Post-construction Effects of an Urban Development on Migrating, Resident, and Wintering Birds

Abstract

Many urban areas contain forest remnants and city parks that may be used by birds as stopover and wintering sites. We conducted a case study on how construction of a new apartment complex in Gainesville, FL, affected avian communities both in a forest site and in a portion of a marsh in an adjacent city park. In fall and winter, 1995–1999, we conducted point count surveys of migrant, resident, and wintering birds and compared 1 year of pre-construction survey data to 2 years of post-construction survey data. We conducted analyses to explore changes in: 1) abundance and richness by residency status (resident and migrant guilds), and 2) individual species abundance. Combining pre- and post-construction surveys, we sighted 71 bird species in the developed site and adjacent marsh during the fall and 46 species during the winter. Resident and migrant guild abundance and species richness were not different before versus after construction on the forest site or in the marsh for both seasons. Several individual species did decline in post-construction years, most notably the ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus) during the fall migration period that went from 32 to 3 sightings, pre- to post-construction. Results suggest that within the timeframe of this study, the remnant forest patch and adjacent marsh continued to attract migrating and resident species, even after development. On-site preservation of tree canopy and natural buffer areas, in combination with existing vegetative features in the surrounding landscape matrix, may explain why development had a minimal impact on avian richness and abundance.