Animals in the Aftermath: North Carolina’s Forests and Migratory Birds After Helene

The rain had stopped but the wind was still whipping in downtown Asheville the afternoon Hurricane Helene exited western North Carolina. Branches and leaves were everywhere. Mysteriously, there were views of distant mountains that were not there before.  

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NPS

Large stands of trees were gone. Most were snapped in half, while others were pulled out of the ground completely. The storm had destroyed forests everywhere, including over 187,000 acres — about 20% of the total forest acreage — within the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests.

At the end of September 2024, the region got more than 8 inches of rain and experienced winds with gusts as high as 80 mph. This dangerous combination caused one of the most devasting weather events in NC’s history. Today, recovery is still far from over. As those efforts continue, we wonder what happened to the wildlife and their habitats we work so hard to protect. And with spring approaching, we are curious about what is in store for migratory songbirds that rely on these forests as breeding grounds.

Are birds equipped to survive hurricanes?

Birds have adapted to hurricanes in a variety of ways. Like people, most birds will either flee or hunker down in a protected place. Some birds sense storms and move to safer areas before they hit, or detour around them during migration to an adjacent flyway. Others might even take advantage of a storm’s strong tailwinds for a push, like the half a billion migrating birds west of Helene the Cornell Lab of Ornithology documented coasting along its edge toward their southern wintering grounds. Some, however, get trapped in storms and can be blown off course for many miles.

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ps50ace/iStockphoto

Cerulean warblers are migratory songbirds that rely on Appalachian old growth forests as breeding habitat. They have one of the longest migrations among perching birds at over 2,500 miles. These warblers begin their journey south around mid-August and arrive at their winter habitat in northern South America roughly 42 days later. The birds were probably close to their wintering grounds when Helene hit the southeastern U.S.

What happened to the cerulean warbler’s breeding habitat?

It’s hard to say how much of their breeding habitat was destroyed. We do know, however, the area of our survey project, which began last spring, is in the section of the Appalachian Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest Helene hit the hardest. There is significant widespread damage to roads, trails, recreation sites and large swaths of forest, which the U.S. Forest Service is still assessing. In fact, most of this area is still inaccessible and closed to the public.

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Ben Prater/Defenders of Wildlife

In general, when migratory birds’ breeding habitat is destroyed, the birds must search for a new, suitable nesting area. This will likely lead to a decrease in reproductive success and overall population declines. Eastern forest birds have already declined by 63.5% with cerulean warblers declining by 72% since the late 1900s, primarily from the loss of suitable habitat. Forest-interior birds like cerulean warblers need contiguous mature forests with complex structure shaped by natural disturbance.

What information did you gain from the surveys last spring?

Last spring’s surveys kicked off a 2-year multi-organizational research project in the Craggies-Big Ivy area in Pisgah National Forest, NC. Our goal is to fill area-specific knowledge gaps and provide the best available information for decision-making in bird conservation. We focused this research on an area where the presence of cerulean warblers is unknown. In a 15,576-acre area we surveyed 62 sites for the warblers and other Southern Appalachian neotropical migratory birds and collected 415,000 bird calls and songs.

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We found cerulean warblers present at more than six sites. We also found Canada warblers at 52% of sites, Chimney Swifts at 50% of sites, Veery at 83% of sites, wood thrush at 89% of sites, and detected Acadian flycatcher, Louisiana waterthrush, Swainson’s warbler, worm-eating warblers, and yellow-billed cuckoos.  Additionally, we found two NC species of greatest conservation need, yellow-bellied sapsuckers at 83% of sites and brown creepers at 69% of sites. These findings now serve as a baseline for future surveys.

Do you foresee the surveying project changing?  

Our surveys will continue as planned this spring, provided we can access the areas. We also plan to re-survey sites impacted by Helene to assess any changes in occupancy. We are also exploring another project to survey for cerulean warblers along an adjacent 5-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway devastated by Helene where their territories have previously been documented.  

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Rex Babiera (CC by 2.0)

You can help migratory birds

Bird conservation depends on passionate community scientists who track the presence of birds on the landscape. As technologies and tools improve, the ability to rely on this data has become essential to understanding the trends in songbird populations. When you venture out in the spring, use one of the awesome mobile phone applications, like Merlin and eBird, to help learn about the birds, detect their beautiful songs and report their presence. If you are interested in volunteering in 2025, email Defenders’ southeastoffice@defenders.org.

In case you missed it, read about what Helene’s impact on hellbenders and aquatic systems here.