Birds of ACLT

ACLT woodlands and fields, together with Parker's Creek and the Chesapeake Bay, provide habitats for many different kinds of birds. The Parker's Creek watershed has been designated a Maryland Important Bird Area (IBA) by the National Audubon Society in recognition of its diverse community of forest-interior birds and significant populations of two breeding bird species of concern, Kentucky Warbler and Wood Thrush. Two other IBA target species which breed in ACLT woods are Louisiana Waterthrush and Worm-eating Warbler.

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Visitors planning to hike the trails or paddle on the creek may be interested in a list of the summer birds most likely to be observed in ACLT's woods, fields, and on Parker's Creek, with identification aids and photographs.
Many bird species found on ACLT lands are species of concern according to bird conservation organizations.See the 'Summer Birds Study' (link at top of page) for nesting information and photographs of woods, field, and water birds of concern.

 

In 2006, ACLT member Leslie Starr completed 'Summer Birds of the Parker's Creek Watershed', excerpted here, as the capstone project toward a Certificate in Environmental Studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Business and Professional Studies. The primary goal of the project was to obtain information on the occurrence and relative abundance of bird species found during summer in the watershed. Field work was conducted in summers 1999 and 2004, with particular emphasis on the various habitats of the watershed. Further study of lists of bird species of concern as documented by various bird conservation organizations, including National Audubon, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, revealed that thirty-three such species have been present in the watershed during summer, of which twenty-nine are known to be or are possibly breeding.