The majority of habitat improvements we make are based around improving Whitetail Deer habit- this morning we’re completing a 25acre tag alder shear that will minimally benefit the deer but should be great for grouse and songbirds. The shear is extremely important to creating young successional habitat and I was told- will benefit the Golden Winged Warbler that is becoming more endangered due to habitat loss and hybridization from interbreeding with the Blue Wing Warbler. Attached (shown in Red) is the home range for breeding, it’s fairly narrow- I don’t know a lot about the species but hopefully it will help or make a difference for one. Any one else have experiences or observations?

Have to investigate myself Thanks

Shows none in Maine.Smart birds

What exactly do you do to the 25 acres when you shear it? Also to me there may be more benefit to deer than may be thought with creating more open areas for other species regrowth. Another question, what are the prominent first emerging species when tag alders are sheared? A lot of species can not tolerate that much moisture or flooding. Where I hunt in northern WI in the national forest there has been more logging the last years. Aspen , birch and thorny plants are the first species, but these are all in more upland areas.

Bryce

Bryce,
There are two preferred methods for shearing Alder, a Skid Loader with tracks and a front mounted rotary cutter or dozer blade set about 18”. A perfect year is little snow where everything is froze solid, in cold temps the alder branches just snap off and lay down. The alder regrowth will be browsed by deer but we have other browse that is more desirable. Softening the edges where Aspen uplands meet the alder lowland are ideal for a lot of wildlife. Alder loses its beneficial habitat when branches become horizontal and about 4” in diameter.

Interesting stuff

Eagleye, wife and I have 2 ident. books with pictures and log entry near our living room picture window along with binoculars and spotting scope. Built house in 2001, we are 30 min. so. of the pink area and 3 hrs. so. of red area. We are in very open farm ground. Small hardwood lots. No sightings of the GWW are indicated. Many many others, are they migratory? Where from if so? We see and log many new each year. Thanks.
Case

Interesting, let us know how the project turns out.

The cross between the Golden-winged and Blue-winged warblers produce what’s called a Brewsters or Lawrence warbler which both look different, these hybrids are also Fertile and can produce offspring which can again look different.
Warblers are difficult enough to try to identify without having these oddballs thrown in, it just proof that God has a sense of humor.

A lot of birds and other critters are listed as endangered or threatened only because they are on the fringe of their ranges or just happen to be in what ever little habitat is available. GWW is listed as special concern (one notch below threatened) here in NY, and their numbers are fairly low...not because we don't have suitable habitat, but because NYS is on the edge of its range. Want to help GWW....if legal, shoot as many cowbirds as you can

I read that predation is a concern and I believe they nest close to or on the ground so that has to complicate matters also

A lot of so called " different species" are in fact just color variants of the same species.

Keith

Learning the song pattern of this bird is great in finding locations, We found 30 locations in one drive around when the local birders said it was rare. Habitat + song recognition = Golden winged warblers.
In Manitoba the preferred habit is Dwarf birch Betula nana for nesting find that and you find the pairs nesting in those low growth shrubs.
Betula nana has a unique feature of being able to be flooded and survive and survive droughts by dropping their leaves. It is usually associated along the edge of tamarach swamps because they can live under the needle cast of those trees on the edges. High alkaline areas around tyndale limestone because of the calcarious levels can grow these trees.

You need heavy density nesting shrubs close together for them to set up territories and nesting. You regrowth aspen I don't think will fit the bill

I have sheared a lot of alder with an excavator and brusher head, walked all over in alder swamps in he winter. Woodcocks where the main management goal.

Here's a link with pictures.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Golden-winged_Warbler/id

I just completed a timber sale/GWW habitat enhancement project on my NJ property. Eleven acres of GWW "core area" and 57 acres of shelterwood surrounding it. USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) sometimes has grant monies for GWW projects like this. As some have mentioned, the openings that GWW like are good for deer and turkey as well. Plus you get to keep the proceeds of the sale of the wood. Win-win-win!

Pete