Program – Birds and Their Habitat in Seminole State Forest

Birds and Their Habitat on Seminole State Forest:  Management Challenges and Successes

Presented by: Ralph Risch, Biologist  II
Florida Forest Service, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Most Birders know that if they want to spot scrub jays they need to visit an area with low growing oaks and few or no tall trees.   Those birds have specific habitat needs.  While not all species are so habitat specific, all species need food, water, and shelter in the correct configuration.  Just acquiring land and protecting it from development won’t necessarily meet those needs over time. It takes active land management, to maintain a healthy forest.  Biologist Ralph Risch with Seminole State forest is one of those people tasked to maintain the diversity of habitat needed to protect the plants and animals that thrive there.

Ralph will use the stories of 5 avian species (Florida scrub-jays, Bachman’s sparrow, South Eastern American Kestrel, Brown-headed Nuthatch, and Florida Sandhill Cranes) to tell the story of the work that goes into maintaining the varied habitats within the 27,540 acres of Seminole State Forest protecting those species and many others.