Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for April–June 2025
Forest blowdown in an important area for Cerulean War- blers. Forest disturbance is natural and needed, but biolo- gists wonder if this degree of canopy loss may exceed a threshold for the likes of Cerulean Warbler, Wood Thrush, and other species that need mature forest.
CHRIS KELLY/NCWRC
Post-Helene Bird Monitoring by Chris Kelly, Western Bird and Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel Biologist
I n May and June 2025, the mountain bird crew set out with some trepidation to assess impacts of Hurricane Helene to bird communities and habitats. With such large areas impacted, we narrowed our assessment to locations where we had pre-existing avian datasets. We approached our work well aware that this first season after the hurricane may not be representative of how the bird community will look over the next few years because many of the long-distance migrants have extremely high site fidelity and will come back from the wintering grounds to their former territories only to find them unrecognizable. Furthermore, some of these species have restricted ranges or very specific habitat requirements that the remaining forest no longer meets. With that caveat, our May and June observations highlight that the birds did return but were shifting throughout the season in attempts to find suitable nest cover. For example, during a visit in early May, overall Cerulean Warbler numbers were higher than usual, and more individuals were detected at monitoring points on the upper end of the transect than usual. However, during a mid-May visit, no Cerulean Warblers were detected at the upper end of the transect and overall numbers were down, suggesting individuals had moved on in search of suitable habitat elsewhere.
Having only seen photos of some of these sites before our sur- veys, it was honestly hard to look at the areas Helene hit the hardest. Forest disturbance is natural and important for so many species, including forest-dwelling bird species, some of which bring their fledglings to young forest and openings. But Helene was an incredibly powerful storm and, unfortunately, some of western NC’s most sensitive ecosystems, high quality mature for- est, and robust forest bird populations, were in its crosshairs. In fact, the storm struck the dead center of North Carolina’s largest Cerulean Warbler population, which was small to begin with. Species such as Veery, Wood Thrush, Worm-eating Warbler, and the stunning Blackburnian Warbler—all dependent on mature, intact forest or closed canopy—are likely to decline in this area. The response of Cerulean Warblers remains to be seen, as this species can use thinned forest stands. We anticipate a surge in Chestnut-sided Warblers, Hooded Warblers, and Indigo Bun- tings. Ironically, one species that would greatly benefit from this type and scale of disturbance, the Golden-winged Warbler, does not occur in the mountain drainage with the most severe blow- down. Whatever happens, we will be watching and listening for many years to come.
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