Sabine Woods Update - August 30, 2009

Even though there has been less summer rainfall than normal at Sabine Woods, extending the below normal rainfall event which began shortly after Hurricane Ike in September last year, growth of vegetation in the understory of the motte itself has been very lush. Presumably, the more open canopy has allowed more sunlight to reach the floor of the woods. Likely many seeds have been present for some time and/or were transported relatively short distances by the storm surge of Hurricane Ike. Particularly noteworthy is the presence of many significant stands of giant ragweed, some reaching a height of close to 15 feet. This is not a particularly welcome development, because the seeds of giant ragweed are not particularly attractive to birds, allegedly because of their hard coating. This is an annual species, and most of the stands have not yet reached the flowering stage. To the extent that it is practical, we plan to cut the plants down before flowers and seeds develop.

The news on the tree side is not particularly favorable. Most of the trees that leafed out normally this spring are in as good a condition as would be expected for a very dry year. Most live oaks appear to have survived, although not all. For the most part, the oaks either put out leaves in near normal quantities this spring, or did not put on any leaves.  There are only a very few oak trees with only a few leaves. The losses appear concentrated in the southern half of the easternmost of the three sections of the main old growth motte. The trees commonly referred to as hackberry (but which may be more accurately described as sugarberry) are not doing as well. Some, probably most, appear to be surviving, although there are some large ones without leaves. The hackberries took a disproportionate share of the blow downs in Hurricane Rite in 2005, so this is of concern. Fortunately hackberries grow quite quickly. The mulberry trees are struggling, and many may not make it. The very large mulberries in the middle of the center section of the old growth woods were already in difficulty, presumably nearing the end of their natural life, and the one-two punch of the winds of Hurricane Rita and the storm surge of Hurricane Ike has probably finished them off.  Willow trees appear to be intolerant of salt, and none have survived. Again, willow is a relatively fast growing species. We are wary of making final judgment on any large tree until next year.

The ponds are completely dry, as usually happens in dry summers. Of course, we were slowly draining the main pond to get rid of salt water in any case. In late spring the "salinity" of the pond was in the 5 parts per thousand range. There may be some residual salt in the bottom of the pond, but we don't expect this to be a serious issue. The "salinity" that the measurement technique determines is an indication of the total ionic content, not only sodium chloride.

We are proceeding with planning for two grant funded project this fall and winter. We are grateful to Gary Kelley for agreeing to take over the "management" of these two projects. The $10,000 conservation grant from the 2008 Birding Classic is earmarked for water system repairs and extension, and for acquiring and planting trees as replacements for those lost in the three recent hurricanes and to expand the motte. The $5,000 Hurricane Relief grant from the Sempra Energy Foundation is for replacement of the picnic shelter and for new gates and adjacent fencing, and possibly a viewing stand at the drip.

We are extremely grateful to Howard Davis for donating his time and the use of his equipment and spending two afternoons brush hogging for us. He cleared the main trails and the open areas near the front., as well as much of the eastern open area where we expect to plant trees to expand the motte. With his relatively small tractor, he was able to clear many of the main trails through the woods, in the process providing access to the western portion of the sanctuary that is now comparable to that in the older growth areas. In fact, what we call the "newer oaks" – those planted in1989 – have now grown to a point where they are nearing maturity. Only those of us who have been birding the Woods for many years will be able to recognize where the old growth oaks stop and the new ones begin.

On August 30, it was still hot, and there were many mosquitoes, probably mostly salt marsh mosquitoes from the marsh across the highway. These mosquitoes respected DEET and there were no other flying insect pests. There are spider webs, but not in the numbers that we have seen in some past years. (Walk slowly and carry a long stick.) There were many Empidonax flycatchers, some Pewees, a Myiarchus flycatcher, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a Northern Waterthrush, a very early Tennessee Warbler, a female Baltimore Oriole, a couple of young Painted Buntings. I saw two Great Horned Owls (at the same time!), a Chuck-wills-widow as well as the other normal residents (Downy and Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay and Carolina Chickadee.) On the highway outside were a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and an Eastern Kingbird.

John A. Whittle

August 30, 2009