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

27 of 48 sheets Page 105 to 108 of 116 05/12/2025 02:23:28 PM 105 MR. HAIZEL: It doesn't have the impact of1 like if you had such an event last year would you see a2 smaller population this year and it builds back up or --3 THE WITNESS: Again, depends on the scale.4 So, yeah, sure populations are resilient. Healthy5 populations. In otherwise stable environments they go6 through cycles of small increases in population size,7 small decreases, but they tend to be steady over time8 all things being equal. So a severe draught over many9 years could knock down the population for longer periods10 of time than one year or something like that.11 MR. HAIZEl: Thank you.12 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Thank you, Dr. Butler.13 Any another questions?14 So you said the four birds in that grouping15 they're not there. How far do they fly normally? Where16 do they come from? Do they come from south Jersey,17 Canada, miles away, 20 miles?18 THE WITNESS: So you're quizzing me on my19 memory of wintering range maps. As far as these four20 species, I don't distinctly remember all of them, but21 the short brief answer, first answer is it varies. So22 they don't all winter in very narrow latitudes to the23 south. For example hummingbirds winter, I believe, from24 central Mexico to northern South America. So they have25 106 very large wintering distributions and I think similar1 for the other three species.2 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Next question is, if this3 project goes through and the decrease in the forest4 would they find other areas of Essex County, even in5 West Orange, South Mountain Reservation to populate?6 THE WITNESS: The loss of habitat will just7 lower the carrying capacity of whatever area you want to8 judge. So if you want to expand to include what other9 sites you're thinking of then just add that land mass10 together and count up all the birds that could be there11 and just take out the chunk that you have gotten rid of.12 You're at least going to lose that much. So what birds13 do, and Dr. DeVito talked a little bit about this, the14 breeding season they almost all defend territories. So15 they control exclusive space from each other. So you16 can't just say, here, we're going to give you guys five17 acres of really good habitat and you're going to have18 the same number you would have in a ten acre habitat.19 You might get that result but more likely a couple20 individuals are

ive you guys five17 acres of really good habitat and you're going to have18 the same number you would have in a ten acre habitat.19 You might get that result but more likely a couple20 individuals are going to control a lot of that21 proportion. The others are going to have to go22 someplace else. So what happens in the habitat quality23 is the owners tend to win. So if you are given24 precedence on a site and you're the first male to that25 107 area and start singing, looking around like it's yours,1 when the next male that comes in to challenge you the2 general rule is the owner tends to win. The challenger3 goes, oh, this is your's, I'm going to look down the4 road and what they do is they segregate into lower5 quality habitats and when birds can't obtain a habitat6 that's sufficient to support a nesting attempt they just7 give up and move on to the next life history stage.8 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Thank you.9 Mr. Afran, you want to say something.10 MR. AFRAN: Two quick questions.11 What happens to the breeding success if the pair12 Q. attempts to nest when occupying a small patch as13 compared to the normal range that they have before14 fragmentation?15 So I think the answer is going to be specie16 A. specific, just I can't have one for all those species.17 Different species respond differently to disturbance and18 temporal environmental disturbance like was brought up19 before. I brought up before, like spacial disturbance,20 like removing a chunk of habitat, but the other thing is21 that most of these species exhibit site fiduciary where22 they tend to return roughly to the area, sometimes very23 specific to the exact same little habitat, even the24 exact same perch on the exact same tree year after year25 108 and so what likely happens for the birds that are say in1 the forest that are predicted to be cut down, is that2 what you're trying to ask, to get at?3 Yeah. In other words, if 90 percent of where4 Q. they nested, they're bread on their habits is gone what5 happens to the breeding capacity?6 Yeah, I think the birds that are breeding in this7 A. site will come back in the spring to breed. The ones8 that are migrants. They'll come back in the spring to9 breed and they use various landmarks and cues to know10 where they're going and so they come, male birds come11 right back to the exact same piece of habitat. So12 they'll come back and there will be a

reed and they use various landmarks and cues to know10 where they're going and so they come, male birds come11 right back to the exact same piece of habitat. So12 they'll come back and there will be a house there but13 they will be in the right general area and what they14 will probably do is move into the forest in the margins,15 which, going back to what Dr. DeVito said, that16 ecological tract, the cowbirds and predators and they17 move into an environment that's not suitable for their18 species, so they come back like, cool, oh, a housing19 development, they move to a neighboring patch of woods,20 the next closet thing, they're not going to pick up and21 move to other parts that I referenced, that's very22 unlikely because they already scaled down like the23 hierarchy decision making where they're going to settle24 and they were there last year, things worked out pretty25