Join us as NYFOA partners with Audubon NY and Indian River Lakes Conservancy to bring you a woods walk workshop to demonstrate forest bird habitat management in practice. This program will focus on the unique habitat required by Golden-winged Warblers a migratory shrubland species that have suffered one of the steepest declines of any North American songbird over the past 50 years. Restoration for golden-winged warblers can be challenging due to their habitat needs, they require a layer of grasses for nest construction, shrubs to provide nest protection and single standing trees to provide a perch for males to sing. During this program we will tour an area of the reserve that has been specifically managed for golden-winged warbler habitat. We will discuss the habitat needs of this species and highlight opportunities for landowners to incorporate this type of management on their own properties. We will also highlight other forest bird species that will benefit from this type of management.

We will tour Cornell’s Uihlein Maple Research Forest—an officially recognized Bird-Friendly Maple site—and explore how forest management practices can benefit both birds and maple producers. While the event is geared toward maple producers, forest landowners and managers who do not produce syrup will also gain valuable insights into habitat-friendly forest stewardship.