The
Breeding Bird Survey (BBS),
a standardized roadside survey completed each year along thousands
of routes throughout North America, gives us our best look at the
extent of declines among our early-successional birds. Twelve of the
sixteen shrubland birds in eastern North America have declining populations.
Golden-winged warbler (classified as Endangered in Massachusetts),
prairie warbler, and field sparrow have all declined by more than
two percent per year, on average, on eastern BBS routes. Ruffed grouse
and woodcock have declined by approximately four percent per year
in our region as well. Five of six birds commonly associated with
Massachusetts' grasslands are exhibiting dramatic declines along eastern
BBS routes. Three of these species, the upland sandpiper, vesper sparrow,
and grasshopper sparrow, are classified as either Threatened or Endangered
by MassWildlife.
Breeding
Bird Survey results from 1966-1996 for Massachusetts show ruffed grouse,
song sparrow and meadowlark all exhibiting declining trends.
Birds
are not the only groups of wildlife exhibiting declines because of
a lack of early-successional habitats. The regal fritillary butterfly,
once common, no longer occurs in the state. The New England cottontail,
Massachusetts' only native cottontail (as compared to its cousin the
eastern cottontail, which was introduced to the state in the early
1900's), was once common throughout all of the states in New England.
Now it occurs only sporadically in New England.
Black racer snakes and box turtles rely on early-successional habitats
for various stages of their life cycle, and many old field and grassland
plants including New England blazing star (a state Special Concern
species), Sandplain Gerardia (a state Endangered species), and Eastern
Silvery Aster (a state Endangered Species) are becoming increasingly
rare.
Biodiversity
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