April 30, 2025, Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

05/12/2025 02:23:28 PM Page 101 to 104 of 116 26 of 48 sheets 101 these four?1 THE WITNESS: No.2 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Okay.3 Is there a -- is there any cowbirds in the4 forest presently that you observed?5 THE WITNESS: Yeah. I saw them at a couple6 of my observation points, yes.7 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Okay.8 Mr. MacNeill, do you have any questions?9 THE WITNESS: Can I follow up to your10 question. It's not time appropriate for these species11 to be there right now. So I may not have detected12 doesn't mean they won't be there next month. So I13 wouldn't have necessarily -- if you asked me if I14 predicted ahead of time, I would just say I saw my first15 wood thrush in central New Jersey yesterday. I haven't16 heard any other birds, they're not back yet.17 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: It's possible?18 THE WITNESS: It's not really a hypothesis19 that they're there. I wouldn't hypothesis that they20 should be there right now. Yet six weeks if I were to21 survey a bunch of times and still not detect them, then22 it would be a hypothesis that they're in there. Right23 now it's not even about a hypothesis because they24 shouldn't be there.25 102 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Fair enough.1 MR. AFRAN: Can I follow up with one2 question.3 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Yes.4 MR. AFRAN: Is it fair to say that these5 four species are commonly found in eastern forests in6 New Jersey?7 THE WITNESS: Yes.8 MR. AFRAN: Deciduous forests?9 THE WITNESS: Yes. The right size forest,10 yes.11 MR. AFRAN: You're not hypothesizing, these12 are normally available in our forests when they're13 there?14 THE WITNESS: Yes.15 MR. AFRAN: Thank you. You answered my16 question. Thank you.17 THE WITNESS: I studied other birds in Pine18 Barrens and they're very well-known and I do lots of,19 like I said earlier, I do lots of bird surveys with20 students, adult learners in central New Jersey almost21 half a year but in the right patch of habitat you can22 find all these.23 MR. AFRAN: And so in an eastern deciduous24 forest in New Jersey would you except to typically see25 103 these four species for example at the correct time of1 year?2 THE WITNESS: Correct time of year and3 correct size, yeah, for sure. I would take courses to4 certain patches of habitat on the hope of being able to5 see some of these. I drag 20 people with me to do that.6 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Thank you.7 Mr. Haizel, do you have any questions -- I'm8 sorry. Mr. MacNeill.9 MR.

s of habitat on the hope of being able to5 see some of these. I drag 20 people with me to do that.6 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Thank you.7 Mr. Haizel, do you have any questions -- I'm8 sorry. Mr. MacNeill.9 MR. MacNEILL: Were any of those species10 that you observed listed as endangered or threatened?11 THE WITNESS: No. I mean, the ones that I12 saw, no, they're not. But, again, it's very difficult13 to observe endangered species even if I had 200 hours of14 observation time, unless I'm in the exact place that15 endangered species just settled. So I mean, of the 20 I16 did observe directly, probably the worm-eating warbler17 is the forest species that's also a migrant. Long18 distance migrant and it's not in any peril or anything19 like that, but that's an example of a species where it20 depends on lots of different parts of the planet. Lots21 of different parts of the continent in order to live22 throughout it's annual cycle and if they don't have the23 habitat at the particular time when they're there to24 breed or they don't have their stopover sites, which I25 104 think the one I saw was probably stopping over, then1 their numbers as a species will go down.2 MR. MacNeill: Thank you.3 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Mr. Haizel.4 MR. HAIZEL: Yes, I do.5 What impact does events like extended6 periods of drought and things of that sort impact some7 of these numbers?8 THE WITNESS: What was the last part?9 MR. HAIZEL: How does it impact the10 population having like some of these events like11 extended periods of drought?12 THE WITNESS: So the answer to that depends13 on what you mean by extended period. If we're talking14 about like say one season drought like during the15 breeding season, the population might not be productive16 in that breeding season, so in particular during the17 nesting stage when young birds would be fed by the18 parents in dry years say when there's low insects,19 because insects feed on the plants that are there and20 the plants don't have enough water to grow leaves for21 those insects, so that could scale up to a lack of food22 that get's carried over to low productive success. That23 probably the proximal quickest scale that would be the24 first sign of something like that.25