Photos: Bobolink, by Adam Betuel; English Ivy, by Melanie Furr; Field trip with Refugee Women's Network. by Dottie Head, Senior Director of Operations
Birds Georgia was recently awarded three grants to fund conservation and engagement work across the state. The first is a grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation that focuses on invasive plant species removal; the second is a grant from the Turner Foundation to provide operational support for Birds Georgia’s conservation initiatives; and the third is an Audubon in Action grant to fund Birds for All programming. “Birds Georgia was thrilled to receive these three grants to support our conservation and engagement work,” says Jared Teutsch, executive director of Birds Georgia. “This funding will help us fulfill our mission of building places where birds and people thrive by expanding our conservation capacity across the state and enabling us to reach additional audiences with information and programming about birds and native plants.” The R.K. Mellon Foundation Grant is being termed the “Fearsome Five” as it targets five non-native invasive plant species, Chinese Privet, Nandina (sometimes called heavenly bamboo), English Ivy, bahia grass, and autumn fern, that negatively impact migratory bird species. Invasive plant species are another stressor affecting migratory birds during their strenuous journeys each spring and fall. Using a map of migratory bird stopover hotspots, Birds Georgia has identified high priority areas and will be hosting bio-blitzes in these areas to detect these invasive species. Birds Georgia will partner with the Georgia Native Plant Society and local Audubon chapters to develop outreach materials, produce educational videos, and host workshops, field trips, and webinars on how to identify and treat the Fearsome Five. The Turner Foundation Grant will provide operational support to Birds Georgia’s conservation initiatives, including tackling habitat degradation and loss, a leading threat to bird populations in Georgia and across the nation. Birds Georgia will work to create robust, native ecosystems through habitat restoration projects and engaging communities in conservation. Key current projects include riparian restoration along the South and Chattahoochee Rivers and native maritime vegetation work on Jekyll Island. These projects involve removing non-native invasive species, planting native flora, and creating opportunities for community engagement through volunteer events and educational programs. Such initiatives serve as educational touchpoints for the public while also addressing ecological challenges like habitat fragmentation and the decline of pollinators and native wildlife. A priority for Birds Georgia is the protection of grassland birds, which are particularly vulnerable due to urbanization and habitat loss/conversion. In Georgia, nearly a quarter of all grassland bird species, including the American Kestrel, Northern Bobwhite, and Eastern Meadowlark are now of serious conservation concern. Metro Atlanta’s rapid development and population growth, along with the connected land use changes, has exacerbated this issue, threatening critical open spaces around the metro area. Habitat restoration initiatives address this need by expanding and enhancing grassland habitats while educating communities about the importance of conserving these spaces. Finally, the Audubon in Action Grant will support the work of Birds Georgia’s Birds For All programming. Birds Georgia will work to grow a diverse community of bird lovers, and individuals working together to improve the world for birds and people. Our efforts include collaborating with both existing and new organizations to share and lead mindful birding practices, bilingual birding activities, field trips specifically designed for individuals with physical or cognitive disabilities, and community-led field walks to foster local engagement with nature that is inclusive and welcoming. Additionally, we aim to expand our Teens and Feathers program to include more teen leaders and active participants, empowering young people to take an active role in conservation.
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Jay Davis was presented with the 2024 Scottie Johnson Spirit Award at our annual Holiday Party and Annual Meeting on December 8. Jay has been an integral part of our organization's work, hosting field trips across the city, from Decatur to Marietta and all in between. It’s impossible to quantify how many birders and bird enthusiasts have been impacted by his bird-brained ideas. In 2004, he was part of a team that created the Bird Jam app, a revolutionary software that taught people how to hear and learn bird calls. Later, BirdNet and Cornell got wind of it…fast forward to today and we have the popular Merlin Bird ID App. Jay serves as the volunteer webmaster for Birds Georgia and helped create the first web presence for Atlanta Audubon when they first developed an online presence. Even today, he maintains the Birds Georgia website on his servers and helps troubleshoot when issues arrive. He’s also a prolific field trip leader (and excellent birder), leading our Georgia Bird Fest Hike Inn Trip and hosting “Wednesdays After Work Migration Watch at Cochran Shoals. Thank you, Jay, for impacting hundreds of people as you embody the curiosity, ingenuity, and character of the birds you love so much.
About the Scottie Johnson Spirit Award: In 2018, Birds Georgia lost an incredibly dedicated volunteer and dear friend, Ms. Eleanor Scott Johnson. Scottie, as her family and friends called her, was an avid birder and long-time volunteer for Birds Georgia. There wasn’t a task that Scottie wasn’t up for, whether that was giving educational presentations, walking a Project Safe Flight route, certifying wildlife sanctuaries, or writing the Ask Chippy column. Scottie always raised her hand to help us out. She was a nurse, a mother, a Master Birder, and a wonderful human being with an amazing spirit. Although we lost Scottie to cancer in 2018, we continue to celebrate her spirit, kindness, and perseverance annually by honoring an outstanding volunteer with the Scottie Johnson Spirit Award. (L to R): Bill Bell, Courtenay Dusenbury, Wink Weinberg Birds Georgia welcomed three new directors elected by members to the Board of Directors at their annual meeting on December 8. Bill Bell, Courtenay Anne Dusenbury, and Wink Weinberg were elected for three-year terms beginning January 1, 2025. In addition, Mary Anne Lanier, Ellen Miller, and Scott Porter will return to the Board of Directors for a second three-year term. Esther Stokes will return to the board for a special one-year term. Marc Goncher, Senior Legal Counsel, Environmental, Safety and Sustainability for The Coca-Cola Company, will serve the second year of his two-year term as board chair.
Bill Bell is a retired investment management executive with 29 years of investment experience. From 1999 to 2024, he worked at Atlanta Capital Management, an investment advisory firm with $33 billion in managed assets. During his career he served as a managing director, management committee member, and portfolio manager for the core equity team. Prior to joining Atlanta Capital, he worked for the Florida State Board of Administration where he was a portfolio manager for their special situations equity fund. Bill grew up in Tallahassee, FL and has a B.S. in Business from Florida State University. He has had a lifelong interest in the natural world and is a passionate outdoorsman and fly fisherman. He has a particular interest in ecological preservation and habitat restoration in the southeast. Bill currently serves on the board of directors for the Altamaha Riverkeeper and resides in Atlanta, GA. Courtenay Anne Dusenbury is retired from a 25-year career at Emory University’s Global Health Institute and affiliated Task Force for Global Health. She served as Director of Global and Federal Affairs for the Task Force, representing it at the World Health Organization and with Congress and the Administration. Previously, she was the Founding Director of the Global Partnership for Zero Leprosy, bringing together donors, non-governmental organizations, and persons who have experienced leprosy in a worldwide advocacy and disease elimination network. For 11 years, she was the founding director of the International Association of National Public Health Institutes (the “CDC’s of the world”) office at Emory University’s Global Health Institute, working with 100+ countries to create and improve their public health systems. She served as Emory’s Director of Global and Federal Affairs, worked as a Legislative Director in the U.S. Congress, and for the Governor of Puerto Rico in San Juan and in Washington, DC. She started her career at the Pennsylvania State Senate. She is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. Courtenay and her husband George live in Decatur, GA, with their two adult sons nearby. A master birder who coordinates the Project Safe Flight Decatur team, her favorite bird is the Eastern Bluebird. Winkler Weinberg is a lifelong birder. He was born in Rockaway Beach, NYC, and first paid close attention to wild birds at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Sanctuary at age nine. After leaving New York, Wink lived in Columbus OH, Augusta GA, Washington DC, and the Republic of the Philippines before settling in Atlanta. He has resided in Georgia for over 44 years. He practiced medicine as an infectious disease specialist for 45 years. He is the author of No Germs Allowed!: How to Avoid Infectious Diseases At Home and On the Road, and a co-author of The Water We Drink. Wink has served as spokesperson for Reckitt and Coleman (for Lysol), Georgia Pacific (Chairman, Health Smart Advisory Board), and Kimberly Clark (for anti-viral Kleenex). After retiring in 2022, Wink was able to devote more time to biking, woodworking, reading, grandparenting, and he rekindled his passion for birds and conservation. Wink resides in East Cobb with his wife Lynn, a talented designer and avid gardener. Together, they have two children and four grandchildren. “We are excited to welcome Bill, Courtenay, and Winkler to the Birds Georgia Board of Directors,” says Marc Goncher, board chair. “These individuals bring a wealth of talents and experiences to the Board that will help Birds Georgia fulfill its mission of building places where birds and people thrive.” Additional Birds Georgia board members include Joshua Andrews, Michael Chriszt, Robert Cooper, Joshua Gassman, Marc Goncher, Gus Kaufman, Paige Martin, Susan Maclin, Colleen McEdwards, Jennifer Johnson McEwen, Jon Philipsborn, Marlena Reed, Jim Renner, Sally Sears, Amy Beth Sparks, and Ayanna Williams. For more information on Birds Georgia visit https://www.birdsgeorgia.org/. by Heather Levy, Stewardship Coordinator Our project at Laverlea Preserve, funded by the Cornell Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative, is officially six months underway. Laverlea Preserve comprises 345 acres of forests, fields, and riparian buffer nestled among an urbanized area in Evans, GA. The property was donated to the Central Savannah River Land Trust (CSRLT) in December of 2022, after its sole living owner, Ms. Laverne Dorn, passed away. Ms. Dorn wanted the preserve to remain undeveloped, providing wildlife habitat and a resource for the community to enjoy. Approximately 20% of the preserve consists of remnant fields that were used for cows and hay production. Since these fields are no longer being used for agriculture, Birds Georgia and the CSRLT decided to restore the fields to native grassland habitat that would benefit wildlife and also serve as a place where the community can learn more about native habitat and local flora and fauna. We selected a 14 acre field that is visible and easily accessible from the long driveway and parking lot near the home where Ms. Dorn previously lived. During the first few weeks, we surveyed the fields with the help from our partners at Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Augusta’s River Region Chapter of the Georgia Native Plant Society, Augusta-Aiken Audubon Society, and the Butterfly Monarchy Club. We documented what species of birds, plants, and butterflies that were present in order to compare species lists after treatment. We also conducted these surveys to ensure that there were not any species of conservation concern present that may be adversely affected by our efforts. We found that the majority of grasses were non-native species used for livestock, and that the few native species present would quickly return after treatment. We did not find any butterflies during our surveys and the bird species we found were all common to the area and habitat and would benefit from the restoration efforts. In September, we applied herbicide to the field to kill the non-native grasses and prepare it for planting. To further remove the duff layer left over by the herbicide application, we are planning a prescribed burn for sometime in January. The prescribed burn, being conducted by a local contractor, will be open to the public as an educational demonstration of the importance of prescribed fire both for restoration and for management of native southeastern habitats. Following the prescribed fire, we will apply any additional herbicide as needed and prepare to plant warm season native grass and wildflower seeds in the spring and early summer of 2025. We are currently working on securing additional funding to continue to plant additional native plants and maintain the grassland with fire, as well as tackling restoring additional acreage. If you live in the Evans/Augusta area and are interested in getting on our list of volunteers to learn more about upcoming workdays, events, and bird walks, please contact Heather Levy at [email protected]. By Heather Levy, Stewardship Coordinator
Birds Georgia is excited to announce the launch of a new conservation program called the Habitat Stewardship Program. An offshoot of our Wildlife Sanctuary Program, the Habitat Stewardship Program is geared towards larger public and private lands of 10 acres or larger. The goal of the program is to enable property stewards to make improvements to their lands for wildlife while offering educational materials, technical assistance, and connections to cost-share resources. The program is open to properties in any state of conservation, from those who may be new to wildlife management or have recently acquired properties and need a lot of technical assistance to those who have been managing high quality wildlife habitat for decades. The Stewardship Coordinator, Heather Levy, who manages the program, will work closely with enrollees by providing assistance and connecting them with local practitioners and funding opportunities. The program rubric offers flexibility for landowners who may be in different regions and therefore managing different habitats and/or wildlife. The rubric also differentiates between those managing private lands and those managing public lands. There are three main categories: Habitat, Community Science. Engagement/Education, and Research and Monitoring (an optional category). Within each category are subcategories with minimum criteria that must be selected. For example, Best Management Practices, under the Habitat category, offers 17 potential options, and requires that at least five be selected. Options include actions like implementing a non-native invasive species removal plan, retaining or creating standing dead trees (snags), and using prescribed fire. There is also space in the application to include photos or additional information. The specific criteria that applicants select can be actions they are already implementing or actions they plan to accomplish within a 12-month period. For example, if a landowner/steward has not yet applied a prescribed fire on their property, but plan to do so within the next year, they may select prescribed fire as a criterion and include in the adjacent text space that they are planning on 50 acres of longleaf pine habitat during the next growing season. Program participant are eligible for a suite of benefits, including access to a digital library of technical assistance and cost-sharing resources, in-person and virtual property visits from the stewardship coordinator, and more. To ensure all areas of the state are covered and visited by local practitioners, the Stewardship Coordinator will connect any interested enrollees with their local Georgia Department of Natural Resources/Quail Forever Private Lands Program representative, Natural Resource Conservation Service office, county extension agent, and/or local conservation groups. These organizations will also have the most up to date information on current cost-share programs and can let landowners/stewards know if their property may be eligible for funding opportunities. In addition, enrollees will receive a one-year Birds Georgia membership. Membership perks include a subscription to our Private Lands Newsletter, discounts on field trips and programs, and more. Those interested may also opt in to have their properties for available engagement and research opportunities as they become available, such as our current nightjar habitat use program. Enrollees will receive a Birds Georgia Habitat Steward sign or certificate. To enroll in the program, applicants should review the rubric, fill out the application, and pay the one-time application fee, which is $150 for private landowners and $250 for publicly owned lands. Any public or private land in any part of the state is eligible to enroll. Annual monitoring reports are due near the one-year mark of the original application to provide updates to the Stewardship Coordinator. Instructions on how to apply, the rubric, benefits, and link to the application may be found on our website under the Conservation tab. While we were developing the program, we had applicants pre-enroll to provide updates on the status and launch of the program. We were excited to receive over 35 pre-applications and their full applications are beginning to trickle in. Heather Levy is thrilled to be managing this program and offering technical assistance to landowners and land stewards for the benefit of healthy habitats and wildlife. We want to sincerely thank those that have already applied and encourage you to share the program with other landowners and stewards that might be interested. If you have any questions about the program, please do not hesitate to contact Heather via email. By Sarah Manning, Coastal Conservation Coordinator It’s hard to believe that nearly a year has passed since I joined the team at Birds Georgia. In the last year, I’ve delighted in engaging with folks across the coastal counties and sharing Birds Georgia’s mission of building places where birds and people thrive. I’ve had the unique opportunity to participate in monitoring efforts, recruit and engage volunteers, and attend community events where I’ve met amazing people working diligently to conserve birds and their habitats across the state. While I am not new to the Georgia coast, this past year led me to deepen my connection to the charismatic cohorts of birds that thrive here. As the ebb and flow of fall neotropical migrants turned to the constant chatter of wintering sparrows and shorebirds, the stream of spring migrants gave way to the boisterousness of the breeding season, the subdued late summer lull has given way to the ebb and flow of fall migration yet again. Along the way, I’ve gained a true sense of place that comes with prolonged time spent observing these small changes. Through all the seasons, Birds Georgia conducts bird monitoring to keep a pulse on select populations, responses to habitat restoration, and as a part of new and exciting partnerships and collaborations. This spring was my first full ‘season’ of Project Safe Flight monitoring. We have coastal volunteers from Savannah to Saint Marys who regularly walk routes to search for birds who have collided with windows. We retrofitted windows at the Burton 4-H Center Campus on Tybee Island early this year, which will reduce or eliminate collisions for years to come. This spring, we located very few collisions on the coast, which is typical. However, this fall started off busy, with new species for the coastal collision team: Kentucky Warbler, Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Northern Parula, Red-eyed Vireo on top of the most commonly-collected species, Common Yellowthroat. We are continuing to engage more partners, businesses, and campuses in our monitoring efforts and Lights Out initiative and hope to wrap up another successful glass retrofit by the end of the year. In April, we began our pilot nightjar study using Autonomous Recording Units (ARUs). We recruited landowners through our newly-launched Habitat Stewardship program to conduct research on their working lands. Fifteen units were placed across the state and recorded from May to July in order to detect if nightjars were present. The good news? Chuck-wills-widows were detected at 11 of the 15 sites, Common Nighthawks at four, and Eastern Whip-poor-wills at one site. We also collaborated with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Nightjar Survey Network to complete 18 driving nightjar routes across the state. Does this sound like fun? We look forward to expanding this work in 2025 and will be recruiting volunteers to help us survey the state. This breeding season was quite the busy one for coastal birds. We monitored two small wading bird rookeries in Camden County. The sounds (and smells) are not easily forgotten. In early spring, the beautifully-plumed Great Egrets strutted and squawked their way through the courtship phase before finding a suitable site for their seemingly haphazard nest construction. Their eggs incubate for nearly a month before hatching and revealing near-helpless young that will not leave for another three weeks or so. By the time these birds fledge, they look nearly identical to their adult counterparts, save a rogue fluffy feather or two. One colony produced nine Great Blue Herons (who nest earlier and prefer to nest away from other wading birds) and the other, a mix of Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Green Herons, Little Blue Herons, night herons, and Western Cattle Egrets. The small colony was guarded by a handful of small alligators… so I did not attempt any close looks and risk meeting their mother. Additionally, we monitored eight nesting pairs of American Oystercatchers on Cumberland Island’s ocean-facing shore. Since most Oystercatchers are fitted with field-readable bands, it allows us to identify unique individuals and determine who is nesting where (they’re also highly territorial). Unfortunately, even with multiple attempts by each pair, all were lost to predators or other natural forces. On the bright side, many Wilson’s Plover pairs and chicks were seen while we did these surveys so it seems that someone had a successful season. Throughout all the seasons, we also monitor non-breeding Piping Plovers on Cumberland Island National Seashore with the support of the National Park Service. Beginning in late summer 2023, I was tasked with surveying the migratory and wintering Piping Plovers at Cumberland Island National Seashore. This project has been ongoing for many decades, but after longtime volunteers retired from the responsibility, I (happily!) took over the task. Since then, I have surveyed at least once a month with the assistance of the park staff. While on surveys, we take note of how many Piping Plovers are seen, where they are, any leg bands they have, and any disturbances (e.g. boats, bicycles, predators, dogs) that may be present. This is important because Cumberland Island is home to a wintering cohort of the federally endangered Great Lakes population, in addition to wintering members of the federally threatened Atlantic Coast population. The Great Lakes subspecies recently hit a milestone: there were a total of 81 unique breeding pairs across the region this summer (the most since their Endangered Species Act listing), which is one more than last year’s record of 80 pairs. The recovery goal is to have at least 150 pairs for five consecutive years. During the 16 surveys since August 2023, we’ve seen 511 Piping Plovers on Cumberland Island. The most seen in a single survey was 67 individual Piping Plovers along the 17 miles of ocean-facing beach. Many of these birds were banded with unique color bands and flags, allowing us to know individual birds and track them over time. In the Great Lakes population, each and every bird is banded - since fall 2023, I’ve documented 63 individuals by their unique bands – approximately 20 are from the Atlantic Population and the remainder are from the Great Lakes Population. One of my all-time favorite birds is gabbY: she is named for the colors of her bands (light green, light blue, Yellow). She is the oldest known female Piping Plover and is tied for oldest Piping Plover ever recorded (she hatched in 2009). This year, she successfully fledged two chicks at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore this summer as a 15 year-old! Another cool note? During Birds Georgia’s May 2023 Michigan trip, Conservation Director Adam Betuel and participants were treated to the other side of gabbY’s life: they were treated to views of gabbY nesting at Sleeping Bear Dunes with the Great Lakes Recovery Team (how’s that for full circle conservation)? I’ve greatly enjoyed connecting with the birds (and people) on the coast for the past year and look forward to all that is to come. Public comment period extended until December 9, 2024
Last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced it is considering a proposed boundary expansion of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Georgia. The proposed expansion would add approximately 22,000 acres to the existing refuge — including lands currently held by Twin Pines Minerals, LLC. If passed, USFWS says the expansion would allow it to work with willing landowners to explore conservation actions that would protect the swamp’s hydrologic integrity, conserve wetlands and wildlife habitat, and fortify fuel reduction zones that can safeguard the swamp and landowners from wildfires. Birds Georgia fully supports this expansion. This is an important step toward increasing long-term protections for the Okefenokee Swamp. How to Support the Expansion Quick action from individual voices is needed by November 18. The more letters of support received, the better. There are two easy ways to take action:
More details including a FAQ sheet, map and public meeting information can be viewed at https://www.fws.gov/refuge/okefenokee. Read the letter that Birds Georgia submitted at the link below. Happy Birthday President Carter! Jimmy Carter will celebrate his 100th birthday on October 1, 2024. In honor of his birthday, we're pleased to share this article from our September 1989 Wingbars newsletter about the time Jimmy and Roslaynn Carter took part in a Breeding Bird Survey with Mark Oberle and Joel Volpi. As Birds Georgia prepares to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of our founding as the Atlanta Bird Club in 2026, we're researching our own history and came across this wonderful account in an old issue of our Wingbars newsletter. We've always heard that the Carters were avid birders, and we're pleased to share this account with you. By Mark Oberle, originally published September 1989 Wingbars newsletter For the last nine years, I have continued to do Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) routes for the Fish & Wildlife Service in south Georgia, despite my recent move to Seattle. One of them, the Lacross route, passes through Americus and ends south of Plains. Last winter, I analyzed the data from the survey’s beginning in 1973. Since Jimmy Carter had been interested in outdoor issues, I sent him a copy of my write up. He replied, saying that he and Rosalynn had recently become interested in birding after a trip to Africa, and that he would enjoy discussing the local bird life with me. I let him know that Joel Volpi and I planned to do the 1989 BBS, and, sure enough, he called me up in late May to ask if he could join us. I explained that the drill might be somewhat boring for them as we could not spend a lot of time at each stop, but he said that he would enjoy birding with us. I faxed the route map for the Secret Service, and made all the other usual arrangements for a BBS. At 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 10 (1989), a van pulled up to our hotel, and out came Jimmy and Rosalynn . The sat in the back of the van, while Joel and I had the middle. The Secret Service guard and driver were in front. Having run the route the day before, they knew every unmarked, back country road by heart. The wore small earphones to communicate with the the guards that trailed us in the backup van a mile behind. South Georgia was the lushest it has been in years, with regular afternoon downpours and a bumper crop of wild blackberries. Since we had set out early, Joel and I pointed out lots of early morning bird songs at the first stop. I was impressed at how quickly the Carters learned these calls, but of course they did have the advantage of growing up in the area. Jimmy wound up being the timekeeper, and impressed us with how quickly he could spot birds and learn field marks. When some interesting bird appeared, Joel would help them locate and study it, while I continued with the survey. When they got more than twenty feet from the vehicle their body guard would follow them. The checked off new birds in the copy of the National Geographic field guide, and in the end wound up with about ten lifers. A male and female Summer Tanager, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and a Yellow-breasted Chat were particularly prized sightings. But the toughest lifer was a White-eyed Vireo that Joel and Jimmy pursued in a thicket despite a particularly odoriferous dead calf. Rosalynn and I retreated before getting a good view. As the morning got hotter, Rosalynn took a rest in the van, but Jimmy was out at every stop, except in downtown Americus, where they might have drawn a crowd. Joel and I learned a lot from the Carters about local and national farming issues and the local lore about birds. Jimmy and Rosalynn pointed out some local plants and picked us some blackberries.
Although Joel and I were at first apprehensive about taking an ex-President and First Lady birding, the experience turned out to be like birding with an eloquent farmer who happened to be very well versed on national issues. On the birding side, we got a new species for the route - an Anhinga. At the last stop, two Red-tailed Hawks screamed low overhead and gave us all an uplifting end to a BBS day. Photos by Jerry Ray. by Dottie Head, Director of Communications
Birds Georgia has been awarded a grant from National Fish & Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program to restore 19 acres of Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve at the historic Wilburn Farm to promote biodiversity and ecosystem resiliency. This is Birds Georgia’s third focal site centered on the South River Watershed in southern DeKalb County. Birds Georgia will work with a network of regional and statewide organizations, including Georgia Native Plant Society, DeKalb County, Arabia Mountain Heritage Alliance, and the Georgia Conservancy, to remove non-native vegetation from 19-acres of the Wilburn Farm site and install bird-friendly native plants and seed to provide high quality habitat for birds and other species. In collaboration with other partner organizations, Birds Georgia has pledged to engage with at least 100 volunteers and 300 local community members through volunteer projects, bird and wildlife monitoring, and public outreach and education programming. Wilburn Farm dates back to the late 1800s. The farm was abandoned during the Great Depression in the 1930s, and in 1953 it was purchased by Ross Wilburn, who repaired the house, built a pond, and constructed a horse barn. DeKalb County acquired the property in 2000, and it became part of the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve. “Historically, Wilburn Farm was used for agriculture and, in recent decades, large portions of the area have been maintained as a partially mowed field dominated by non-native fescue grasses,” says Adam Betuel, Birds Georgia’s director of conservation. “The ecological value of this site has been limited by the presence of non-native grasses that prevent a diversity of native plant species from becoming established to support birds and other wildlife and to protect the watershed from erosion and sedimentation.” Birds Georgia’s habitat restoration team and volunteers will remove invasive plant species, including Bradford Pear (Pyrus calleryana), Chinese Privet (Ligustrum sinense), and Autumn Olive (Eleagnus umbellate), as well as non-native, invasive herbaceous plants such as Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense) and Brazilian verbena (Verbena brasiliensis). After the invasive plants are cleared, Birds Georgia will add native seeds, a diversity of wildflower plugs, and gallon-sized woody, native plants to the space to support and jumpstart the native regeneration of habitat. The project is located in the South River watershed, a vital yet often overlooked resource in metro Atlanta and further down river. Encompassing approximately 544 square miles, the South River is an important corridor for migratory birds and nesting area for breeding birds and is one of only two rivers in Georgia with an urban origin. Approximately 40 percent of the watershed lies in the southern part of urban DeKalb County. This and other Birds Georgia projects within the watershed serve as a model of bird-friendly habitat and protect South River-adjacent communities from flash flooding and other effects from climate change that are disproportionately impacting communities of color. This is the fifth grant that Birds Georgia has received to complete habitat improvement work in the South River Watershed, including three grants for work at different areas within Panola Mountain State Park, at Lyon Farm, and now at Wilburn Farm. “We are excited to have the support of the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation for this project in the South River Watershed, which is one of Birds Georgia’s priority areas for engagement,” says Betuel. “Wilburn Farm is located near the South River, and our restoration work will directly benefit the larger river corridor that not only provides valuable habitat for birds and other wildlife but also acts as a buffer to protect and enhance the health of this important metro watershed.” This is the seventh award that Birds Georgia has received from The Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program, which seeks to develop nation-wide community stewardship of local natural resources, preserving these resources for future generations and enhancing habitat for local wildlife. Grants seek to address water quality issues in priority watersheds, such as erosion due to unstable streambanks, pollution from stormwater runoff, and degraded shorelines caused by development. The Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration grant program is sponsored by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) with major funding provided by U.S Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, FedEx, Southern Company, and SalesForce. About Birds Georgia: Birds Georgia is building places where birds and people thrive. We create bird-friendly communities through conservation, education, and community engagement. Founded in 1926 as the Atlanta Bird Club, the organization became a chapter of National Audubon in 1973, and continues as an independent chapter of National Audubon Society. Learn more at https://www.birdsgeorgia.org/. About the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Chartered by Congress in 1984, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) protects and restores the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. Working with federal, corporate, foundation and individual partners, NFWF has funded more than 21,000 projects and generated a total conservation impact of over $10 billion. NFWF is an equal opportunity provider. Learn more at nfwf.org. This fall, Birds Georgia continues its ninth year of Project Safe Flight Georgia, a project to study bird-building collisions across the state. Since the program began in 2015, volunteers have collected data from more than 4,400 birds representing 137 different species that perished after colliding with buildings. Last year, Project Safe Flight was extended to coastal Georgia with volunteers patrolling routes in Savannah and Brunswick as well as continuing routes in metro Atlanta.
In spring 2024, Cedar Waxwings were the most commonly found species, followed by Ovenbird, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Mourning Dove, Northern Mockingbird, Black-and-white Warbler, Eastern Towhee, and American Woodcock round out the 10 most commonly collected species by Project Safe Flight volunteers. The top 10 species collected over the course of Project Safe Flight are: Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Tennessee Warbler, Swainson’s Thrush, Cedar Waxwing, Ovenbird, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Wood Thrush, American Robin, Common Yellowthroat, and Red-eyed Vireo (in descending order). In general, Atlanta sees fewer collisions in the springtime, as birds take other migratory paths on their way to their breeding grounds. However, we expect to see an increase in collisions in the fall months, as returning migrants and their newly-fledged young take to the skies and head southwards. Atlanta is noted as the fourth deadliest city for birds in the fall, and ninth in the spring, according to a study by Cornell Lab of Ornithology. There are a number of ways you can help:
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AuthorBirds Georgia is building places where birds and people thrive. Archives
January 2025
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