Swainson's Warbler

I had the opportunity to help with a study on Swainson's Warblers in the Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge. John Gerwin at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and Jean Richter, the refuge biologist, were the study's principal investigators. The Roanoke River NWR is about 2 hours east of Raleigh, in Bertie County, NC, on the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Swainson's Warblers are neo-tropical migratory songbirds, which breed in the switchcane, Smilex and grape vines growing in the refuge's bottomland hardwood forest. Because they are exclusive ground foragers, using their bill to stir up and catch insects in the leaf litter, it is believed that their population is sensitive to flooding. This study plans to look at the Swainson's Warblers in the refuge over the next 3 years and to quantify the effects of river flooding by a nearby hydroelectric plant on the population. Researchers are banding the warblers to track individuals, mapping territories and examining habitat usage through radio telemetry, nest searching and monitoring nests. The refuge is a beautiful place to study these interesting birds!

The Roanoke River.

We visit research sites along the river by boat.

It feels great to be outside!

Sara Piotter is the full-time research assistant for the project.

Some beautiful swamplands along the road to the riverbank.

Early June brought wet days and stunning skies.

Dead trees like this one provide food and shelter for
Northern Flickers, Pileated and Red-headed Woodpeckers.

Sunset sky.


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