Virginia Red-cockaded Woodpeckers Continue to Surpass Expectations
see link for photos and short video -
http://www.ccbbirds.org/2015/01/12/virginia-red-cockaded-woodpeckers-continue-surpass-expectations/
This past year of 2014 was one of the most memorable and successful
conservation leaps for the Virginia Red-cockaded Woodpecker population in
recent history. The Center for Conservation Biology has just completed the
year-round monitoring of the state's only population of the woodpecker at the
Nature Conservancy's Piney Grove Preserve. Surveys resulted in new milestones
for number of breeding pairs and overall bird numbers.
It was just two years ago that we shared the report that the population had
reached a modern-day high of 10 breeding pairs. This was the original
conservation goal when the Piney Grove Preserve was established in 2001.
However, in 2014 that number was smashed with the addition of 4 new breeding
pairs on the Preserve. The new pairs were mostly established by dispersal of
woodpeckers into new breeding areas, including the first documented incidence
of a male pioneering a new territory by excavating a cavity within a lone tree
away from other existing groups of birds. The formation of new territories in
past years has always been facilitated by the installation of artificial
cavities. Another first-time event occurred when a breeding pair was
established by rare intra-cluster budding, which is the term used when two
pairs of adults breed within the same group without establishing a new
territory.
Center biologists just completed the winter population survey and detected 67
birds within 14 groups. Red-cockaded Woodpeckers are cooperative breeders,
with each group consisting of the breeding male and female and often additional
nest helpers that remain together throughout the year and often forage and work
together during the day. The 2014 count exceeded the previous high of 57 birds
set in 2013 and more than doubles the low count of 21 birds from 2001.
The success of Red-cockaded Woodpecker management within the Piney Grove
Preserve is one of the greatest conservation achievements in Virginia and a
highpoint for restoration of the species throughout its broader range. This
endangered bird reached an all-time low of 2 breeding pairs when the Nature
Conservancy purchased the land and initiated restoration efforts. The Preserve
has undergone a remarkable transformation in physical character over the years
through timber management and prescribed burning guided by the Nature
Conservancy. These efforts have been critical to the continued recovery of the
population.
Michael Wilson
Center for Conservation Biology
College of William and Mary & Virginia Commonwealth University
P.O. Box 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
phone: 757-221-1649
fax: 757-221-1650
email: mdwils@xxxxxx
web: www.ccbbirds.org
