SREL Reprint #3278

Avifauna in Maritime Forest and Shrub Habitats on Navy Submarine Base Kings Bay in Southeastern Georgia

Larry Bryan1, Chris Depkin1, Paul Schoenfeld2, and Susan Wilde3

1Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, SC 29802
2NAVFAC Southeast, Navy Submarine Base, Kings Bay, GA 31547
3D. B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602

Introduction: The diverse habitats of the South Atlantic and Gulf coastal regions, including various forest and shrub types and fresh- and saltwater marshes, provide valuable resources for many avian species (Johnson et al. 1974, Bellis and Keough1995). Maritime forests, shrublands and marsh hammocks (i.e., raised topographic features in salt marshes) along these coasts are particularly important habitats for songbirds, especially Neotropical migrants moving to and from their breeding and wintering sites (Cohrs and Cohrs 1994, Moore et al. 1995, Hunter et al. 2001, Brittain et al. 2010). Migratory species tend to utilize a series of "islands" of stopover habitats, including forests and shrublands, for shelter and "refueling" during their travels (Able 1999, Moore and Aborn 2000). In fact, marsh hammocks may be critical stopover habitat for migrants (Cox 1988, Cohrs and Cohrs 1994, Somershoe and Chandler 2004). Studies of Georgia and South Carolina marsh hammocks in winter and spring documented >110 avian species and suggested that species richness was associated with hammock size (Fahrizio and Calvi 2003, Whitaker et al. 2004). . . .

SREL Reprint #3278

Bryan Jr., A. L., C. Depkin, P. Schoenfeld, and S. Wilde. 2012. Avifauna in Maritime Forest and Shrub Habitats on Navy Submarine Base Kings Bay in Southeastern Georgia. The Oriole 77(3-4): 67-80.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).