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Bird Conservation
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Important Bird Areas
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VIRGINIA'S IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS PROGRAM
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Donate Now to the Virginia Important Bird Areas Program! Download 2009 Annual Report!Virginia is a state rich with natural beauty and awe-inspiring diversity. Extending from the expansive forests and pastoral beauty of the ridge and valley, to the rolling hills and woodlands of the Piedmont, to the extensive marshes and remote barrier islands of the coastal plain, Virginia has a remarkable diversity of habitats. Not surprisingly, this incredible habitat diversity supports an equally impressive diversity of bird life. Over 400 bird species have been recorded either breeding, wintering, or migrating through Virginia. Native birds bring enjoyment, educational opportunities, and economic vitality to many parts of our state and have helped to maintain the biological diversity that our natural world so intimately depends upon.The Virginia Important Bird Areas Program was initiated to help ensure the protection of the most essential places for birds in our state. The Virginia Audubon Council partnered with the Virginia Society Of Ornithology, the Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries, and the National Audubon Society to establish the program in 2002. An IBA Technical Committee was soon created to facilitate the nomination and review of potential IBAs throughout the state. Members on this committee and other important partners represent over 15 different conservation and management groups throughout the state. The Center for Conservation Biology, with funding from the Department of Environmental Quality's Coastal Zone Management Program, has contributed significantly to IBA designation on the coastal plain. To date, the Virginia IBA Technical Committee has recognized 19 IBAs that span the broad diversity of habitats from the sandy coastal beaches to the rugged mountains of the Appalachians and everything in between. Identification of new IBAs will be an ongoing process as more information about potential sites is gathered from conservation partners and citizen scientists.The IBA Program is a citizen program and whenever possible, we involve people like you in monitoring, identifying, and ultimately conserving Virginia's IBAs. Local volunteers have assisted in survey efforts to more clearly define the breeding distribution of vulnerable species in Virginia. These survey efforts have led to 3 new IBAs (Allegheny Highlands, Stone and Powell Mountains, and Pine Mountain) and one potential IBA (Central Piedmont Forests). In 2006, over 200 volunteers gathered together to restore 20 acres of a degraded field on Presquile NWR - a part of the Lower James River IBA. Volunteers planted over 3500 native trees and shrubs on the refuge to provide habitat and help to control erosion and invasive species. It was a truly impressive achievement. Private landowners are also advancing the efforts of bird conservation within IBAs by signing up for Farm Bill programs that offer cost-share incentives to improve wildlife habitat on farms and rural lands. Conservation of IBAs is dependent on the passion and hard work of local volunteers and committed partners and together we can ensure that these special places will remain so for generations to come.
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Lake Drummond, Photo by Aimee Weldon
| Name: |
Great Dismal Swamp |
| State: |
US-VA |
| Counties: |
Chesapeake, Suffolk
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| Site Status: |
Recognized |
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Birders at Great Dismal Swamp NWR, Photo by Aimee Weldon
The Great Dismal Swamp straddles the two states of Virginia and North Carolina. The majority of the IBA is composed of the Great Dismal Swamp NWR, which consists of over 111,000 acres of forested wetlands and contains a 3,100 acre natural lake - Lake Drummond - at its heart. Five major forest types make up the majority of the swamp - pine, Atlantic white-cedar, maple-blackgum, tupelo-baldcypress, and sweetgum-oak poplar. The remainder of the swamp consists of remnant marsh, sphagnum bog, and an evergreen shrub community. For a fact sheet on this IBA, including a map, click here
Over 200 species of birds are known to use the swamp or the surrounding habitat at some point during their annual cycle. Of these, 96 are reported to breed on the refuge, many of which are of conservation concern. Two vulnerable southern species, the Swainson's Warbler and the Wayne's Warbler (a race of the Black-throated Green Warbler) are more common in the swamp than in any other coastal location. The Watchlisted Prothonotary Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, and Wood Thrush are also common on the site. During migration, the refuge is used heavily as a stopover point for Neotropical migratory birds, shorebirds, and waterfowl. In the winter months, large populations of Rusty Blackbirds, robins as well as wintering waterfowl use the swamp.
The primary threat to the refuge is the expansion of Red Maple forest communities into other forested communities within the swamp. Tupelo-baldcypress and Atlantic White-cedar were historically the predominant forest community types within the swamp but now make up less than 20 percent of the total cover. This is a result of past forest clearcutting, extensive drainage and fire suppression within the swamp before it was acquired by the Nature Conservancy and then by the Department of the Interior in 1973 and 1974 respectively. These threats are being ameliorated by controlling water drainage from the swamp and by managing the plant communities through activities that stimulate the effects of wildfires. Hunting is occassionally used to balance overabundant species with available food resources.
| Contact: |
| Mary Elfner |
530 E. Main Street,
Suite 810
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| Richmond, VA 23219 |
| phone: (804) 788-7660 |
| email: melfner@audubon.org
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