I was not worried so much about the birds Marilyn - but rather the quality
of the habitat at certain migrant traps that are consistently productive
for close observation and photography. The tupelos, Mulberries and
virginia creeper-laden and grape-laden, etc. trees are a big part of the
migrant traps' 'holding power' and they help birders get looks at birds as
the birds swashbuckle around eating fruits.
I like to get longer, better, and repeated looks (and photo opportunities)
at migrants at sites with edge habitat, vine tangles and early successional
habitat in a mix - versus the birding experience of "glimpse it for a few
seconds and then it's gone forever" so common at ridgetop migration birding
spots - not my cup of tea at all. And sure, forest canopies provide
great food and habitat for migrating birds, but they do not often lead to
good close observation and photo opportunities.
I and others have routes where there are 4-5 of these edge habitat migrant
traps (often along waterways) within close proximity so you can make a
circuit and work them in a morning's birding. The Walcott Tract is one of
them.
Wayne - I completely agree that native vine tangles are great places for
migrating birds and birders. They have abundant fruit and insects to eat,
as well as good cover. But in SOME cases, vines that gain the upper hand
in an area can prevent forest succession from taking place. For example:
in a clearing at Santee NWR at the Bluff Unit (usually referred to as the
vine tangle) , ever since Hurricane Hugo knocked down most of the trees and
created a clearing in 1989, new saplings have been unable to make it to
maturity since vines smother them before they get tall enough to shade the
vine competition. There are a handful of taller / medium sized trees that
made it through Hugo but over time they are getting degraded and smothered
by the vines - and no replacement trees survive for very long. Once in a
while there is a windstorm strong enough to rip some vines off trees
without taking out the trees, but this is usually a delaying action and the
vines come back and eventually gain the upper hand. Besides the 'vine
tangle', vines are also taking over and preventing trees from reaching
maturity around the Ft. Watson Indian Mound at Santee NWR. I could list
many more examples.
There are also areas at the Walcott Tract where vines (some non-native) are
overwhelming trees including Tupelos with valuable drupes. Week before
last we were enjoying many thrushes, Grosbeaks and Tanagers in a couple of
Tupelo trees that were in the process of succumbing to vines. But the
trees were up steep brushy slopes (in the microburst storm area) and would
be hard to access to do vine control work.
Nathan Dias - Charleston, SC
--
flickr.com/photos/offshorebirder2
"These days I prefer to hunt with a camera. A good photograph demands more
skill from the hunter, better nerves and more patience than the rifle
shot." -- Bror Blixen
On Thu, Oct 3, 2024 at 8:03 AM Marilyn Westphal <mjwestph...>
wrote:
> I don’t think you have to worry so much about the birds. I think the
> “migrant traps,” at least in WNC where the forests are so vast, are more
> traps for birders than birds. The migratory birds that pass through WNC
> are largely forest birds and, although an astounding number of trees have
> come down everywhere, the forest stays largely intact. I can look up and
> see the Pisgah Forest from where I am. It’s still there. It’s the
> openings in the forest and the ridge lines that suffer the most and, no
> doubt new openings have been created, but the forest is there and the birds
> are coming through.
> I’m guessing that the Blue Ridge Parkway is a mess and it will be a long
> time before it reopens again. So, although many of our favorite birding
> areas are badly damaged, the birds still have vast areas to move through.
> For birders, besides the Blue Ridge Parkway and Chimney Rock (I have heard
> rumors that even the course of the Rocky Broad River has changed), I have
> heard that many sections of Green River Cove Rd are obliterated, and no
> doubt many, if not most, of the forest service roads are severely damaged
> by flooding and fallen trees. That is probably true with some of our
> favorite local parks as well since rivers run through many of them. It’s
> still hard to get around many places here, so hard to say. Unfortunately,
> most of our larger cities and towns are along rivers as well, which is why
> there is so much devastation here.
> For N.C. Bird Atlas managers, please note that some priority blocks will
> likely remain largely inaccessible for quite a long while.
> Marilyn
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Sep 30, 2024, at 4:33 PM, Wayne Hoffman <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
>
> Hi, Nate -
>
> Obviously, a storm like Helene can cause great changes to landscapes, and
> I agree that excess CO2 is a threat to all of nature and civilization.
> However, I would like to respond to your comments about the ascendancy of
> vines: Many of the native vines in this area provide high-quality food to
> fall migrant birds, including your triple digit thrushes and grosbeaks.
> When I go looking for these birds in fall migration I look for fruit
> (berries). The various species of wild grapes and grape relatives,
> Pokeweed berries, etc. are important to them. I love Long-leaf Pine
> habitats, but when I am looking for migrant thrushes I head for
> vine-tangled hardwood stands.
>
> Wayne Hoffman
>
> ------------------------------
> *From: *"Nate Dias" <carolinabirds...>
> *To: *"CarolinaBirds" <carolinabirds...>
> *Sent: *Monday, September 30, 2024 1:42:47 PM
> *Subject: *Storm damage - Walcott Tract got walloped
>
> I am afraid that a lot of our treasured birding spots were severely
> degraded by the recent storm.
>
> A friend of mine lives across the Green River from the Walcott Tract of
> the Green River Game Lands. He texted me a photo - heartbreaking. Weekend
> before last I had 13 species of Warblers, 4 species of Thrushes (triple
> digit individuals) and lots of RB Grosbeaks there with JB Hines, Roger
> Smith, Brad Dalton, and John Cox.
>
> The Walcott Tract had a section of forest destroyed a few years ago by a
> microburst associated with a passing storm. But this damage is even
> worse. And when clearings get made now, vines t ake over and make it hard
> for trees to restore the canopy. I read somewhere that with all the extra
> CO2 in the atmosphere now, vines have the upper hand in the arms race with
> woody plants.
>
> I am also worried about other riverside birding spots / migrant traps in
> the mountains, foothills and piedmont. Not to mention the roads and
> bridges needed to reach them.
>
> Nathan Dias - Charleston, SC
>
> --
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.flickr.com/photos/offshorebirder2/__;!!OToaGQ!pNaUFiSvJDcCT1a-ZF6nSH23qLWsEpIay8YxAxKvmbRu7EGYbo-0BwfLT6r4JIzf3Ini9piooooF-xApYVxfCpAahAxQ$ > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.flickr.com/photos/offshorebirder2/__;!!OToaGQ!pUJg63HdcA2VfaVE5lUPvuF_Gu-o8ImMHv__BrUz35aIjcmDMlbFGWrdGrp8tvZ-PEn7JET2xYG08i31Iefa2DXMFt8j$> >
> "These days I prefer to hunt with a camera. A good photograph demands
> more skill from the hunter, better nerves and more patience than the rifle
> shot." -- Bror Blixen
>
>
