Conserving avian biodiversity through research and community action

Southern Appalachian forests come alive with enchantment in the spring. Birdsong echoes through the valleys as densely packed trees leaf out in new shades of green and ephemeral wildflowers peak out from beneath the leaf litter. One week in April this year, thanks to Zoo Atlanta’s Mickelberg Field Conservation Grant, I traveled to western North Carolina and experienced the adventure of joining Steve Goodman of the National Parks Conservation Association to help with a collaborative conservation project gathering data that will be used to protect this magical landscape and the species that rely on it for survival.

Bird populations are declining

Since 1970, almost 3 billion birds have disappeared from North America, 2.5 billion of which are neotropical migratory birds. These represent a variety of avian species who travel thousands of miles each year between their breeding grounds in North America and their wintering grounds in South America. The forests and green spaces they rely on for habitat along their journeys are decreasing rapidly due to roads, development, and logging.

A story of the forest through data

A dedicated team of conservation professionals from organizations including the National Parks Conservation Association, Defenders of Wildlife, the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, and others are collaborating to document the presence of declining and vulnerable bird species across a 16,000-acre tract of public land in Pisgah National Forest in western North Carolina. By gathering and communicating this data, the team is working to demonstrate the ecological importance of protecting this landscape as the Craggy National Scenic Area. (Many of the species in this study, including cerulean warblers, wood thrushes, and Canada warblers, travel through the Atlanta metro area in their long journeys as well, so you may have enjoyed their exquisite songs as you stepped out in your yard or local park this year!)

The beauty of this project is that the data collection is entirely non-invasive! Rather than capturing and tagging birds, autonomous recording units (ARUs) capture their songs to document and learn about which species are using the forest. Steve Goodman invoked his ArcGIS and LiDAR skills to identify areas that would provide favorable forest structure for birds and created maps with target ARU placement locations.

Conservation adventures in action

Each morning during my conservation journey, we gathered at trailheads throughout the Craggy Wilderness in Pisgah National Forest and distributed gear for the day’s work, a collection of ARUs, cables, locks, and navigation tools. With full packs, we navigated to our target zones to place the recording units and document their locations for retrieval at a later date.

We crawled through dense thickets of rhododendron and thorny smilax vines, hopped across rocky streambeds, and climbed up hillsides covered with stands of massive hardwood trees interspersed with large swaths of damaged forest resulting from Hurricane Helene in September 2024. Our efforts were rewarded with views of colorful spring wildflowers blanketing the forest floor, glimpses of tiny salamanders in streambeds, the occasional pile of bear scat proving that we were not alone, and of course the chorus of neotropical migratory birds in the tree canopy above.

Back in an Asheville coffee shop, Steve was gracious enough to spend the final morning of my trip showing me how he organizes and learns from the massive quantities of data collected from the ARUs. Software such as Cornell’s BirdNET Analyzer and Adobe Audition assist Steve in analyzing spectrograms of the recordings and translating hours of sound into structured ecological data that paint a picture of the biodiversity within the study area.

Preserving public lands protects birds and other wildlife

If we want to reverse the decline of bird populations, the most important action we can take is to preserve their habitats. By proving that a multitude of species rely on the 16,000 acres of forested land in the study, conservation scientists are seeking to use data to drive decisions about land protections. The forests in this study are currently National Forest land, which means they are subject to resource extraction, like logging. Designating this land as a National Scenic Area would benefit both wildlife and humans by protecting sources of municipal drinking water, preserving space for recreation, and providing habitat for animals including birds, mammals, salamanders, and trout.

How you can help birds

Public Lands belong to all of us, and it is our responsibility to protect them for present and future generations. You can make a difference by speaking up and telling your representatives to introduce legislation to create Craggy National Scenic Area by signing the petition here: https://iheartpisgah.org/craggy/

Because so many local and migratory birds depend on both public and private lands in the wilds and within cities, you can help birds by planting native plants in your yard or in containers on your porch and by turning off non-essential lights from dusk to dawn during peak migration periods.

Other actions you can take to save birds include applying a bird-safe film to windows to prevent collisions; keeping cats indoors, in an outdoor “catio,” or on a leash; avoiding pesticides, which are lethal to birds and the insects they consume; drinking shade-grown coffee; reducing use of plastics; and participating in community science initiatives to help monitor birds.

It will take all of us working together to protect birds, preserve biodiversity, and ensure that future generations will have the opportunity to see and hear these truly amazing creatures!

Rachel Beltran,
Manager of School and Family Programs