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

The rain had stopped but the wind was still blowing in downtown Asheville the afternoon Hurricane Helene moved out of western North Carolina. There were branches and leaves everywhere. Mysteriously there were views of distant mountains that were not there before.

Large stands of trees were uprooted. Most were broken in half, while others were completely pulled out of the ground. The storm destroyed forests everywhere, including more than 187,000 acres—about 20% of the total forested area—within the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests.

In late September 2024, the region received more than 8 inches of rain and sustained winds of 80 mph. This dangerous combination caused one of the most catastrophic weather events in NC history. Today, the restoration is not over yet. As these efforts continue, we wonder what has happened to the wildlife and habitats we work so hard to protect. And with spring approaching, we’re curious about what’s in store for the migratory songbirds that rely on these forests as breeding grounds.

Are birds equipped to survive hurricanes?

Birds have adapted to hurricanes in various ways. Like people, most birds will either flee or hunt in a safe place. Some birds sense storms and move to sheltered areas before impact, or circle them during migration to adjacent flyways. Others may also take advantage of the storm’s strong tailwinds, such as the half-billion migratory birds west of Helen, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, have documented along the coastline along its shores toward their southern wintering grounds. However, some get caught in storms and can be blown for miles.

Cerulean warblers are migratory songbirds that rely on Appalachian old-growth forests as breeding habitat. They have the longest migration among birds at over 2,500 miles. These warblers begin their journey south in mid-August and arrive at their wintering grounds in northern South America about 42 days later. The birds were likely near their wintering grounds when Helene hit the southeastern United States.

What happened to the cerulean warbler’s breeding habitat?

It is difficult to say how much of their breeding habitat was destroyed. However, we do know that the area of ​​our survey project, which began last spring, is in the portion of the Appalachian Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest that was hardest hit. There is extensive damage to roads, trails, recreation areas and large tracts of forest, which the US Forest Service is still assessing. In fact, most of its territory is still inaccessible and closed to the public.

In general, when the breeding habitat of migratory birds is destroyed, the birds must find a new, suitable nesting area. This will likely lead to reduced reproductive success and overall population decline. Eastern woodland birds have already declined by 63.5 percent, while cerulean warblers have declined by 72 percent since the late 1900s, primarily through loss of suitable habitat. Forest interior birds such as cerulean warblers require contiguous mature forests with complex structure due to natural disturbance.

What did you learn from last spring’s survey?

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

We found Cerulean Warblers in more than six locations. We detected Canada warblers at 52% of sites, chimney swifts at 50% of sites, veery at 83% of sites, wood thrushes at 89% of sites, and Acadian flycatcher, Louisiana waterthrush, Swainson’s warbler, insectivorous warblers, and yellow-billed warblers. Cuckoo. Additionally, we found the two NC species most in need of conservation, yellow-bellied sapsuckers at 83% of sites and brown creepers at 69% of sites. These results now serve as a basis for future surveys.

Do you foresee a change in the survey plan?

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

You can help migratory birds.

Bird conservation depends on passionate community scientists who detect the presence of birds in the landscape. As technologies and tools improve, the ability to rely on this data has become essential to understanding songbird population trends. When you’re out in the spring, use one of the great mobile phone apps like Merlin and eBird to learn about birds, track 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 the effect of helium on hellbenders and aquatic systems here.