SREL Reprint #2917
Biotic Communities: Nongame Birds
John C. Kilgo1 and A. Lawrence Bryan, Jr.2
1USFS-Savannah
River, PO Box 700, New Ellenton, SC 29809
2Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, PO Drawer E, Aiken, SC
29802
Abstract:
The Savannah River Site (SRS) provides habitat for an impressive array
of avian species. During its fifty-year existence, 259 bird species have
been recorded there (Mayer et al. 1997 and unpublished data). This figure
represents more than two thirds of the 379 species on the South Carolina
state list (McNair and Post 1993). Explanations for SRS’s diverse
avifauna include its location along the Savannah River migratory flyway,
its predominantly forested landscape (in stark contrast to the surrounding
counties; see figure 1.7), and the great diversity of habitat types on
the site. SRS habitats span a continuum from xeric longleaf pine–turkey
oak (see appendix for scientific names of plants) sandhills to hydric
cypresstupelo forests and from early successional pine regeneration stands
to mature bottomland hardwood forests. The urban or developed habitats
of the facilities areas and the lacustrine habitats of the cooling reservoirs
add to the habitat diversity and support many species.
Since
its inception, the SRS has been the subject of intensive avian study.
In 1951, Dr. Eugene Odum and a team of scientists from the University
of Georgia initiated avian surveys to establish baseline ecological information
for the Department of Energy and to identify patterns of old- field succession.
As this early research program grew into the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory,
its avian research focus shifted toward radioecology, waterfowl, and endangered
species studies. Meyers and Odum (2000) have described early ornithological
work on the SRS. In recent years, the U.S. Forest Service has initiated
considerable avian research and monitoring efforts. In 1996, the Forest
Service symposium on long-term avian research on the SRS produced the
publication Avian Research at the Savannah River Site: A Model for
Integrating Basic Research and Long-Term Management (Dunning and
Kilgo 2000). This valuable resource includes contributions from most ornithologists
who worked on SRS in the 1980s and 1990s.
SREL Reprint #2917
Kilgo, J. C. and A. L. Bryan, Jr. 2005. Biotic Communities: Nongame Birds. pp. 223-252 In J. C. Kilgo and J. I. Blake (Eds.). Ecology and Management of a Forested Landscape: Fifty Years on the Savannah River Site. Island Press.