Officials with the Florida Division of Forestry report a very productive 2008 nesting season for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker population at Blackwater River State Forest, Florida's largest state forest.

During the 2008 nesting season, from March through July, 109 nestlings were banded, and over a dozen clusters or "family groups" became active.

According to biologist Liz Langston, "Monitoring during this year's season shows significant annual population growth, and we could not have accomplished half of the monitoring without assistance from Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission employees and three dedicated volunteers: Jason Campbell of Pensacola, Nancy Glass of Pensacola Beach, and Susan Creel of Bagdad."

Monitoring also included observations with respect to how natural processes, such as fire and lightning, impact the bird's population. Langston said, "One nest tree was struck by lightning prior to nesting season, and birds attempted to nest in it; however, the tree stopped exuding fresh sap, so they moved because sap produced by live trees helps protect nests from predators, such as rat snakes."

Additionally, a check of two nests before and after a prescribed burn this year showed nestlings were unaffected. The red-cockaded woodpeckers are well-adapted to prescribed burns, which are used on the state forest to lower the risk of wildfire and control the growth of hardwoods, which reduce the habitat quality of the bird's cluster and foraging areas. Forestry officials plan to treat 80,000 acres of the 206,000 forest through prescribed burning over the next year.

Volunteers are needed to assist with identifying birds with specific color band combinations and other monitoring throughout the year for this endangered species program. For information, contact Langston at 850-957-6140 ext. 119.