Transcript Non Game Bird Management Plan for Neithercut Woodland By Brad

NON GAME BIRD
MANAGEMENT
PLAN FOR
NEITHERCUT
WOODLAND
BY BRAD SMITH, HEATHER SHAW, AND JOANNA ROGERS
NOVEMBER 22, 2007
BIRDS OF
CONCERN
Pileated
Wood Pecker
Wood Thrush
Red Shouldered Hawk
INTRODUCTION
Neithercut is a 252 acre preserve in Clare Co.
MI. (Centrally located in Northern lower)
 Owned by Central Michigan University,
overseen by the Biology Dept.
 Major habitats of interest Niethercut include:
 Deciduous (northern and lowland hardwoods)
 Coniferous (Pines, Aspen, Mixed)
 Herbaceous openland, shrubland
 Low-lying and aquatic bed wetlands.

Location of Niethercut Within Township
Implications for Habitat Management
Red Shouldered Hawk, Pileated woodpecker,
and Wood thrush have decreased due to
habitat fragmentation
 It is imperative that an old growth hardwoods
(more specifically beech-maple) forests are
established and maintained in Niethercut for
these species.

It is crucial that habitat fragmentation is limited
within the property.
 The purpose of this management plan is to
reduce fragmentation, preserve potential old
growth hardwood forests, and monitor success,
immigration, and emmigration of populations of
the Pileated Woodpecker, Wood Thrush, and
Red Shouldered Hawk.

Species Life History and
Implications for Management
Pileated Wood Pecker

The Pileated
woodpecker (Dryocopus
pileatus) is the largest
North American wood
pecker. It inhabits the
eastern U.S., west coast
of the U.S. and much of
Canada where old
growth forests exist.
www.pbase.com/douroc2/backyardpt2
Pileated Woodpecker Range
Pileated Wood Pecker
Inhabit both
deciduous and
coniferous old growth
forests
 Require old growth
forests with a dense
canopy, numerous
snags, and a semiopen forest floor that
contains decaying
wood.
http://www.mass.gov/envir/forest/
images/multiLayerForest.jpg
Pileated Wood Pecker


main.nc.us/graham/hiking/joycekil.html
A humid environment
aids in the
decomposition process
and is beneficial for
Pileated woodpeckers.
Areas along streams
and lakes are
particularly important
because they provide
natural corridors from
one piece of suitable
habitat to another.
Pileated Wood Pecker



Pileated woodpeckers
nest in cavities excavated
in snags roughly 14
meters above the ground.
They lay an average of 34 eggs in late March or
early April.
The eggs are incubated
by both sexes for 15-19
days and the young are
then cared for by both
parents until early fall.
http://www.nashvillezoo.org/piciformes/images/piliated_wp.jpg
Pileated Wood Pecker


www.vianegativa.us/.../
Pileated woodpeckers
are non-migratory and
will remain within their
territory throughout the
year.
The average territory of
a Pileated woodpecker
is 120 ha (Brown 1985)
Pileated Wood Pecker
www.fcps.edu/.../ecolog
y/carpenter_ant.htm 
www.junglephotos.com
/.../millipede.shtml
www.fcps.edu/.../easter
n_hercules_beetle.htm
Feed on small
invertebrates found
within woody
debris.
 Invertebrates are
www.collierarbor.com/
aaSpring04.php
obtained from
decomposing fallen
trees and from
standing snags.
The Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)
www.fsc.edu
Breeding Distribution
BBS- Patuxent
Life History
*BBS species of concern: Major threat to unsuccessful pop.
Related to ↑forest fragmentation, increased edge effects
Breeding habitat
 Mesic hardwood or mixed harwood forests, dense forest
understory (saps, shrubs, low exposed branches)
 Edge Sensitive Species
The Joys of the Breeding Season
Onset of Nesting
 Adaptations to ↑ nest parasitism include:
-multiple broods (2-3)
-rapid renesting after failure

Eku.edu
Known edge effects related to patchy forest area
↑ nest predation
 ↑ nest parasitism
Highest in Midwest with a 42% parasitism rate

Hoover and Brittingham, 1993
Source-Sink Dynamics

If repro. Success falls below replacement levels where
too few young survive to replace adult mortality, highly
fragmented areas may be considered sink population
zones
Trine, 1998

Large, unfrag. Tracts of forestland may produce a
surplus of offspring (dispersal and maintenance of
sink pop.)
RED SHOULDERED HAWK
myfwc.com/bba/RSHA.htm
identify.whatbird.com/obj/40/_/Red-shouldered
RED SHOULDERED HAWK

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
The Red Shouldered Hawk is
currently found in low
numbers throughout the
eastern United Stated and
southern portions of Canada.
Red Shouldered Hawks
typically begin migrating
south in late fall, and return
with the melting of snow
They prefer to nest in the
understory of mature beechmaple woodlands beginning
in late March, with young
typically fledging in June.
(Brewer et al 1991)
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Red_Shoulder...
RED SHOULDERED HAWK

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Red Shouldered Hawks were
considered common in
Michigan until the 1950’s,
when their population declined
suddenly (Brewer et al 1991).
Habitat loss is the most likely
reason for this decline (Brewer
et al 1991).
They nest in mature hardwoods
made up of beech and maple
trees, and hunt in swampy,
marshy areas, or along
streams and temporary forest
ponds.
www.fs.fed.us/.../BoykinSprings/index.shtml
RED SHOULDERED HAWK


Habitat
fragmentation has
pressured the Red
Shouldered Hawk to
use unsuitable
habitat, such as
fields and meadows,
instead of the
lowland marshes that
have historically been
their hunting ground.
www.leeparks.org/images/si
xmile/disk2/pages/R...
museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/frogs/green.htm
RED SHOULDERED HAWK

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This has caused
a dietary change
from small
aquatic
vertebrates
such as frogs,
snakes, and
minnows, to
small mammals
such as field
mice and voles.
www.majestyofbirds.com
/redshoulderedhawkpho
to
RED SHOULDERED HAWK

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This displacement
is hurting the Red
Shouldered Hawk
because it is not
as adapted to hunt
in these
environments and
is being out
competed by other
raptors that are
better suited (Kielb
et al).
www.virtualbirder.com/.../Gallery.dat&BAND=
mid
www.jmg-galleries.com/.../
www.majestyofbirds.com/cooper'shawkphoto
flyin...
www.virtualbirder.com/.../Gallery.dat&BAND=
mid
RED SHOULDERED HAWK

Ripgut Brome, Foxtail Barley,
(Bromus rubens) and Slender Oat
(Avena barbata) are non native
grasses that have been shown to
have lethal effects on Red
Shouldered Hawks (McCrary and
Bloom 1984).
weeds.ippc.orst.edu/pnw/weeds?weeds/id/Ripg...
www.stingersplace.com/photolistsp.html
tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/esadocs/bromrube.htm
RED SHOULDERED HAWK

Ripgut Brome, Foxtail
Barley, Foxtail Brome
and Slender Oat grains
have been recorded to
become wedged in the
eyes of red shouldered
hawks, causing
blindness, which
eventually leads to the
death of the bird. This is
indirectly a human
caused death because
these grasses are nonnative, human
introduced species.
RED SHOULDERED HAWK

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Water sources are very important
to the Red Shouldered Hawks
because it provides feeding
habitat (Bednardz, J., and
Dinsmore, J., 1981) ( Morris, M,
and Lemon, R. 1983)
Marshlands, temporary woodland
flooding, and ponds should be
preserved to provide a suitable
habitat for the primary prey
species- such as frogs, snakes,
salamanders, and minnows.
www.in.gov/.../outdoorin/maxinkuckee
squtch.quiet-like-a-panther.org/images/


These
hawks nest
in mature
hardwoods
made up of
Beech and
Maple
holdenarb.org/Research/r
esearchfocus.htmwww.dnr
.cornell.edu/.../sfda/index
.htm
MANAGMENT APPLICATIONS
Pileated Woodpecker
www.ancientforest.org/algonquin.htm
MANAGEMENT GOALS FOR THE PILEATED
WOODPECKER
Optimum habitat includes
snags that are 18-26 inches
dbh (diameter breast height)
and between 39 and 69 feet
tall at a density of .24 snags per
acre (Conner 1979).
 This optimum habitat will be the
main management goal in the
Niethercut Woodland.

MANAGEMENT GOALS FOR THE PILEATED
WOODPECKER
 The ultimate management
goal is to establish a known
resident breeding pair that is
capable of successfully
reproducing.
 The best way to do this is to
manage the habitat in such a
way that it becomes optimum
habitat for Pileated
woodpeckers.
www.cst.cmich.edu/friends-ofneithercut-woodland.html
MANAGEMENT GOALS FOR THE WOOD THRUSH
USFWS
Application of Habitat Management and Population Evaluation in
Neithercut

Purpose: Maintain a sustainable Wood Thrush population
by increasing nesting success and fledgling survival and
by maintaining and protecting critical breeding habitat
through the following goals:

(breeding site focus)
Habitat Management
1.
Limit forest fragmentation ,in turn reduce edge effect in order
to lower Cowbird brood parasitism and nest predation of
Wood Thrush while maintaining large contiguous and
connected tracts of forestland
ncnr.org
Implementation
2. Control the amount of Cowbirds present in Neithercut near
edge areas
USDA
APHIS
Population Monitoring and Evalutation
3.
Develop a long-term population monitoring program to
determine if mgmt. practices are maintaining source,
reducing sink document singing males, breeding productivity,
nests present, and successful offspring
Arocha.org
MANAGEMENT GOALS FOR THE RED
SHOULDERED HAWK



www.flickr.com/search/groups/?q=wildlifenorth...
In order to determine how best
to manage Niethercut, a
survey must first be taken to
determine their presence
and/or abundance.
A survey will be done using
the alarm calls of red
shouldered hawks and/or
great horned owls in order to
attract resident Red
shouldered hawks.
Once hawks are attracted,
their abundance (or absence)
can be determined.
MANAGEMENT GOALS FOR THE RED
SHOULDERED HAWK



If a pair of Red Shouldered Hawks is found in or near
Neithercut, a management plan monitoring their
reproductive success for the next ten years would be
implemented.
If no Red Shouldered Hawks are found to occupy
Neithercut or the immediately surrounding property, a
reintroduction process will take place.
Once the reintroduction has been accomplished, the
reproductive status of the newly introduced pair would
be monitored for the next ten years.
MANAGEMENT GOALS FOR THE RED
SHOULDERED HAWK


It is the goal of this management plan
to have one pair of Red Shouldered
Hawks successfully fledge offspring at
least 50% of the time over a 10 year
period (5 out of 10 years).
This success rate would be beneficial to
the overall population in Michigan, as it
would increase the number of
individuals of this species over the
course of the breeding pair’s lifetime.
www.birdsasart.com/bn215.htm
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE PILEATED
WOODPECKER
 All existing snags
are left as they
are, and
additional larger
snags are to be
created.
Additional snags
will be created
through the
www.sarpysam.com/archives/2226-Snag.html
process of
girdling.
Locations of Snags
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE WOOD THRUSH
Maintain Large Tracts of Forestland

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Coordinate efforts with surrounding private landowners and
CMU through habitat enhancement programs
Inform on impacts of land use practices on wildlife habitats
Main focuses :reducing agricultural inholdings along Elm Creek
and other streams in the areas forested regions- conversion of
that land back to natural forest.
In highly fragmented areas, suggestions may include the
planting of large standing trees between fragments to enhance
connectivity between landscapes and allow movement of the
avian species of concern among suitable habitat patches
Avoid implication of corridors-eco traps
www.prairienursery.com/store/index.php?main_p...
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE RED
SHOULDERED HAWK.
Ripgut Brome, Foxtail Barley,
Foxtail Brome and Slender Oat,
should be removed and be
replaced with native warm
weather grasses such as Little
Blue Stem
 This will be accomplished
through volunteer efforts
provided by CMU students and
Audubon
Society
members.
calphotos.berkeley.edu/.../plant_com_486.html

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE RED
SHOULDERED HAWK.
www.snakesa
ndfrogs.com/s
cra/notes/not
es0305.htm
www.petuniversity.co
m/.../feeding.htm
www.firstnature.com/fis
hes/phoxinus_
phoxinus.htm

Marshlands,
temporarily flooded
woodland habitats, and
ponds should be
preserved in order to
provide a suitable
habitat for primary prey
species such as frogs,
snakes, salamanders,
and minnows.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE RED
SHOULDERED HAWK.


www.gpnc.org/hawkrs.htm
Based on a study conducted
by Bednarz and Dinsmore, it is
recommended to maintain at
least 100 acres of prime
nesting habitat and at least
60 acres of prime foraging
habitat.
This can easily be done within
the 252 acre confines of
Niethercut.
Niethercut Woodland
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE RED
SHOULDERED HAWK.

It is recommended that isolated patches are
replaced with Sugar Maple saplings. In time,
this will create a continuous habitat for these
three species in Neithercut. Sugar Maple
planting will be done through volunteer effort
with the help of people who need to log
community service hours for various groups or
organizations.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE RED
SHOULDERED HAWK.

If no resident Red Shouldered Hawks are
found at Neithercut it is proposed to
reintroduce a juvenile male and female to the
site. Juveniles would be chosen instead of
adults because adults usually have already
established a permanent territory that they
will return to regardless of the release site.
EVALUATION

Effective monitoring and evaluation of this
management plan is crucial. Without
proper monitoring, evaluation, and
improvements over time, this plan will not
be a success.
EVALUATION OF THE PILEATED WOODPECKER.


Allow habitat to develop into the woodpecker’s
optimum habitat and then monitor every 5 years to
make sure the habitat, more specifically the snags,
are at the predetermined optimum quality and
quantity.
If not enough snags are present that meet the criteria,
more will be created when the habitat is reevaluated
every 5 years.
EVALUATION OF THE PILEATED WOODPECKER.

The woodpecker population will be evaluated using
call and drumming censuses during the mating
season each year (Late March-Early April).
Calling and drumming occurs with the greatest
frequency in the early morning and late afternoon
(Hoyt 1941) and is the best time to have CMU faculty
trained observers in the field listening for them.
EVALUATION OF THE PILEATED WOODPECKER.

This management plan will be considered a success if one
breeding pair of Pileated woodpeckers are located in Niethercut
8 out of 10 years.

Regardless of perceived success or failure, this plan must be
strictly followed for the first 10 years in order to give the plan a
chance to work as designed.
Monitor Breeding Poulation, Success



A long-term population monitoring program for the wood thrush
is needed to determine if management practices are effective
in increasing/developing source populations and in maintaining
a stable population in the area.
The determination of a populations breeding productivity will
provide useful information on factors that may affect
recruitment, determination of why breeding success may be
low, and determination as to why population numbers may be
low, if at all
Point counts of singing males, nest counts and class., Constant
effort mist netting for pop dynamics
EVALUATION OF THE RED SHOULDERED HAWK

The goal for Red Shouldered Hawks is to
manage the habitat so that a pair of Red
Shouldered Hawks can nest and successfully
fledge young at least 50% of the time for ten
years.
EVALUATION OF THE RED SHOULDERED HAWK


Nesting Red shouldered Hawks will be located using
Red Shouldered Hawk and Great Horned Owl calls
played once every 50 acres.
The direction that the hawk came from should be
recorded because it will aid in the discovery of a
nesting location
EVALUATION OF THE RED SHOULDERED HAWK

If one chick is observed to fledge successfully, the
results will be recorded as a success for that year.

After the fifth year of the project, an evaluation will
take place.
EVALUATION OF THE RED SHOULDERED HAWK

If Red Shouldered Hawks are found to nest
successfully 50% of the time during a 10 year span,
the project will be considered a success.

If Red Shouldered Hawks are not found to nest
successfully 50% of the time for the 10 year duration,
the project will be reevaluated and a new
management plan should be considered.
TIME-LINE
December 2007 -Complete grant proposals for Central Michigan
University Biology Dept., Michigan Audubon
Society, Partners in Flight, and The Nature
Conservancy.

TIME-LINE
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Spring 2008-First calling and drumming survey will take place.
-Wildlife society members will select trees to be girdled based on this plan.
-Selected trees will be girdled by volunteer (most likely from the wildlife society or bird watching
groups) in order to begin the formation process of snags.
-Identify if there is a breeding pair of Red Shouldered Hawks present in the Neithercut
woodland. If a breeding pair is found, find the nest and begin monitoring the success rate.
-Plant 10% of the Sugar Maples in the clearings.
-If Red Shouldered Hawks are not present, immediately start a reintroduction program.
-Document important habitat areas based on vegetation composition
-Begin monitoring breeding population of wood thrushes via singing male surveys and begin
nest counts and evaluation
-Begin Constant Effort mist-netting
-Following the breeding season, monitor and document clutch size and fledgling survival
-Begin to inquire on private land owners regarding habitat enhancement program
-Continue monitoring and evaluation efforts annually until 2013
TIME-LINE
Spring 2009-- 2011
 -Calling and drumming surveys will take place
during the spring breeding season.
 -Identify where the breeding pair of Red
Shouldered Hawks is presently nesting at. If a
breeding pair is found, then monitoring the
success rate.
 Plant and additional 10% of the Sugar Maples
in the clearings.

TIME-LINE
Spring 2012 -Calling and drumming survey will take place during the spring

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breeding season..
-Habitat will be evaluated for the correct size and density of
snags.
-Evaluate management plan and begin to log concerns.
-Identify where the breeding pair of Red Shouldered Hawks is
presently nesting at. If a breeding pair is found, monitor the
success rate.
-Plant an additional 10% of the Sugar Maples in the clearings.
TIME-LINE
Spring 2013-Spring 2017
 -Calling and drumming surveys will take place
during the spring breeding season.
 -Identify where the breeding pair of Red
Shouldered Hawks is presently nesting at. If a
breeding pair is found, monitor the success
rate.
 -Plant an additional 10% of the Sugar Maples in
the clearings.
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TIME-LINE
Spring 2018 -Calling and drumming surveys will take place during
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the spring breeding season.
-Identify where the breeding pair of Red Shouldered
Hawks is presently nesting at. If a breeding pair is
found, monitor the success rate.
-Plant an additional 10% of the Sugar Maples in the
clearings.
-Plan will be reevaluated and steps will be taken as
described above to tweak or reconstruct the plan.
BUDGET
Item
Voice recorder
Cost
$75.00
8 - 12 meter mist nets
$60.00 each X 8 = $480.00
10 bags Avinet Color Bands
$2.30 for 10 bands X 10 bags = $23.00
Ohaus Electronic Digital Scale
10 cotton holding bags
$105.25
$3.95 each X 10 = $39.50
Leg gauge
$25.25
Wing Rule
$21.50
Mitutoyo Steel Caliper
$134.50
BUDGET
Banding Pliers
$21.00
Chainsaw
$199.99
P. woodpecker call and drumming tape
$20
Labor
$1500/year
Gas
$150
Reintroduction supplemental feeding
$100
Reintroduction donation to Rehab organization
$100
Great horned owl/Red shouldered hawk tape
$20
Tape player/speakers
$30
Sapling Sugar Maples
$100/per year
Organizational staff salary
$250/year
TOTAL COST


$20,200.99.
This figure includes an initial cost of $3,550.99 for the
first year and an additional $1,850 each of the 9
years after that.
BUDGET

The funding for this project will come from a
variety of sources including, but not limited to,
the Chippewa Nature Center, Mt. Pleasant
Audubon Society, and the Nature Conservancy.
Grants will be written to each of these funding
sources in hopes of receiving money for the
project.
LITERATURE CITED



Brad Smith’s Sources
BROWN, E. R. 1985. Management of wildlife and fish habitats in forests of western Oregon and
Washington. U.S.D.A. Forest Service, No. R6-(F and WL)-192-1985. pp. 332.



BULL, E. L. 1987. Ecology of the pileated woodpecker in northeastern Oregon. Journal of
Wildlife Management 51: 472-481.





BULL, E.L. AND JACKSON, J.A. 1995. Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)- The Birds of
North America, No. 148. Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and American Ornithologists' Union,
Washington, DC. 24 pp.
CONNER, R. N. 1979. Seasonal changes in woodpecker foraging methods: strategies for winter
survival. The role of insectivorous birds in forest ecosystems. Academy Press, New York, New York. pp 95105.


HOYT, J. S. 1941. Through he year with the pileated woodpecker. Audubon Mag. 43:525-8.

McCLELLAND, B.R. 1979. The pileated woodpecker in forests of the northern Rocky Mountains.
The role of insectivorous birds in forest ecosystems. Academic Press, New York, New York. pp 283-299.

LITERATURE CITED

Heather Shaw’s Sources

BERTIN, R.I. 1977. Breeding Habitats of the Wood Thrush and Veery. The Condor 79:303

311TRINE, C.L. 1998. Wood Thrush Population Sinks and Implications for the Scale of
Regional Conservation Strategies. Conservation Biology 12(3):576-585.

BRITTINGHAM, M.C. and TEMPLE, S.A. 1983. Have Cowbirds Caused Forest Songbirds to Decline? BioScience 33(1): 31-35.

HOLMES, R.T. and ROBINSON, S.K. 1988. Spatial Patterns, Foraging Tactics, and Diets of Ground-Foraging Birds in a Northern Hardwoods
Forest. The Wilson Bulletin 100(3): 377-394.

HOOVER, J.P.; and BRITTINGHAM, M.C. 1993. Regional variation in Cowbird Parasitism of Wood Thrushes. The Wilson Bulletin 105: 228-238.

JAMES, F.C; JOHNSTON, R.F; WAMER, N.O; NIEMI, G.J; BOECKLEN, W.J. 1984. The Grinnellian Niche of the Wood Thrush. The American
Naturalist 124(1): 17-42.

RAPLH ET AL. 1993. The Handbook of Field Methods for Moniroting Landbirds. USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-144.

RIVERA, J.H.; RAPPOLE, J.H.; McSHEA, W.J.; HAAS, C.A. 1998. Wood Thrush Postfledging Movements and Habitat Use in Northern Virignia.
Condor 100(1): 69-78.

TEMPLE, S.A. and CARY, J.R. 1988. Modeling Dynamics of Habitat-Interior Bird Populations in Fragmented Landscapes. Conservation Biology
2:340-347.

TRINE, C.L. In Press. Effects of Multiple Parasitism on Cowbird and Wood Thrush Nesting Success. In T.L. Cook, S.K. Robinson, S.I.
Rothstein, S.G. Sealy, and J.N.M. Smith, editors. The Ecology and Management of Cowbirds. University of Texas Press, Austin.

URBAN, D.L. and SHUGART, H.H.
The
1986. Avian Demography in Mosaic Landscapes: Modeling Paradigm and
Preliminary
Results. Pages 273-279 in J. Verner, M.L. Morrison, and C.J Ralph, editors. Wildlife 2000:
Modeling Habitat Relationships
of Terrestrial vertebrates. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison.
LITERATURE CITED

Joanna Roger’s Resources:



BEDNARZ, J.C. AND DINSMORE, J.J. 1981 Status, Habitat use and Management of Red Shouldered
Hawks in Iowa. Journal of Wildlife Management 45(1) 236-241.



BLOOM, P.H. 1995. Red Shouldered hawk home range and habitat use in Southern California.
Journal of Wildlife Management 57(2): 258-265.



BREWER, R., McPEEK, G. AND ADAMS R. 1991. The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Michigan.
Michigan State University Press.



Field Guide to the Birds of North America. 2nd ed. 1996. Published by the National
Geographic Society.



KIELB, M., SWALES, J. AND WOLINSKII, R. 1992. The Birds of Washtenaw County Michigan. The
University of Michigan Press.
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