J. H. Williamson

Winter resources may limit bird populations. In this study we document the winter bird community and assess habitat relationships in a single large loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantation (~500 ha) from shortly after establishment into the middle-age closed canopy stage at 16 years. The winter bird community changed as the plantation grass/forb/shrub community gave way to low shrubs, and again as low shrubs were dominated and mostly supplanted by the rapidly growing pine trees. The highest bird abundance (436/km2) and the most species (22) occurred the second year after planting (the first...

Herbicides are frequently used in pine stands to control competing hardwoods. We investigated the longevity of 4 species of hardwood snags (mockernut hickory [Carya tomentosa], sweetgum [Liquidambar styraciflua], southern red oak [Quercus falcata], and post oak [Q. stellata]) after treatment with 2,4-D herbicide. In addition, we observed evidence of foraging activity and cavity excavation by cavity-nesting birds. Hickory and sweetgum were the least durable; by the fifth year only 16% of sweetgum and 47% of mockernut hickory snags remained standing, and only 11% of the original snags of...

Birds were censused annually from 4 250- x 80-m transects in a young pine plantation from age 2 to 17 to assess changes in the bird community. Bird abundance was low and the bird community was the least diverse when the pine plantation was sparsely vegetated at age 2. As the plantation developed rapidly into the shrub stage, the bird community became more abundant and diverse. Bird abundance increased consistently until plantation age 6, but then declined as the pine canopy closed and shaded out lower deciduous vegetation. Bird species diversity increased gradually during the early years,...