Adopt an Important Bird Area — Lumber River Lumber River 2008 Maps, Survey Instructions and Forms In 2004, Wake Audubon entered into an agreement with Audubon North Carolina to adopt one of the state's recognized Important Bird Areas, or IBAs, at Lumber River. This effort has attracted some of Wake Audubon's best birders — but everyone of all skill levels is welcome to participate. Our committement to studying this site will continue for years to come, and we are excited to see what the data show as our volunteers hike, paddle and bushwhack deeper into the swampy lands surrounding the site. Keep reading for more information on this exciting project, and contact John Gerwin or John Little if you'd like to volunteer or know more.

When you see this logo in the newsletter, read on for updates on our work on the Lumber River IBA.

What is an IBA?
An IBA, or Important Bird Area, is a tract of land that provides essential habitat for at least one species of bird. IBAs can be recognized as many kinds of land: sites for breeding, wintering grounds, or essential stopovers for migrating birds. Generally IBAs have some unique landscape features that set them apart from surrounding landscapes and may be public lands or private property, protected or unprotected from development.

To be designated an IBA, a tract of land must meet several criteria. The site must support species that are of conservation concern, have restricted ranges, are vulnerable because of concentration in only one kind of habitat, or occur at high density (such as waterfowl at breeding or wintering grounds).

Protecting IBAs has become a global concern, and the worldwide conservation community is participating in a variety of programs to identify and protect IBAs. The National Audubon Society is one of several organizations active in IBA programs. Some 1,700 sites in 750 countries (90 in North Carolina) have been identified as Important Bird Areas, making this push for conservation truly a global effort.

These organizations are working in multifaceted directions to conserve IBAs, all coordinated by the North American Bird Conservation Initiative in North America. For IBAs located on public lands, conservation may be accomplished by open-space acquisition and/or by improvement of management practices already in place to protect birds and their habitats. Preserving private lands can be more challenging, and creative partnerships such as easements and landowner education result in win-win situations for both birds and landowners. (excerpted from Wingbeats, February 2006 article by Linda Rudd)

Learn more about IBAs by visiting Audubon North Carolina's Web site Audubon North Carolina.

IBA Lumber River Inventory and Monitoring
Wake Audubon has initiated a plan to inventory and monitor our adopted Important Bird Area (IBA) along the Lumber River. Not only is monitoring done within the boundaries of the Lumber River State Park, but in places named Big Swamp, Gallberry Swamp, Ashpole Swamp, Indian Swamp, and Coward Swamp and these can all be visited by Wake Audubon members to monitor bird populations. In fact, most of the IBA is nowhere near the Lumber River or the State Park, but there are many monitoring opportunities inside and outside of the park. Like the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), there are stops on roads contained within the IBA boundary that can be sampled for birds using the point count method. Unlike the BBS, Audubon North Carolina has created a diverse set of protocols that can be used by interested members.

Your involvement can be at any level. You can help us add new monitoring locations, conduct standardized point counts, or just make a list of the birds you saw while visiting some of the monitoring locations. There are two main types of monitoring locations; driving routes and canoe routes. Accomplished canoeists can plan a camping trip at one of several canoe camping sites in Lumber River State Park and monitor locations along the way. There are campsites at the park also, but Lumberton is not too far away and reasonable hotel rates provide extra comfort.

The habitats of the Lumber River IBA are diverse. A mix of bottomland natural communities that have different plant species due to small changes in the level of the water table, soil, stages of succession (growth stage of vegetation after major disturbance), and forestry practices form a beautiful habitat mosaic. These diverse habitats support a diverse bird community including many species of wading birds, waterfowl, hawks, owls, warblers, sparrows, and many other birds. We need members to document them!

Wake Audubon has developed a set of maps for the entire IBA. The overview map shows the map numbers for all eleven of the smaller scale maps. There are also specific GPS coordinates and descriptions of each monitoring location. Volunteer members can download these maps, coordinates, and descriptions to find the monitoring locations. Please keep in mind that some of the locations are adjacent to private land and we should respect all trespassing laws.

We are also lucky enough to be the “guinea pig chapter” for Audubon North Carolina, which is developing a new online tool. Participating members will be able to enter their data online after which it will go into Audubon North Carolina’s database. No mail, no mess. This will be a chance for Wake Audubon members to make a real difference in prioritizing specific tracts for conservation within the Lumber River IBA.

Remember to take your birding calling card when you visit because Lumber River State Park is stop number five in the Bay Lakes Group on the North Carolina Birding Trail.

Anhinga Photo: John Gerwin	Mississippi Kite Photo: John Gerwin
American Alligator Photo: John Gerwin