MISSISSIPPI’S IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS PROGRAM

Audubon Mississippi’s Important Bird Areas began with preliminary work in 1997, and with assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is now beginning Phase I of the program. Currently, a steering committee is being formed to assist in the overall management of the project and a technical committee is being formed to help guide the site selection and information-gathering process. To date, 22 sites have been nominated as Candidate Important Bird Areas, and information is being gathered on additional sites. When formally identified, Important Bird Areas in Mississippi will be found in the bottomland hardwood forests of the Mississippi River floodplain and along other major rivers, in upland forests, in remaining longleaf pine forests, in native prairie and wet pine savanna habitats, on barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico, and elsewhere. Audubon Mississippi’s Important Bird Areas Program is a result of the efforts of the Audubon Mississippi State Office and partnerships with the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science and the Mississippi Ornithological Society.

By Bruce Reid, Audubon Mississippi The Pascagoula River flows 81 miles to the Gulf of Mexico and is bordered by the 40,000-acre Pascagoula River Wildlife Management Area

CANDIDATE* IMPORTANT BIRD AREA
Name: Pascagoula River Wildlife Management Area
State: Mississippi
Counties: Jackson and George Counties
Nearest Communities: Lucedale and Moss Point

Site Description: The Pascagoula River Wildlife Management Area is part of one of healthiest riverine ecosystems in the Southeastern United States. Bottomland hardwood forests cover 77 percent of the area along with aquatic habitats (14 percent), pine forests (4 percent), freshwater scrub/shrub (2 percent) and other mixed habitats (3 percent). The management area stretches along most of the 81 miles of the Pascagoula River, which flows from the confluence of the Leaf and Chickasawhay rivers to the Gulf of Mexico. The Pascagoula basin, covering 8,800 square miles, is the largest, essentially unfragmented river system in the lower 48 United States, representing critical breeding, migrating and wintering habitat for a multitude of birds and other wildlife.

By Jeff Buler, University of Southern Mississippi. As many as 167 Swallow-tailed Kites have been observed in post-breeding congregations along the Pascagoula River.

Ornithological Summary: The Pascagoula River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) provides essential habitat for the WatchListed Swallow-tailed Kite, with an average of 40 kites seen per day on surveys during the 1999 nesting season (March-July). As many as 167 Swallow-tailed Kites were observed during post-breeding plane surveys in July and August 1999. Swallow-tailed Kites have been documented nesting within the WMA, with three nests found on the upper Pascagoula River portion in 1999 and four additional nests located on other public and private lands nearby. The area is important not only for Swallow-tailed Kites but also Mississippi Kites, with an average of 40 recorded per day in the WMA during the 1999 breeding season. In addition to raptors, the Pascagoula River area provides critical habitat for other Neotropical migrants, especially songbirds. The area also provides nesting habitat for WatchListed species, including Swainson’s, Prothonotary and Kentucky Warblers. Small groups of Wood Storks also occur in the area in late summer.

Conservation Issues: Major conservation issues in the area include the encroachment of invasive plants such as Japanese climbing fern, privet, and cogongrass, and the implementation of forest management practices.

Audubon Mississippi, The Nature Conservancy, and other partners organized the Singing River Symposium in September 2001. The conference, attended by 160 people, focused on conservation, education, and research relating to the Pascagoula River (digital proceedings will be produced; see contact below). The partners also organized “Celebrate the Pascagoula” in October 2001, a one-day event attended by 250 people to recognize the 25th anniversary of the acquisition of public land for the Pascagoula River Wildlife Management Area. In addition, Audubon is a partner in the formation of an alliance for promoting conservation, education and research in the Pascagoula River basin.

* Candidate sites are being considered for designation as Important Bird Areas by the State Technical Committee.

To Learn More About Audubon Mississippi’s
Important Bird Areas Program

Contact:
Bruce Reid
Director of Bird Conservation
Audubon Mississippi
2524 South Frontage Road
Vicksburg MS 39180
(601)629-6621
breid@audubon.org

To Nominate A Site Visit:
www.lmvjv.org/audubon