OHIO-BIRDS Archives

October 2015

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From:
Haans Petruschke <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Haans Petruschke <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 3 Oct 2015 08:37:47 -0400
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As a boy 50 odd (gasp) years ago I would sometimes flush Ruffed Grouse here
on Gildersleeve Mountain. But in that time the forest has changed. The land
here in Kirtland has hundreds of acres of old growth forest that remain,
and preserving the old growth forest on Gildersleeve mountain was one of
the first conservation causes in the early 20th century.

We still occasionally find Ruffed Grouse at the Holden Arboretum but always
in less mature areas.

All of the above said I also wonder how much the explosion in Wild Turkey
populations has effected the populations of Ruffed Grouse? Turkey were
completely absent 50 years ago and are common today.

Haans

On Fri, Oct 2, 2015 at 8:39 PM, Dan Best <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> In addition to echoing Cheryl's call for protection of old growth forest
> tracts, I also agree that there is lots of young growth forest habitat
> available, at least in the glaciated Allegheny Plateau region.  While I
> used to hear ruffed grouse drumming in Geauga Park District when I started
> working there almost 30 years ago, it's been many years since I've heard it
> and I can count the number of grouse sightings in the past 25 years on one
> hand.  Even though woodlands have matured beyond ideal grouse habitat,
> other old field habitat has come into grouse habitat with aspen groves and
> young growth woodlands.  Therefore, I  have never fully subscribed to the
> oft-touted habitat loss explanation for the lack of ruffed grouse.  I
> assert that the extensive nest predation by the over-abundant population of
> raccoons is the foremost reason for the virtual disappearance if ruffed
> grouse, at least in Northeast Ohio.
>
> Dan Best
>
>
> On Oct 2, 2015, at 11:06 AM, Cheryl Harner wrote:
>
> > Birding Friends,
> >
> > Sorry to read of Mark's report and a lack of ruffed grouse in Zaleski.
> If
> > successional habitat alone created grouse, Zaleski should be teaming with
> > them.  ODNR even advertises "Excess Lumber For Sale to Public at
> Zaliseski
> > State Forest" on their Forestry website.
> >
> > There is no shortage of successional habitat* in Ohio.  The private lands
> > which provide the 95% of timber products produced in Ohio are all
> > successional.  Private property owner are certainly encouraged to manage
> and
> > produce timber products on their lands- if they choose.  However,
> old-growth
> > habitat is arguably the rarest habitat in Ohio. One would hope our State
> > Forests would be managed for the needs of the future, not as the 1950
> models
> > dictate. Let's leave the timbering to private land owners. Ohio needs our
> > contiguous forests to provide for biodiversity- like box turtles and
> > bobcats.
> >
> > Mohican Forest has one small parcel of old-growth trees protected as a
> State
> > Nature Preserve.  Other lands at Mohican are schedule to be timbered this
> > year.  Timbering will not help Mohican's tourist base. Those successional
> > lands created by timbering will not produce grouse either, as we have not
> > seen a grouse in Mohican for at least 20 years.
> >
> > This year Hocking Hills' Forest came very close to losing a large old
> stand
> > of oaks and mixed hardwoods to the saw.  However, the Hocking Hills
> Tourism
> > Association challenged Forestry's idea of management and the timbering
> is on
> > hold for a year.  Tourists now have a little time to go and enjoy a last
> > view of these trees, in case Forestry decides to follow through with the
> cut
> > next year.
> >
> > Ohio Ornithological Society (the owner of this list-serv) as well as
> Black
> > Swamp Bird Observatory, Mohican Advocates, Ohio Environmental Council,
> > Flora-Quest and North Central Ohio Land  Conservancy have been joined by
> the
> > Hocking Hill Tourism Association in calling for rededicating Ohio's State
> > Forestry System.
> >
> > If you are under the mistaken assumption that Ohio's Division of
> Forestry is
> > strictly protecting forests lands, you need to know O.D.F. is timbering
> > them, too.   Let's find better ways of raising funds for local schools
> and
> > fire departments than cutting down our natural heritage for a short term
> > profit.  The tourism tax dollars in Ohio's most visited State Forests far
> > out produces timbering as an economic driver.
> >
> > "Hugging" our old trees makes good economic sense and drives eco-tourism
> > commerce.  More importantly to this list-serv, the birds like trees too.
> > Nature will provide for natural succession, it always has.
> >
> > Cheryl Harner
> > OOS Conservation Chair
> >
> > *Seen today in my succession sub-urban yard:  Northern Cardinals, Tufted
> > Titmice, Downey Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Robins,
> > American Goldfinches and others.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Marc Behrendt
> > Sent: Friday, October 02, 2015 9:39 AM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: [Ohio-birds] ruffed grouse
> >
> > As a follow up for ruffed grouse reports, I spent Sunday, Sept 27 in
> Zaleski
> > State Forest, and did not hear any drumming, nor did I flush any birds.
> > I remember "the old days" when grouse were common.
> >
> > ______________________________________________________________________
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> ______________________________________________________________________
>
> Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
> Please consider joining our Society, at
> www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php.
> Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
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