Habitat Characteristics of American Woodcock Nest Sites on a Managed Area in Maine

McAuley, Daniel G.; Longcore, Jerry R.; Sepik, G.F.; Pendleton, Grey W.

doi:10.2307/3802048

Cited by 24 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Widespread, active forest management is required to conserve woodcock populations (Kelley et al ), which have declined as a result of habitat loss and degradation (Dessecker and McAuley , McAuley et al ). Clearcutting patches of older, secondary forest is the most efficient method for increasing the extent of early‐successional forest for woodcock (McAuley et al , Dessecker and McAuley , Williamson ) and it is estimated that >22,000 km 2 of early‐successional forest needs to be managed in the Northeast to restore woodcock populations to levels observed during the 1970s (Kelley et al ). In addition, populations of many other early‐successional forest birds have also declined as a result of habitat loss and degradation, and are likely to benefit from such extensive forest management (Brawn et al , DeGraaf and Yamasaki ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Higher bird abundance and diversity where American woodcock sing: Fringe benefits of managing forests for woodcock

2015

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Declines of early-successional forest across the northeast United States during the past 60 years has caused declines in populations of associated birds and active forest management is necessary to reverse these trends. Land managers often focus on a few target species with hopes that non-target species are also conserved, but the effectiveness of management for so-called umbrella species is seldom verified. We compared bird assemblages at American woodcock (Scolopax minor) singing grounds and nearby, random forest sites to determine whether habitat management for woodcock benefits non-target bird species. Earlysuccessional forest species were a key component of bird assemblages at singing grounds, but were largely absent from random forest sites. On average, the total number and diversity of birds were !1.5 times greater at singing grounds. We also found evidence for broader landscape differences in the number of bird species expected at singing grounds (n ¼ 48; 95% CI ¼ 41-56) and random forest sites (n ¼ 34; 95% CI ¼ 28-41). Our results indicate that forest management to support woodcock populations extends some conservation benefits to diverse non-target bird species. Thus, the woodcock may serve as an effective umbrella species, especially for early-successional forest birds, but complementary umbrella species should be considered to aid in the conservation of birds that breed in more mature forest. Ó 2015 The Wildlife Society.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Higher bird abundance and diversity where American woodcock sing: Fringe benefits of managing forests for woodcock

2015

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“…The MNWR was established in 1936 to benefit the continental population of American woodcock, and since 1979 it has been the site of an intensive research and management effort to enhance woodcock productivity and survival. Results from this research have been published in several papers, including Dwyer et al (1988), Longcore and Sepik (1993), Straw et al (1994), andMcAuley et al (1996). These research results have influenced the development of our woodcock model and our habitat management plan.…”

Section: Performing a Biological Impact Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 75%

A Model for Ecosystem Management - ECOSEARCH

Short¹,

Hestbeck²,

DeGraaf³

2001

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This volume describes how ECOSEARCH species-habitat models are developed using information about the natural history of species, habitat descriptions, and specific descriptors for soils, topography, water regimes, and vertical habitat structure. Also, examples are provided that demonstrate the impacts of: 1) converting a wooded swamp into a recreational lake with adjoining golf course and housing lots in western Massachusetts; 2) converting a mature forest to earlier successional stages for woodcock management on a National Wildlife Refuge; and 3) varying logging practices on a national forest. ECOSEARCH was developed as a first step to a testable, scientific basis for ecosystem management. ECOSEARCH uses a FORTRAN program to predict occurrence for >300 species of New England wildlife using natural history models and information contained in geographicinformation matrices. ECOSEARCH is based on the assumptions that many wildlife species are associated with certain habitat attributes that can be estimated from vegetative structure, water regimes, soil types, and topographic conditions. The challenge of predicting species occurrences is to discover the constraints that structure particular ecosystems. The more rigid the constraint, the more reliable the prediction. Data from local landscapes are organized as raster data with 50-m pixels. At present, the vegetative-structure matrix is provided by interpreting a systematic grid of points from aerial photographs. Topography, soil types, and wetlands are provided from a variety of existing sources. The assignment of each pixel as habitat for a given species was determined by first estimating the suitability of the pixel as breeding and feeding habitat using a hypothesized species-habitat model and GIS data from a circular neighborhood, centered on the pixel, and then determining the appropriateness of the geometry between breeding and feeding habitats. Habitat assessments can be made by predicting species occurrences for existing landscapes. Impact assessments can be made by predicting species occurrences for simulated landscapes that reflect proposed development, timber harvest, or wetland modifications.

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“…Selecting nesting locations in areas of dense horizontal cover (e.g., dense understory and shrub layers) would result in nest sites being associated with more favorable temperature regimes (i.e., microclimates, Holway 1991). Each of the factors noted in this discussion have been indicated as influencing woodcock nest site selection in various portions of the bird's range (Gregg and Hale 1977;Roboski and Causey 1981;Coon et al 1982;McAuley et al 1996;Abel and Ritchison 1999). Woodcock in this study appeared to have been choosing locations that enhanced the vertical canopy and horizontal shrub cover associated with the nest site; features noted of importance in nesting studies throughout the bird's range (Coon et al 1982;McAuley et al 1996).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Each of the factors noted in this discussion have been indicated as influencing woodcock nest site selection in various portions of the bird's range (Gregg and Hale 1977;Roboski and Causey 1981;Coon et al 1982;McAuley et al 1996;Abel and Ritchison 1999). Woodcock in this study appeared to have been choosing locations that enhanced the vertical canopy and horizontal shrub cover associated with the nest site; features noted of importance in nesting studies throughout the bird's range (Coon et al 1982;McAuley et al 1996). The vertical cover exemplified in this study consisted of tree limbs and branches, because all leaf foliage was basically absent during the nesting season.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Owen et al (1977) and Dwyer et al (1983) reported woodcock habitat in most states was declining because of successional trends in vegetation, urbanization, and commercial development. Although habitat used by woodcock for brood rearing and nesting has been studied throughout the breeding range (Shelton 1967;Liscinsky 1972;Gregg and Hale 1977;Roboski and Causey 1981;Coon et al 1982;Dwyer et al 1982;Parris 1986;Kinsley and Storm 1989;McAuley et al 1996), the results are contradictory (Sepik et al 1989).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Habitat Characteristics Associated with American Woodcock (Scolopax minor Gmelin) Nests in Central Kentucky

Harris

Elliott

Frederick

2009

Journal of the Kentucky Academy of Science

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Habitat Characteristics of American Woodcock Nest Sites on a Managed Area in Maine

Cited by 24 publications

References 6 publications

Higher bird abundance and diversity where American woodcock sing: Fringe benefits of managing forests for woodcock

Higher bird abundance and diversity where American woodcock sing: Fringe benefits of managing forests for woodcock

A Model for Ecosystem Management - ECOSEARCH

Habitat Characteristics Associated with American Woodcock (Scolopax minor Gmelin) Nests in Central Kentucky

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