FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] FW: Breeding Birds at Mason Neck, Frfx Co

["Phil Kenny" <philkenny1@xxxxxxx>]

Second try in Plain Text. Sorry for the lost formatting. 
Phil Kenny
1731 Killarney Court
Vienna VA 22182-2133
philkenny1@xxxxxxx
703-255-5423
571-226-6690
________________________________________
From: Kurt Gaskill [mailto:KurtCapt87@xxxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Monday, July 10, 2006 9:50 PM
To: philkenny1@xxxxxxx
Subject: Breeding Birds at Mason Neck, Frfx Co

Phil,
 
Having problems sending this to VA BIRD with formatting.  Can you try
sending it?  Thanks!
 
Kurt
 
 
 
VA Birders,
 
Since the last few days of May and into the first few days of July, I have
assisted Dr. Joe Witt, Biologist at Mason Neck NWR (until recently, he has
taken a new assignment this summer).  The project is a long term assessment
of upland forest breeding birds at the NWR.  To that end, Dr. Witt has set
up 28 point count locations (mostly off the gravel roads you see behind
various gates) and over the last few years has done up to 4 sets of 5 minute
counts at these locations (sometimes using others to do the counts ? this
year was my turn).  During the project, I also became interested in using a
similar strategy to evaluate forest edge breeders ? edges were define by the
Potomac River, marshes, streams, large clearings and the hard-topped road
(High Point Rd) that enters the refuge and Mason Neck SP.  This year, I have
data for 81 Upland Forest counts and 29 Edge counts.  The area of the refuge
is 2277 acres; I do not have an estimate for the Edge portion but it is much
less than half.
 
The upland forest counts are the most mature of the two point count surveys;
the edge counts should be considered only as preliminary.  Yet, some very
interesting results were obtained.  For example, the most common birds in
the upland survey were Acadian Flycatcher and Red-eyed Vireo, with 167 and
142 counts for 81 counts, respectively.  To put it another way, at least one
representative of these species was recorded at any survey point 96% of the
time.  This begs the question as to whether these species are ?common? in
this upland forest habitat ? their presence in such numbers is well beyond
the conventional meanings of ?common abundance?.
 
The Edge counts added many new species that simply were not found in the
upland forest counts.  Such as Canada Geese, Wood Ducks, Eastern Phoebes,
swallows or Blue Grosbeaks.  Many species easily found in the upland forest
(like Acadian Flycatcher, Ovenbird, or Scarlet Tanager) are not easily
recorded near edges.
 
The percentage occurrences per survey point are listed below.  There are 2
main trails into Mason Neck NWR ? the Great Marsh and the Wood Marsh Trail. 
The two main trails in Mason Neck SP ? Bayview (all edge) and Kanes Creek
should have similar species and abundances.
 
One last note ? I was instructed not to count over flying birds such as Bald
Eagles and Great Blue Herons during the Upland Forest Counts. 
 
I wish to acknowledge the efforts of Marc Ribaudo and Gerry Hawkins in
collecting some of the data presented here.  Special Thanks to Joe for
wonderful discussions.
 
Kurt Gaskill
 
 
Mason neck Point Counts summer 2006, percentage occurrence of at least one
species representative per point during 5 minute count; the numbers of
counts are indicated.
 
Species  
Upland Forest (81)
Edge (29)
DC Cormorant
 
3%
Canada Goose
 
10%
Wood Duck
 
10%
Great Blue Heron
 
62%
Great Egret
 
7%
Turkey Vulture
 
3%
Osprey
 
24%
Bald Eagle
 
34%
Red-shouldered Hawk
 
3%
Red-tailed Hawk
1%
 
Mourning Dove
17%
14%
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
32%
45%
Great Horned Owl
1%
 
E. Screech Owl
2%
 
Barred Owl
1%
 
RT Hummingbird
2%
3%
Red-headed WP
1%
 
Red-bellied WP
53%
24%
Downy WP
21%
38%
Hairy WP
14%
14%
Northern Flicker
4%
3%
Pileated WP
44%
24%
E. Wood Pewee
60%
52%
Acadian Flycatcher
96%
31%
Eastern Phoebe
 
10%
Great Crested Flycatcher
31%
24%
Eastern Kingbird
 
3%
Yellow-throated Vireo
7%
3%
Red-eyed Vireo
96%
62%
Blue Jay
40%
41%
American Crow
40%
41%
Fish Crow
1%
3%
Purple Martin
 
10%
Tree Swallow
 
21%
No. Rough-winged Swallow
 
14%
Barn Swallow
 
10%
C. Chickadee
27%
34%
T. Titmouse
74%
48%
White-breasted Nuthatch
38%
34%
Carolina Wren
51%
66%
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
41%
41%
Eastern Bluebird
 
3%
Wood Thrush
57%
34%
American Robin
 
7%
E. Starling
 
3%
Northern Parula
62%
48%
Yellow-throated Warbler
 
7%
Pine Warbler
9%
 
American Redstart
1%
 
Prothonotary Warbler
7%
14%
Ovenbird
57%
3%
LA Waterthrush
2%
 
Common Yellowthroat
5%
34%
Hooded Warbler
1%
3%
Summer Tanager
 
3%
Scarlet Tanager
47%
14%
Northern Cardinal
19%
62%
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
1%
 
Blue Grosbeak
 
10%
Indigo Bunting
4%
59%
Red-winged BB
4%
55%
Common Grackle
6%
72%
Brown-headed Cowbird
42%
24%
Orchard Oriole
 
38%
House Finch
 
3%
American Goldfinch
15%
31%
Species Count
43
57
 
Observed in between points: Wild Turkey (Upland Forest) and White-eyed Vireo
(Edge)
 
 
 
 

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