubled our efforts to finish writing and editing species accounts for the breeding bird atlas. Thanks to all who have been writing accounts for this valuable project.

Nathan Klaus
Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program

Download the PDF version of The Citizen Scientist Newsletter - Spring 2006 (Requires Adobe Acrobrat Reader).

What is an invasive exotic species?  In the case of Chinese Privet, Nepal Grass, or Cogon grass the answer seems obvious.  These are all species from far away countries that have invaded Georgia ecosystems, replacing native species and interfering with ecosystem functions.  What about a species from the west coast, such as the house finch?  Most scientists agree that this too is an invasive exotic species, even though it is native to this continent.  House finches have expanded their range as a result of human activity, taking advantage of suburban and agricultural landscapes.  The distance a species travels has less to do with whether a species is considered an invasive exotic than how it got there and what it does once it arrives.  Perhaps a better way to define an invasive species is that it (1) has recently expanded its range, often as a result of human meddling (2) it often replaces species native to that site and (3) it often disrupts ecosystem functions.

By this definition water oak (Quercus nigra) and sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) are invasive species, though they didnt cross any oceans or even any continents to get here.  These trees are the second and third most common trees in Georgia.  Both were once much less common, found only in major river floodplains for thousands of years prior to European settlement.  At that time Georgias uplands were largely comprised of longleaf pine savanna in the coastal plain, and shortleaf pine/post oak woodlands in the Piedmont (Figure 1).  Regular fires kept these forests open, and water oak and sweetgum out.  Birds used these ecosystems, taking advantage of the open canopy and rich herbaceous ground cover.  Logging, farming, and farm abandonment changed the landscape.  In the early 20th century many farms grew back into forests of loblolly pine, only this time fire was not a part of the system.  In the absence of fire these fast growing, highly mobile species invaded the uplands.  Once established in the uplands, water oak leaves suppress fire, as they are very slow to burn.  Instead of grassy open woods, Georgias forests became dark and shady, with little plant diversity, and recent surveys have revealed this translates to greatly reduced bird diversity.

Research conducted by Georgias citizen scientists have revealed just how big an impact the water oak/sweetgum invasion has had on our birds.  Ninety point counts were conducted between paired upland pine forests throughout Georgia.  Each pair had an equal size and density of loblolly pines.  Each had been burned at least once in the last ten years.  One of each pair had no water oak or sweetgum while the other had at least 25% of its canopy trees as water oak or sweetgum.  Pine stands with water oak or sweetgum had HALF the bird species and HALF the total number of birds as pine stands without water oak or sweetgum (see Figure 1).  Many species of high conservation priority declined or totally disappeared from stands once water oak or sweetgum appeared, including: brown-headed nuthatch, blue grosbeak, indigo bunting, red-headed woodpecker, Bachmans sparrow, red-cockaded woodpecker and bobwhite quail.  Even more interesting, no bird species were positively associated with water oak/sweetgum invasion of upland pine stands.  This strongly suggests that a forest type of upland pine/water oak/sweetgum is unnatural, present on the landscape for only a few decades.

Unlike open grassy forests, no birds have had time to specialize on the wateroak/sweetgum/ loblolly pine forest, and it is of reduced conservation value.  On the other hand, open grassy pine forests are extremely valuable, home to many of our declining birds.  This underlies just how important a regular fire regime, burning every 2-3 years, is to keep the invaders out.  Even though they are native to Georgia, some native species may not always be good.

Figure 1.  Landlottery surveys from the 1820s reveal a strikingly different Georgia Piedmont.  Uplands are dominated by a mixture of pine and fire hardy oaks.  Water oak and sweetgum are found only along major rivers such as the Ocmulgee.  On this image PO = Post Oak, Wh O = white oak

Figure 2. Bird species richness and abundance were half as high in stands invaded by water oak or sweetgum and open pine stands.

Phil Spivey
Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program - River Creek Office

Download the PDF version of The Citizen Scientist Newsletter - Spring 2006 (Requires Adobe Acrobrat Reader).

Red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW) populations on private lands in Georgia are practically a thing of the past.  Entire regions of our state that once supported RCWs are now void of the species.  RCWs can be considered the poster child for endangered species in the southeast being very strict habitat specialists living in older pine forests kept in an open condition by frequent controlled fires.  Longleaf pines are the preferred forest species, but RCWs will use others like loblolly, slash and sometimes shortleaf pines.  This woodpecker tenaciously chisels out a cavity in a live tree, the only woodpecker in North America to regularly create cavities in living wood.  As a general rule, pine trees must reach 120 years old before gaining interest from RCWs.  Millions of acres of mature pine forests have been altered or converted to other uses since colonial times.  Following the Civil War, huge areas of the Souths longleaf forests were timbered to supply our growing country with wood.

Yet, there is hope.  In the 1920s, wealthy industrialists purchased large tracts of virgin land in the Red Hills region covering parts of Thomas and Grady Counties for quail hunting retreats.  These lands were set aside before any large scale land clearing took place and amazingly still stand today as the finest examples of old-growth longleaf pine forests remaining in the world.  Around 300,000 acres still function as quail hunting preserves today with about 10,000 in old-growth condition meaning the dominant pines reach 200-400 years old. The Red Hills supports around 185 RCW family groups, which is by far the largest population on private land.  Most of these groups are clustered just south of Thomasville towards the Florida line.

In 1994, the Georgia DNR began work on a Statewide Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for RCWs with goals of providing management alternatives and incentives for landowners supporting RCWs.  A major focus of the HCP is a Safe Harbor component where a landowner agrees to implement or continue positive management (e.g., control burning, hardwood control, uneven-aged forestry, etc.) on their land and in return get a break from additional legal obligations under the Endangered Species Act.  There are also incentives to encourage landowners to allow the creation of artificial cavities where needed or even start new populations where appropriate.  RCWs may take from several months to years to finish a single cavity, so cavities are a limiting resource and population declines can usually be linked to insufficient cavities.

To date, around 143,000 acres of mature pine habitat -much of it longleaf- are enrolled in Safe Harbor with assurances that it will be maintained to benefit RCWs and the entire assemblage of other flora and fauna that depend on this habitat.  Everything from indigo snakes, gopher tortoises, flatwoods salamanders, pocket gophers, Bachmans sparrows and fox squirrels to rare native orchids and pitcher plant bogs will benefit from these lands being enrolled.  Through the Safe Harbor Program the RCW population in southwest Georgia has grown by 29 surplus groups.  These additional birds are above the levels found on these lands before Safe Harbor.  In particular, 19 of these new RCW family groups are found on the Jones Ecological Research Center in Baker County where their population had declined to one single male in 1998.  Through Safe Harbor, a lot of controlled fire and the good land ethic of these landowners, RCWs&..and many other species are getting a fighting chance.

Download the PDF version of The Citizen Scientist Newsletter - Spring 2006 (Requires Adobe Acrobrat Reader).

Jim Ozier
Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program

Georgia DNR conducted annual statewide bald eagle territory monitoring flights January 9,10, 12, 13, and 18.  Seventy-eight occupied territories were found; most contained an adult eagle in incubating/brooding position.  Eaglets were observed in a few nests.  Thanks to reports from citizens, three new territories have been discovered so far this season.  All known nests will be checked again in March to determine productivity.  It is likely that additional territories will be documented as occupied at that time because some pairs might have been late getting started and therefore would not have been on their nests during the January monitoring visits.  Last year 82 occupied territories were documented, following 83 in 2004 and 81 in 2003.  This apparent stabilization in the overall Georgia population follows more than 20 years of continual growth.  There were no known nesting pairs during the1970s following a severe population decline through the 1950s and 1960s.

Download the PDF version of The Citizen Scientist Newsletter - Spring 2006 (Requires Adobe Acrobrat Reader).

To find out more information on these and other bird conservation programs, contact the WRD Wildlife Biologists listed below.

CONTACT: TODD SCHNEIDER
TODD_SCHNEIDER@DNR.STATE.GA.US
BREEDING BIRD SURVEYS
BREEDING BIRD ATLAS

CONTACT: JIM OZIER
JIM_OZIER@DNR.STATE.GA.US
MID-WINTER EAGLE SURVEY
IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER SURVEY

CONTACT: TIM KEYES
TIM_KEYES@DNR.STATE.GA.US
TARGETED BIRD SURVEYS
URBAN GREENSPACE STUDY
YOUTH BIRDING COMPETITION
INTERNATIONAL MIGRATORY BIRD DAY

CONTACT: NATHAN KLAUS
NATHAN_KLAUS@DNR.STATE.GA.US
RARE WARBLER SURVEYS
LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE SURVEYS

CONTACT: REGGIE THACKSTON
REGGIE_THACKSTON@DNR.STATE.GA.US
HABITAT BUFFER BIRD MONITORING

CONTACT: KITTY SPIVEY
KITTY_SPIVEY@DNR,STATE.GA.US
PINE WOODS BIRD FESTIVAL

CONTACT: PHIL SPIVEY
PHIL_SPIVEY@DNR.STATE.GA.US
RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER

CONTACT: DIANA SWAN
DSWAN@DNR.STATE.GA.US
SWALLOW-TAILED KITE

CONTACT: JOHN JENSEN
JOHN_JENSEN@DNR.STATE.GA.US
GEORGIA HERP ATLAS

Download the PDF version of The Citizen Scientist Newsletter - Spring 2006 (Requires Adobe Acrobrat Reader).

The Hummingbird joins the Eagle!

You are now able to purchase a ruby-throated hummingbird tag.  The one-time $20 fee supports the Wildlife Conservation Fund, which funds numerous WRD projects to conserve nongame species. These important projects are funded solely through federal grants, direct donations and fundraising initiatives like the nongame wildlife license plate and State Income Tax Checkoff.  To support conservation programs for Georgias nongame wildlife, purchase a new nongame wildlife license plate for your vehicle, or donate to the Give Wildlife a Chance State Income Tax Checkoff.