Northeastern Coastal Forests (NA0411)

Blogs posted from this ecoregion:

• Launching the blog (June 2015)
• Jersey Boys in Cape May (March 2017)

This very large ecoregion extends along the low altitude Piedmont plateau and the coastal plain of the eastern United States from Maine, through New Hampshire (where there is a small disjunct area to the west of the White Mountains), Vermont (three very small disjunct areas), Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and finally into northern Maryland, to about 20 km north of our home in Derwood, MD.

Adjacent ecoregions include the following, starting from the north: i) New England-Acadian Forests (NA0410) which envelops the northern half of the ecoregion; ii) Eastern Great Lakes Lowland Forests (NA0407) which borders it for a small area in NY, to the northwest of Albany; iii) Allegheny Highlands Forests (NA0401), to the east in NY; iv) Appalachian Blue-Ridge Forests (NA0403), which borders the ecoregion to the east from southern NY through PA and MD; v) Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens which border on or are enclosed by the ecoregion in various areas: inland NJ, Long Island, and Cape Cod Peninsula; vi) Southeastern Mixed Forests (NA0413) which forms its southern border in MD and in a tiny bit of PA; and vii) Middle Atlantic Coastal Forests (NA0517) which forms the Delmarva Peninsula in MD and DE.

Description of the Ecoregion

A detailed description of the ecoregion can be found at WWF’s site (the map above is a screen shot from that Wildfinder site). There may also be additional information to be found on this ecoregion’s page at Wikipedia.

Briefly, the ecoregion is dominated by oak forests, particularly white oak (Quercus alba) and northern red oak (Q. rubra). Before it was wiped out by blight, the American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was very important here and originally these were oak-chestnut forests. Toward the north or where conditions are appropriate, mixed hardwood-conifer forests will occur. Virtually no old growth forests remain and there are no large blocks of intact habitat in this highly converted ecoregion.

A rich range of coastal ecosystems are found here, such as salt marshes, coastal scrub, and various coastal wetlands. The ecoregion surrounds most of Delaware Bay, globally important for horseshoe crabs and migratory shorebirds. Serpentine barrens in Pennsylvania/Maryland are an interesting prairie/woodland habitat.

Birds of the Ecoregion

The avifauna of the ecoregion, according to WWF, is the richest of the 18 ecoregions of the Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests major habitat type. Most of the species typical of eastern broadleaf forests can be found here, with the exception of some southern or higher altitude specialties. Countless famous birding areas occur here, including Delaware Bay and the Cape May Peninsula.

No bird species are endemic to this ecoregion but the following are noteworthy as being relatively difficult to see in other ecoregions (all occur in coastal areas rather than in the relatively non-distinctive inland forests):

• Mute Swan (an introduced and invasive species, but in North America easily found here)
• Piping Plover (rare breeder on coastal beaches)
• Red Knot (bulk of the population of this increasingly uncommon shorebird species stops off during spring migration to feed on horseshoe crab eggs)
• Roseate Tern
• Saltmarsh Sparow

My list of characteristic species for the ecoregion totals 267 species. From a bird perspective, the ecoregion is reasonably well defined with bird distribution ranges coinciding fairly well with the borders to the northerly New England Acadian Forests and to the higher-altitude ecoregions to the west. However, the northern extremity of the ecoregion in Maine and the southern extension into Maryland are both fairly different from the rest of the ecoregion in terms of their avifaunas. Excluding these two areas would have resulted in a more clearly defined and homogenous ecoregion, from an ornithological perspective. For example, my list below just for the most southerly part of Maryland includes only 204 species, missing about 60 species characteristic of ecoregion overall.

Resources for the Ecoregion Birder

Without any pretense to completeness, the following resources have caught my attention and would be of value to the birder traveling to this ecoregion:

• Wright, Rick, 2014. ABA Guide to Birds of New Jersey. Although a state-oriented book, this guide is very useful for the part of this ecoregion that falls in NJ.

Characteristic Species of the Ecoregion

My list below of the “characteristic species” of the ecoregion (see an explanation on the About page) are those that are of regular occurrence and thus excludes very rare, or accidental species. The species are classed as residents (r), summer breeders (s), migrants (m), wintering (w), or peripheral (x), that is, occurring in the ecoregion but only on its periphery and more characteristic of an adjacent ecoregion. The peripheral species are not included in the ecoregion total.

The list for this ecoregion includes 267 species, of which 66 are resident year round, 99 are summer breeders, 37 are only to be found during migration, and 65 are wintering species.

Because of my particular interest in the MD part of this ecoregion (which starts just a few km north of my residence), I also note below the 204 characteristics species of the MD portion of the ecoregion, its most southerly extension. Apart from consulting distribution maps in Sibley guide to determine each species’ status, I reviewed 2010-2016 eBird records grouped for Carroll  and Howard Counties which more or less are fully within the ecoregion. Note that in MD, the ecoregion also reaches the northern extremity of Chesapeake Bay but as it is a bit of an outlier, my MD list focuses on the two inland counties.

• Snow Goose  m [MD w]
• Brant  w
• Cackling Goose  x [MD x]
• Canada Goose  r [MD r]
• Mute Swan  r [MD x]
• Trumpeter Swan  x [MD m]
• Tundra Swan  w [MD w]
• Wood Duck  s [MD s]
• Gadwall  w [MD w
• American Wigeon  w [MD w]
• American Black Duck  r [MD w]
• Mallard  r [MD r]
• Blue-winged Teal  s [MD m]
• Northern Shoveler  w [MD w]
• Northern Pintail  w [MD w]
• Green-winged Teal  w [MD w]
• Canvasback  w [MD w]
• Redhead  w [MD w]
• Ring-necked Duck  w [MD w]
• Greater Scaup  w [MD w]
• Lesser Scaup  w [MD w]
• King Eider  w
• Common Eider  w
• Harlequin Duck  w
• Surf Scoter  w [MD x]
• White-winged Scoter  w
• Black Scoter  w
• Long-tailed Duck  w [MD x]
• Bufflehead  w [MD w]
• Common Goldeneye  w [MD w]
• Barrow’s Goldeneye  x
• Hooded Merganser  w [MD w]
• Common Merganser  w [MD w]
• Red-breasted Merganser  w [MD w]
• Ruddy Duck  w [MD w]
• Northern Bobwhite  r
• Ring-necked Pheasant  r
• Ruffed Grouse  r
• Wild Turkey  r [MD r]
• Red-throated Loon  w [MD x]
• Common Loon  w [MD m]
• Pied-billed Grebe  r [MD r]
• Horned Grebe  w [MD m]
• Red-necked Grebe  w [MD m]
• Northern Gannet  w
• Double-crested Cormorant  r [MD r]
• Great Cormorant  w
• American Bittern  s [MD x]
• Least Bittern  s
• Great Blue Heron  r [MD r]
• Great Egret  s [MD s]
• Snowy Egret  s [MD x]
• Little Blue Heron  s [MD x]
• Tricolored Heron  x
• Cattle Egret  x
• Green Heron  s [MD s]
• Black-crowned Night-Heron  s [MD s]
• Yellow-crowned Night-Heron  x
• Glossy Ibis  s
• Black Vulture  r [MD r]
• Turkey Vulture  r [MD r]
• Osprey  s [MD s]
• Bald Eagle  r [MD r]
• Northern Harrier  r [MD w]
• Sharp-shinned Hawk  r [MD w]
• Cooper’s Hawk  r [MD r]
• Northern Goshawk  w
• Red-shouldered Hawk  r [MD r]
• Broad-winged Hawk  s [MD m]
• Red-tailed Hawk  r [MD r]
• Rough-legged Hawk  w
• Golden Eagle  m
• Clapper Rail  r
• King Rail  x
• Virginia Rail  s [MD m]
• Sora  s [MD m]
• Common Gallinule  s
• American Coot  w [MD w]
• American Oystercatcher  s
• Black-bellied Plover  w
• American Golden-Plover  m
• Semipalmated Plover  m [MD m]
• Piping Plover  s
• Killdeer  r [MD r]
• Spotted Sandpiper  s [MD s]
• Solitary Sandpiper  m [MD m]
• Greater Yellowlegs  m [MD m]
• Willet  s
• Lesser Yellowlegs  m [MD m]
• Upland Sandpiper  s
• Whimbrel  m
• Ruddy Turnstone  w
• Red Knot  m
• Stilt Sandpiper  m
• Sanderling  w
• Dunlin  w
• Purple Sandpiper  w
• Least Sandpiper  m [MD m]
• White-rumped Sandpiper  m
• Pectoral Sandpiper  m [MD m]
• Semipalmated Sandpiper  m [MD m]
• Western Sandpiper  x [MD x]
• Short-billed Dowitcher  x
• Long-billed Dowitcher  x
• Wilson’s Snipe  w [MD w]
• American Woodcock  s [MD s]
• Razorbill  w
• Black Guillemot  w
• Bonaparte’s Gull  w [MD m]
• Laughing Gull  s [MD x]
• Ring-billed Gull  w [MD r]
• Herring Gull  r [MD w]
• Iceland Gull  w
• Lesser Black-backed Gull  x
• Glaucous Gull  w
• Great Black-backed Gull  r [MD w]
• Least Tern  s
• Gull-billed Tern  x
• Caspian Tern  m [MD m]
• Black Tern  m [MD x]
• Roseate Tern  s
• Common Tern  s
• Forster’s Tern  s [MD m]
• Royal Tern  x
• Rock Pigeon  r [MD r]
• Mourning Dove  r [MD r]
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo
• Black-billed Cuckoo  s [MD s]
• Barn Owl  r
• Eastern Screech-Owl  r [MD r]
• Great Horned Owl  r [MD r]
• Snowy Owl  w
• Barred Owl  r [MD r]
• Long-eared Owl  w [MD x]
• Short-eared Owl  w [MD w]
• Northern Saw-whet Owl  r [MD w]
• Common Nighthawk  s [MD m]
• Chuck-will’s-widow  x
• Eastern Whip-poor-will  s [MD x]
• Chimney Swift  s [MD s]
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird  s [MD s]
• Belted Kingfisher  r [MD r]
• Red-headed Woodpecker  r [MD r]
• Red-bellied Woodpecker  r [MD r]
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  w [MD w]
• Downy Woodpecker  r [MD r]
• Hairy Woodpecker r [MD r]
• Northern Flicker r [MD r]
• Pileated Woodpecker r [MD r]
• American Kestrel r [MD r]
• Merlin  m [MD w]
• Peregrine Falcon r [MD r]
• Olive-sided Flycatcher  m [MD m]
• Eastern Wood-Pewee  s [MD s]
• Yellow-bellied Flycatcher m [MD m]
• Acadian Flycatcher s [MD s]
• Alder Flycatcher  s [MD m]
• Willow Flycatcher s [MD s]
• Least Flycatcher  s [MD m]
• Eastern Phoebe s [MD s]
• Great Crested Flycatcher s [MD s]
• Eastern Kingbird s [MD s]
• Northern Shrike  w
• White-eyed Vireo s [MD s]
• Yellow-throated Vireo s [MD s]
• Blue-headed Vireo  s [MD m]
• Warbling Vireo s [MD s]
• Philadelphia Vireo  m [MD x]
• Red-eyed Vireo s [MD s]
• Blue Jay r [MD r]
• American Crow r [MD r]
• Fish Crow r [MD r]
• Common Raven r [MD r]
• Horned Lark r [MD r]
• Purple Martin s [MD s]
• Tree Swallow s [MD s]
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow s [MD s]
• Bank Swallow s [MD s]
• Cliff Swallow s [MD s]
• Barn Swallow s [MD s]
• Carolina Chickadee r [MD r]
• Black-capped Chickadee  r
• Tufted Titmouse r [MD r]
• Red-breasted Nuthatch  r [MD w]
• White-breasted Nuthatch r [MD r]
• Brown Creeper r [MD w]
• House Wren s [MD s]
• Winter Wren  w [MD w]
• Marsh Wren  s [MD m]
• Carolina Wren  r [MD r]
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher s [MD s]
• Golden-crowned Kinglet r [MD w]
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet m [MD m]
• Eastern Bluebird r [MD r]
• Veery s [MD s]
• Gray-cheeked Thrush m [MD m]
• Bicknell’s Thrush  m
• Swainson’s Thrush m [MD m]
• Hermit Thrush  s [MD w]
• Wood Thrush s [MD s]
• American Robin r [MD r]
• Gray Catbird s [MD s]
• Brown Thrasher s [MD s]
• Northern Mockingbird r [MD r]
• European Starling r [MD r]
• American Pipit  m [MD w]
• Cedar Waxwing r [MD r]
• Lapland Longspur  w [MD x]
• Snow Bunting  w [MD x]
• Ovenbird s [MD s]
• Worm-eating Warbler s [MD s]
• Louisiana Waterthrush s [MD s]
• Northern Waterthrush  s [MD m]
• Golden-winged Warbler  x [MD x]
• Blue-winged Warbler s [MD s]
• Black-and-white Warbler s [MD s]
• Prothonotary Warbler s [MD s]
• Tennessee Warbler m [MD m]
• Orange-crowned Warbler m [MD m]
• Nashville Warbler  s [MD m]
• Connecticut Warbler m [MD m]
• Mourning Warbler m [MD m]
• Kentucky Warbler s [MD s]
• Common Yellowthroat s [MD s]
• Hooded Warbler s [MD s]
• American Redstart s [MD s]
• Cape May Warbler m [MD m]
• Cerulean Warbler  x [MD x]
• Northern Parula s [MD s]
• Magnolia Warbler  s [MD m]
• Bay-breasted Warbler m [MD m]
• Blackburnian Warbler  s [MD m]
• Yellow Warbler s [MD s]
• Chestnut-sided Warbler  s [MD m]
• Blackpoll Warbler m [MD m]
• Black-throated Blue Warbler  s [MD m]
• Palm Warbler m [MD m]
• Pine Warbler s [MD s]
• Yellow-rumped Warbler  w [MD w]
• Yellow-throated Warbler  x [MD s]
• Prairie Warbler s [MD s]
• Black-throated Green Warbler  s [MD m]
• Canada Warbler  s [MD m]
• Wilson’s Warbler m [MD m]
• Yellow-breasted Chat s [MD s]
• Eastern Towhee  s [MD r]
• American Tree Sparrow  w [MD w]
• Chipping Sparrow s [MD s]
• Field Sparrow  s [MD r]
• Vesper Sparrow m [MD m]
• Savannah Sparrow s [MD w]
• Grasshopper Sparrow s [MD s]
• Nelson’s Sparrow  s [MD x]
• Saltmarsh Sparrow  s
• Seaside Sparrow  r
• Fox Sparrow  w [MD w]
• Song Sparrow  r [MD r]
• Lincoln’s Sparrow m [MD m]
• Swamp Sparrow  s [MD r]
• White-throated Sparrow  w [MD w]
• White-crowned Sparrow  m [MD w]
• Dark-eyed Junco  w [MD w]
• Scarlet Tanager s [MD s]
• Northern Cardinal r [MD r]
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak  s [MD m]
• Blue Grosbeak s [MD s]
• Indigo Bunting s [MD s]
• Dickcissel  x [MD x]
• Bobolink  s [MD m]
• Red-winged Blackbird r [MD r]
• Eastern Meadowlark  s [MD r]
• Rusty Blackbird  w [MD m]
• Common Grackle r [MD r]
• Boat-tailed Grackle  x
• Brown-headed Cowbird r [MD r]
• Orchard Oriole s [MD s]
• Baltimore Oriole s [MD s]
• Pine Grosbeak  x
• House Finch r [MD r]
• Purple Finch r [MD w]
• Red Crossbill  w
• White-winged Crossbill  x
• Common Redpoll  w
• Pine Siskin  w [MD w]
• American Goldfinch  w [MD w]
• Evening Grosbeak  w
• House Sparrow r [MD r]

 

Resident breeders (r) 66 [MD 53]

Summer breeders (s) 99 [MD 56]

Migrants (m)  37 [MD 50]

Wintering (w) 65 [MD 45]

Peripheral (x) [not in Total]    21 [MD 20]

 

TOTAL 267 [MD 204]

DJG: 191 spp. [MD 120] (March 31, 2017)