The Summer Bird Community in a Late-Successional Beech-Maple Forest in Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Biology, Hiram CollegeWe studied the summer bird community in an unfragmented, late-successional, 61 ha beechmaple forest at the James H. Barrow Field Station in Portage County, Ohio. Birds were surveyed by making 30 counts along either of two trails in June and July of 1992, and recording all individuals seen or heard. During the survey period, we made 958 observations of 29 species. The five most common species, acadian flycatcher (Empidonax virescens), wood thrush (Hylocichia mustelina), red-eyed vireo (yireo olivaceus), hooded warbler (Wilsonia citrina), and northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis') accounted for over 50% of the observations made. Of the 15 Neotropical migrants found, seven have experienced population declines in the eastern United States between 1978 and 1987, and eight are considered to be area-sensitive. The beech-maple forest we surveyed is likely to be a regionally important natural area, for it provides breeding habitat for many declining and area-sensitive bird species that would not be consistently present in smaller, more disturbed forests

Brief Note: The Influence of Habitat Characteristics on Nestbox Selection by Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) and Four Competitors

Author Institution: Department of Biology, Hiram CollegeDuring the breeding seasons of 1990-1992 and 1994, we examined how habitat characteristics surrounding nestboxes influenced nesting success of eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis} and nesting attempts by tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), house wrens (Troglodytes aedon), bluebirds, house sparrows (Passer domesticus), and deer mice (Peromyscus spp.). Using linear regression analyses, significant positive correlations were detected between both the number of nesting attempts and nesting success of eastern bluebirds and the distance to the nearest tree >3.0 m tall. The number of house sparrow nesting attempts was positively associated with the distance to the nearest tree 3.0m and <3-0 m tall and the number of nesting attempts by mice. Although the habitat requirements of these cavity-nesting species overlap, specific nest-site characteristics may influence both the number of nesting attempts and the nesting success of each species