Final
Report of Bird Inventory:
Russell
Cave National Monument, 2003–2005
Stephen J. Stedman, Ph. D. 1
Barbara H. Stedman 2
1
Department of English
Box 5053
Cookeville, TN 38505
2
2675 Lakeland Dr.
birdsongteam@charter.net
Note: A published version of this report appears in the following source:
Stedman, S. J., and B. H. Stedman. 2006. Bird Inventory at Russell Cave
National Monument 2003-2005. Alabama Birdlife 52 (2): 37-46.
Table
of Contents
Lists
of Figures and Tables.........................................................................................
Acknowledgments......................................................................................................................…........................
Introduction...........................….....................................................................................................
Description
of Study Site.......…....................….............................….................................…....
Methods—Bird Inventory Techniques.................................................................................................................
Results...............................……............................................................................................................................
Expected
Species
List.............……..........…..................................................................................
Total
Species
Inventoried……………………………………………………….........................………
Breeding Species Inventoried………………………………………………….........................……….............
Species Composition of the Isolated Units.....……............................................…...........................................
Discussion............................................................................................….............................................................
Comparative Effectiveness of Survey Techniques..............…......….........................….............…...................
Influence of Weather on Results…………………………………........................……………...........................
Description of Bird Diversity in Terms of Observed and Estimated Species Richness……………………
Unexpected
Results…………………………………………………………………..
Birds Not
Found………………………………………………………………………..
Recommendations for Management and Protection of
Significant Habitats……................
Suitability of Habitat for Persistence of Sensitive
Species…………………..……
Literature Cited..................................................................,...............................
Appendix A: Tables…………………………………………………………………......................
ii
List
of Figures
Figure 1. View of the entrance to Russell Cave 6 August 2003 (Stephen J. Stedman photographer)..................
List
of Tables
Table
1.
The Official List of the Birds of Alabama (Imhof 1976)
as of December 31,
1974………............
Table
2. Species,
status, seasonal abundance, and breeding category of birds observed at Russell
Table
3. Species
registered during point counts conducted at 12 stops (10 minutes each) at unlimited distance during 2003 and 2005 at Russell Cave National Monument...……….
iii
Acknowledgments
We
thank John Bundy, Superintendent at Russell Cave National Monument, for
support during the course of the bird inventory.
Mary
Shew, Resource Manager, was helpful and encouraging during the entire project.
Jason Money assisted in locating and marking plots for point counts, and he checked to be sure the road up Montague Mountain was clear before visits were made to the monument.
Tom Diggs also
assisted in locating and marking plots for point counts.
Linda
Barnes and Shelia Reed in the park visitor center used information we provided
to inform the visiting public about the birds of the park, and we thank them
for their promotional work.
We
are greatly indebted to the staff of the Center for the Management,
Utilization, and Protection of Water Resources at Tennessee Technological
University for high quality management of the fiscal paperwork associated with
this bird inventory. Director
Dennis George, Sandra Pigg, Yvette Clark, Amy Knox and especially Glenda
Sharks and Mary Williford, contributed much to our success.
Finally, we are especially grateful to Teresa Leibfreid, Inventory and Monitoring Coordinator for the Cumberland Piedmont Network of the NPS, for her dedication and support throughout the duration of this bird inventory. Thanks, Teresa.
iv
Final
Report of Bird Inventory: Russell Cave National Monument, 2003-2005
Introduction
Russell Cave National Monument
(RUCA ), one of the most significant archaeological and speleological
sites in the eastern United States, became part of the national park system 11
May 1961 when the National Geographic Society donated 125 hectares (310 acres)
to the federal government. Several habitats are found in the above-ground
portion of the park, including small areas of agricultural land, small areas
of grassland, and fairly extensive deciduous and mixed woodlands.
The purpose of this study was 1) to inventory the bird species
occurring at RUCA; and 2) to indicate the status and relative seasonal
abundance of documented species.
Description of Study Site
Although
archaeological deposits found in the entrance room to the cave system
constitute the main reason for the park’s existence, these deposits, dating
back 9000 years, have little effect on the birdlife of the park, so they will
not be treated in detail here, nor will the large cave system, formed in the
underlying limestone on the east side of Montague Mountain, attached to the
entrance room.
Habitat
in the park is partitioned somewhat by elevation.
The lowest portions of the park lie along small, usually dry streambeds
with some riparian vegetation. Slightly
higher in elevation are grassy areas (mowed weekly) near the park entrance,
visitor center, and picnic areas. Many
pines are scattered throughout these grassy areas, adding further to the
habitat, and therefore avian, diversity in the park.
Finally, the sides of Montague Mountain are forested with a variety of
mature trees that provide habitat for many species of woodland birds.
Most
streambeds in the park except for those at the lowest elevation (204 m [670
ft]) are dry except following periods of fairly heavy rainfall. Riparian
vegetation characterizes these streambeds and lends some diversity to the
birdlife of the park.
The
public entrance to the park intersects County Rd. 98 in Jackson County,
Alabama, about 2 km south of the Alabama-Tennessee state line and about 10 km
west of the Tennessee River. Agricultural pastures border the entrance road and lend some
diversity to the birdlife found in the park.
A TVA power line also crosses the entrance road about 100 meters from
the park entrance. About 500 m
from County Rd. 98 the entrance road crosses a bridge over Dry Creek.
A large parking area surrounded by mowed grass with scattered trees,
mostly large, long-leaf pines, lies adjacent to the visitor center at the end
of the entrance road. A boardwalk leads from the visitor center to the cave
entrance, and asphalt-paved and gravel paths lead around the base of Montague
Mountain for a total of about 2 km (1.2 mi) up to an elevation of 244 m (800
ft); these paths are surrounded by fairly mature deciduous forest.
RUCA
is primarily composed of low elevation (up to 520 m [1705 ft]) montane forest,
mainly deciduous in composition in the old growth or near old growth stage,
but some cedar thickets occur up to 300 m (1000 ft) and scattered short-needle
pines occur to the summit of Montague Mountain where a number of private
holdings lie immediately adjacent to park land. The understory in the forest
is usually quite open with poison ivy being the dominant ground cover when any
is present. A 5-km (3-mi) jeep
road allows access to the higher elevations of the mountain and its forest in
the park; it crosses private property at several places and is gated to the
general public.
Along
the northwest border of the park property on Montague Mountain, a famous
mountain overlook—Russell Point (owned by the Nature Conservancy)—is
located; it is an obvious “sky island” that is somewhat attractive to
migrating birds, as well as bats and insects, during spring and fall.
These may in turn follow the higher elevations to the park boundary.
Several
recent and historical occurrences affected the forests of the park during the
bird inventory, including weather events, prescribed burns, and past mining
activity near park property.
·
During June 2004 a tornado struck Montague Mountain, causing
massive blowdowns and opening up many parts of the forest.
By one estimate, 700 large trees in the park were upturned by the
tornado and massive debris piles were created.
·
Some forested areas on the mountain were burned by park service
personnel during late April 2005, leaving much bare ground in the understory
during the following breeding bird season.
· In the early to mid-20th-Century a mining operation took place on land that now borders the park at the higher elevations of Montague Mountain. Some of the land that was mined near the park remains quite open; this land is leased by a hunting club whose members hunt on the mountain in season.
Methods--Bird
Inventory Techniques
Point counts were the most regimented method of collecting bird data at
this NPS unit. Twelve point
counts were conducted during late May and/or early June in each of two years,
2003 and 2005 (an effort to conduct point counts during 2004 was prevented by
a tornado that blew numerous trees onto the jeep road leading to the higher
elevations of the park, thereby preventing access to that part of the park and
ending the point-count effort for that year).
The location of each of the plots for the point counts was determined
by NatureServe. The Partners in
Flight (PIF) protocol for these counts entailed standing at the center of a
100-meter-diameter plot and counting all birds heard and seen for 10 minutes;
birds were recorded as occurring at one of four distance intervals (< 25 m;
25-50 m; 50-100 m; and >100 m) or as flyovers; birds were also recorded as
occurring within one of three temporal intervals (0-3 min; 3-5 min; 5-10 min)
(Hamel 1992; Hamel et al. 1996). Any
birds flushed during approach to the plot center were included among the birds
recorded at the point. Birds
counted at a one point were not counted at an adjacent point if the same
individuals were detected. All
birds seen or heard were recorded on a special point count data form.
Detailed point count data are provided in a supplemental Excel file
included with this report; general results of the point count effort are
provided below (Appendix A: Table 3).
A second method used to gather data about the birds of this site was
the migration walk. During spring and fall, these walks were conducted 3-4 times
per season. The walks typically
lasted 1-2 hours and covered a distance of about 1.5 km through habitat
considered to have potential for harboring migrant birds.
All species seen or heard were recorded on a standard field card.
A third method used to gather data about the birds of the site was the
raptor survey. These surveys were undertaken during fall and early winter.
Typically, the survey lasted 2-4 hours during late morning.
A route was driven by automobile along all the roads of the unit,
usually totaling about 4 km. All
raptors (and shrikes) detected were included in the resulting data.
All species seen or heard were recorded on a standard field card.
A fourth method of gathering bird data at this site was the night
survey, a somewhat informal method entailing the use of tape-recorded owl
calls to elicit responses from owls at the site.
Besides owls, nightjars were also detected by night surveys during
summer; woodcocks at all seasons; and Grasshopper Sparrows during spring and
summer. All species seen or heard
were recorded on a standard field card, sometimes in conjunction with data
obtained using the following method.
The fifth and last method of obtaining bird data at this site was the
general inventory, involving less regimented efforts to visit many promising
sites and habitats within this NPS unit during the course of a day and to keep
track of all species sighted. During
the breeding period for birds, which includes most of the spring and summer,
the general inventory included efforts to detect breeding evidence of for all
species breeding in the unit. All
species seen or heard and all breeding evidence observed were recorded on a
standard field card.
Data obtained during migration walks, raptor surveys, night surveys,
and general inventory surveys are provided in a supplemental Excel file
submitted with this report.
Results
Expected Species List
Imhof (1976) discusses about 340 species of
birds found in Alabama as of 1974; this number has grown during the three
intervening decades, but it probably still does not exceed 400 by much if at
all, and most of the species added to the list involve rare species not
expected to occur regularly in Alabama. Northern
Alabama has a much less diverse bird fauna than coastal Alabama, so perhaps
300 bird species occur within the entirety of northern Alabama, though only
about 230 of these are expected species. These 230 species are listed below
(Appendix A: Table 1)
Total
Species Inventoried
During the inventory period
(April 2003-May 2005), Barbara H. Stedman (BHS) made visits to this unit on a
total of 24 days during all seasons (6 days during spring; 6 days during
summer; 5 days during fall; and 7 days during winter).
In the course of these visits she observed 130 species (Appendix A:
Table 2) by one or more of the methods described above.
The total of 130 species detected at this site during the two-year
inventory represents about 57% of the 230 species expected in northern
Alabama.
Breeding
Species Inventoried
Evidence of breeding by species using the unit was divided into three
categories: possible evidence; probable evidence; and confirmed evidence. In
all, 79 species (Appendix A: Table 2) were placed in one of these categories,
including 16 (20.3%) possible breeders, 20 (25.3%) probable breeders, and 43
(54.4%) confirmed breeders.
Point counts were conducted during the
breeding period of many species. A total of 46 species was registered during
12 point counts conducted during 2003, while 41 species were detected during
12 point counts conducted in 2005. In
all, point count effort led to data for 47 species of birds (Table 3), all of
which use RUCA during the breeding season. Detailed data from the point counts
are provided in a supplemental Excel file submitted in conjunction with this
report.
Species Composition of the Unit
Generally
speaking, the larger and more diverse in habitat a site is, the larger the
number of bird species that will be found in it.
This rule of thumb was generally borne out by the data obtained during
this survey; i.e., the fairly small size of the unit led to an overall species
list that is consistent with its size. In
addition, the extensive deciduous woodland habitat of the park dictates that
its bird fauna will be dominated by species adapted to that habitat, and it
is. Species composition in 2005
was affected by a prescribed woodland burn conducted by NPS personnel; this
burn will be described in a later section of this report.
Discussion
Comparative Effectiveness of Survey Techniques
Each of the five survey
techniques used for this inventory was effective for its purpose, but in terms
of generating the largest number of species per unit of time expended, the
general inventory was probably the most effective (resulting in detection of
approximately 120 species), followed by the migration walk (approximately 90
species) and the point count (47 breeding species).
Due to their restricted emphasis, night surveys (approximately 10
species) and raptor surveys (approximately 12 species) generated fewer species
per unit of time expended than the other survey methods, although the quality
of the species detected during these surveys was excellent.
Influence
of Weather on Results
An
effort was made to visit RUCA during periods when the weather was conducive
for registering the maximum number of species during general inventory work,
migration walks, point counts, night surveys, and raptor surveys, so the
influence of weather on the results of the overall inventory was generally
positive. However, the mild
winters that took place during the inventory probably prevented registration
of some boreal irruptive species, such as Evening Grosbeak. Additionally, lack
of powerful frontal passages during the spring and fall seasons of the
inventory period probably also prevented major fall-outs from occurring;
during such events, the likelihood of finding rare species is greater than
during less agitated weather.
The
tornado that blew down many trees during June 2004 prevented the completion of
point counts that year. However,
these trees were removed by May 2005 when a set of point counts was conducted
to replace the set of point counts not conducted in 2004.
The species total (41) on point counts conducted in 2005 was lower than
the species total (46) on point counts conducted in 2003, suggesting that the
damage to the forests of the park caused by the tornado, and the clean-up,
including a prescribed burn, that followed it (which occurred immediately
before the point counts were conducted), negatively affected the diversity of
birds, especially ground-nesting species like Black-and-white Warbler, in the
park.
Description of Bird Diversity in Terms of Observed and Estimated Species Richness
The
small size of RUCA would lead one to estimate that a fairly low degree of bird
diversity would be present within its boundaries.
Further, the park is not located on one of the major migration flyways
of North America, also decreasing the likelihood that it would harbor a rich
diversity of bird species. Still
further, Russell Cave is not directly connected to the chains of mountains
running from the Northeast to northeastern Alabama; rather it is more of a
“sky island” that would attract some birds to it, but not the great
migration concentrations found along the Appalachian ridges.
However, on the plus side of the species richness ledger, Russell Cave
is endowed with fair diversity of habitats. These increase the likely richness
of the avifauna present within a park of its size and location.
Further, although the park is not located near the center of a major
migration flyway, it is located not too far from the Tennessee River, which
acts as a migration funnel; some species detected as flyovers in the park may
have been present as a result of the flyway effect created by the Tennessee
River. Finally, the forests of the park were not themselves greatly
fragmented at the beginning of the inventory and they remained fairly
unfragmented even after the tornado of 2004, leading one to predict that they
would harbor many species associated with the forest interior, species that
add overall richness to an avifauna.
The riparian areas of the park provided
habitat for nesting Belted Kingfishers, while the stream at the cave entrance
hosted Louisiana Waterthrush. Both
Eastern Phoebes and Barn Swallows nested just inside the cave entrance and
under the bridge over Dry Creek. A
pair of Red-shouldered Hawks nested near the visitor center.
The pasture and grassy areas at the low elevations of the park hosted a
diversity of species with some—including White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated
Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern
Kingbird, Barn Swallow, Eastern Bluebird, Yellow-throated Warbler, Summer
Tanager, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, and American Goldfinch—being
present in very high densities compared to densities experienced at many other
sites (B. Stedman, pers. ob.).
In 2003 the higher, densely forested portions of the park harbored
dense populations of several woodland species—including Whip-poor-will,
Acadian Flycatcher, Wood Thrush, and Scarlet Tanager; these densities were
higher than those found in some more northerly populations of these species
(B. Stedman, pers. ob.).
On the other side of the coin, migrating raptors and nighthawks were
found in lower than expected numbers during the inventory, as were some
Neotropical migrant warblers, as noted in a later section (“Birds Not
Found”).
Overall, species richness in the park
exceeded our expectations somewhat.
Unexpected
Results
Besides some unexpected densities for a number of species, noted in the
section immediately above, some other results of the inventory were
unexpected.
For
instance, Ruffed Grouse were not expected to occur within the park, based on
few observations of this species in the general area since the 1970s (Imhof
1976). Although no Ruffed Grouse
were found at RUCA by BHS during the inventory, several hunters reported small
groups of these birds on or near park property during fall 2004.
Additionally, field workers on the Alabama Breeding Bird Atlas project
reported grouse in the Skyline WMA about 16 km (10 mi) from the park during
the period of the inventory.
During fall and winter
inventory effort, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were noted in the park in very
high numbers compared to numbers detected at many other sites in the
southeastern U.S. (B. Stedman, pers. ob.).
Birds
Not Found
Neither Sharp-shinned nor Cooper’s hawk was found during spring, so
breeding by this species was unlikely; however, each of these Accipiters
was found during fall migration.
Merlin and Peregrine Falcon were not found despite their being regular,
if rare, migrants through the Tennessee Valley.
Few sightings of Brown-headed Nuthatch took place, despite the presence
of suitable breeding habitat for this species in the park.
Cerulean Warbler, a species of special concern, was found by field
workers of the Alabama Breeding Bird Atlas project about 32 km (20 mi) from
RUCA during the period of the bird inventory at RUCA, but no Ceruleans were
located within RUCA boundaries during the breeding season despite the presence
of very suitable habitat; this species should be searched for in the park
during future breeding seasons.
Migrant warblers that prefer brushy habitats—such as Blue-winged,
Golden-winged, Nashville, Mourning, Connecticut, and Canada warblers—were
also not found in the park despite its having suitable, if limited and
fragmented, brushy habitat.
Recommendations for Management and Protection of Significant Habitats
·
Allow the higher
areas on the mountain to regenerate growth by burning no more frequently than
every 3rd year; time the burn so it occurs no later than April 1 of
years when burns are conducted.
·
Allow some of the mowed areas at the lower elevations to develop
into shrub-scrub habitat (i.e., 1-3 m in height).
Some areas just below the cave have already begun to undergo succession
toward this stage, and these should be allowed to remain.
The powerline right-of-way from the old pumphouse to the park border
should be allowed to grow up to shrub-scrub stage and be maintained at that
successional stage. Flood-prone
areas along the streams should also be allowed to reach this stage. Much research shows that shrub-scrub habitat operates as a
“nursery” area for many species of woodland birds because this habitat
provides more protection than woodland habitats and is also rich in food
resources for young songbirds. Shrub-scrub
habitat is also used extensively by migrating and wintering birds, as well as
by a wide range of wildlife other than birds.
·
Plant native mast-bearing trees and shrubs along fencerows near
the park entrance.
·
Conduct surveys for Cerulean Warbler (see above in the preceding
section) and Bewick’s Wren each year; enlist volunteer birders to do this at
first, but train park personnel to take over this responsibility in the
future.
Suitability of Habitat for Persistence of Sensitive Species
Excellent
habitat for Cerulean Warbler appears to be present above Russell Cave itself
and at several other locations on Montague Mountain.
The log debris still remaining in the forests of the park is possible
habitat for Bewick’s Wren, so these and future debris piles that might be
accumulated should not be burned where possible.
Many species of Neotropical migrants considered to have declining
continental populations, such as Wood Thrush and Kentucky Warbler, have
excellent population numbers in the park due to its fine, largely unfragmented
forest habitat.
If more shrub-scrub habitat is created and the present shrub-scrub
habitat maintained, species that depend on this habitat, such as Prairie
Warbler and Yellow-breasted Chat, would benefit; some of these species are
undergoing long-term population declines on a continental level. This habitat also benefits many species that migrate through
and winter in the park.
Literature Cited
American
Ornithologists’ Union. 1998. Check-list of North American Birds. 7th
ed. American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.
C.
Hamel,
P. B. 1992. The Land
Manager’s Guide to Birds of the South. The Nature Conservancy and U.S. Forest Service,
Atlanta, Georgia.
Hamel,
P. B., W. P. Smith, D. J. Twedt, J. R. Woehr, E. Morris, R. B. Hamilton, and
R. J. Cooper. 1996. A Land Manager’s
Guide to Point Counts of Birds in the Southeast. Gen. Tech. Rep. SO-120.
New Orleans, LA: U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 39 pp.
Imhof,
T. A. 1976. Alabama Birds. 2nd ed. The Univ. of Alabama
Press, University, Alabama.
Appendix
A
Table
1.
The Official List of the Birds of Alabama (Imhof 1976) as
of December 31, 1974; the order and names of species have been updated to
conform to the 7th AOU Checklist (AOU 1997) and supplements through
the 47th Supplement. Bold-faced species (c. 230) are EXPECTED to
occur at RUCA during a decade of intensive birding effort; light-faced species
(c. 110) are NOT EXPECTED.