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Important Bird Areas

St. Louis Urban Oasis

Site Description

St. Louis Urban Oases IBA

As the name of the St. Louis Urban Oases IBA suggests, habitat for many species is limited within the heavily urbanized St. Louis metropolitan area. What was a St. Louis Urban Oases IBA mosaic of prairie, savanna, woodland, and forest (Nigh and Schroeder 2002) has long since gone through transitions of farmland to urban development, with little natural habitat remaining. What remains is planted or second growth forest, some of which has matured well into hardwood forest with large diameter trees and a natural forest understory (e.g., John F. Kennedy Memorial Forest in Forest Park, where some oaks may be pre-settlement relicts), and “old-growth” urban parkland (Tower Grove Park). Oxbow lakes formed from the Missouri River remain in and near Creve Coeur Park, providing wetland habitats of open water and cattail and shrub marshland.

All of the landholdings that encompass this IBA are publicly-owned. Creve Coeur Park (1,917 acres, 776 ha) is maintained by the St. Louis County Parks Department, while Forest Park (1,307 acres, 529 ha) and Tower Grove Park (291 acres, 118 ha) are managed by St. Louis Parks and Recreation. Within Forest Park is the 80-acre John F. Kennedy Memorial Forest, which is managed in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Conservation(MDC).

Ornithological Summary

The wetlands at Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park provide habitat for many migrating waders, waterfowl, and shorebirds. There is evidence of breeding American Bittern at Creve Coeur Lake, and Least Bittern, Pied-billed Grebe, and Common Moorhen have all been observed there during their respective breeding seasons. King, Virginia, and Black Rails have been observed there as well (Palmer and Palmer 2001). This park, and the more urban-isolated forests of the two city parks, also provide stopover habitat for many passerine migrant species in spring and fall (Korotev 1999), in addition to some breeding habitat for many birds excluded from the surrounding urban landscape (e.g., hawks and owls). Tower Grove Park is a renowned location for St. Louis birders during spring migration (Palmer and Palmer 2001), due to the amazing numbers and diversity of migrating songbirds that stopover on the site, especially warblers.

Conservation Issues

Wetland protection and water level manipulation are being done in and around Creve Coeur Lake and the nearby Little Creve Coeur Lake. The St. Louis Audubon Society and the Webster Groves Nature Study Society have coordinated with the St. Louis County Parks Department in developing a master plan for management of Creve Coeur Park. A goal of the Forest Park Master Plan is wildlife habitat improvement. These improvements include removal of invasive honeysuckle from the understory of Kennedy Forest and planting of native savanna vegetation. Plantings of trees are still being done in Tower Grove Park.

Great Rivers Confluence

Site Description

The Great Rivers Confluence IBA was historically dominated by extensive lowland wet prairie and marsh, and bottomland forest (Nigh and Schroeder 2002). Today, much of the IBA is cropland, with embedded restored marshes and bottomland forest. The Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary contains a 1,200 acre (486 ha) restored wet prairie / marsh. Great Rivers Confluence IBA Thirty-eight percent of the IBA is publicly-owned conservation land.

Great Rivers Confluence IBA

Landholdings managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) include: Columbia Bottom Conservation Area (CA) (4,253 acres, 1,722 ha), Cuivre Island CA (1,670 acres, 676 ha), Marais Temps Clair CA (948 acres, 384 ha), Pelican Island CA (2,569 acres, 1,040 ha), and Upper Mississippi CA (4,276 acres, 1,731 ha). Also included in the IBA are Jones Confluence State Park (SP) (Missouri Department of Natural Resources ; 2,761 acres, 1,118 ha), and the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary (US Army Corps of Engineers ; 3,700 acres, 1,498 ha). Over 20,000 acres of this IBA is held by private duck club owners.

Ornithological Summary

The Great Rivers Confluence IBA is an important wetland complex for migrating and breeding waterbirds along the Mississippi migratory flyway. Bald Eagle, King Rail, and have bred within the Confluence IBA, and American Bittern are also often observed at the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, but have not been confirmed breeding there. Interior Least Terns have attempted nesting at an artificial island at Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, but have not yet been successful due to flooding. Least Bittern and Willow Flycatcher also nest on Marais Temps Clair CA (Palmer and Palmer 2001). Thousands of waterfowl and shorebirds pass through the IBA during migration each year, along with large numbers of neotropical migratory songbirds, which are found primarily in bottomland forest present along the rivers.

Conservation Issues

The Confluence IBA is encompassed by MDC’s Missouri / Mississippi Confluence Conservation Opportunity Area (MDC 2005), where landowner willingness to habitat restoration, urban sprawl, and public attitudes of natural floodplain qualities remain as obstacles to conservation. Extensive marsh, wet prarie, and bottomland forest restoration is also underway at Columbia Bottom CA and Edward “Ted” and Pat Jones-Confluence Point State Park.

The Confluence IBA is a focal IBA for initial project implementation by Audubon Missouri (AM). AM is part of a multi-partner initiative to restore recently acquired public lands, work with local duck clubs and other private landowners to encourage conservation friendly management of their lands, and to educate citizens in the region about the importance of the ecological and cultural resources in the confluence region. In collaboration with the MDNR, MDC, Great Rivers Greenway, the USACE, the St. Louis Audubon Society, and many community stakeholders, AM is developing an Audubon Center education/tourism project to connect people to the confluence and the broader regional conservation context. AM also intends to contribute to the restoration work at Jones Confluence SP and Columbia Bottom CA. AM will also be collaborating with our partners to derive a conservation plan for the region and working through the Missouri Agricultural Wetlands Initiative concept to help deliver conservation on the ground. Finally, there is promise for connecting to other work in the region, including the work being done through St. Louis Audubon for the Urban Bird Conservation Treaty and the wetlands conservation and education efforts at Little Creve Coeur Marsh. Partners include the St. Louis Audubon Society, MDNR, MDC, Great Rivers Greenway, USACE, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Parks Service, Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, local governmental agencies, major foundations and corporations, philanthropists, and private landowners

Lower Meramec Hills and Valley

Lower Meramec Hills and Valleys IBA

Site Description

Historically, the Meramec Highlands IBA contained upland oak and mixed-hardwood forest and woodland and bottomland forest (Nigh and Schroeder 2002). Lower Meramec Hills and Valleys IBA Today upland second-growth and bottomland forest remain amidst a rapidly urbanizing landscape on the edge of the St. Louis metropolitan Area.
Sixteen percent of the IBA is publicly-owned conservation land, including the Missouri Department of Natural Resource’s (MDNR) Castlewood State Park (SP) (1,803 acres, 730 ha), and the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Forest 44 Conservation Area (CA) (988 acres, 400 ha), Rockwoods Range (1,433 acres, 580 ha), and Rockwoods Reservation (1,892 acres, 766 ha).

Ornithological Summary

The Meramec Highlands IBA represents a complex of forest habitat for breeding forest birds, such as Red-shouldered Hawk, Prothonotary Warbler, in addition to confirmed nesting for Cerulean Warbler at Castlewood SP (as many as 15 simultaneous pairs of Cerulean Warblers have been confirmed by J. P. Malone). Henslow’s Sparrows have also been sighted in low prairie openings at Castlewood SP.

Conservation Issues

The Meramec Highlands IBA exists amidst a forest landscape becoming rapidly fragmented by suburban sprawl of St. Louis metropolitan area. The IBA contains much public land for local urban dwellers to observe forest interior birds. Protection of additional forest land through acquisition would likely be cost prohibitive in this urbanizing landscape.

Busch/Weldon/Howell Conservation Area Complex

Busch/Weldon/Howell Conservation Area Complex IBA

Site Description

Historically the land occupied by the Weldon Springs / August Busch IBA included upland prairie, savanna, and woodlands, grading to oak and mixed-hardwood Busch/Weldon/Howell Conservation Area Complex IBA forest in the hilly breaks, to bottomland prairie and marshland (Nigh and Schroeder 2002). Today, unlike the surrounding landscape, the area remains protected by MDC, and contains second-growth upland and bottomland forest, shrubland, marshland, and cropland.

All of the IBA is publicly-owned Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) land, comprising August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area (CA) (7040 acres, 2850 ha), Weldon Springs CA (7563 acres, 3062 ha), and Howell Island CA (2707 acres, 1096 ha).

Ornithological Summary

Nesting Cerulean Warblers, and—more commonly—singing males during breeding dates, have been detected along Lost Valley Trail at Weldon Springs CA, and formerly at Busch CA. The river bottom and artificial lakes provides stopover habitats for migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. Large tracts of upland forest exist for breeding forest interior birds. Shrubland bird habitat is also abundant in upland areas.

Conservation Issues

Priorities stated by MDC for management on the conservation areas include prairie and savanna restoration on Busch CA and wetland restoration on Weldon Spring CA.

Lincoln Alluvial Complex

Lincoln Alluvial Complex IBA

Site Description

Historically the area encompassing the Lincoln Alluvial Complex was mostly wet prairie and marshland, with some bottomland forest along rivers and islands (Nigh and Schroeder 2002). Lincoln Alluvial Complex IBA Though much of the region was plowed to cropland, marshland and bottomland forest still exist, protected on many conservation landholdings.

Fifty-six percent of the IBA is publicly-owned conservation land. Included in the IBA are Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge (3,750 acres, 1,518 ha), managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the following Missouri Department of Conservation areas: B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area (4,335 acres, 1755 ha), Prairie Slough Conservation Area (610 acres, 247 ha), and Upper Mississippi Conservation Area (2,327 acres, 942 ha).

Ornithological Summary

The wetlands in the Lincoln Alluvial Complex provide habitat for many migrant and breeding waterbirds. Nesting records on Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) include American and Least Bitterns, Bald Eagles, Common Moorhen, Marsh Wren, and Virginia Rail. Sora have also been observed during breeding season at the NWR. King Rail have been confirmed nesting at the north unit of B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area (CA) and adults have been observed during the breeding season at Prairie Slough CA. Least Bitterns also nest at B. K. Leach Memorial CA (north unit). Large concentrations of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds also utilize the wetland pools and mudflats within this IBA each year. This IBA is also located along a major flyway for neotropical migratory songbirds, which utilize the bottomland forest habitats in the IBA for stopover sites.

Conservation Issues

On Clarence Cannon NWR, a spillway was constructed along a levee bordering the Mississippi River, which allows periodic flooding of the refuge. Water levels are manipulated among pools on the NWR, and prescribed burns and disking are used to maintain marshland in an early successional state. Despite tree die-offs from the Great Flood of 1993, 450 acres of bottomland forest remain on Clarence Cannon NWR. Recently established emergent marsh units at B. K. Leach Memorial CA have also shown great promise.

Cuivre River State Park

Cuivre River State Park IBA

Site Description

The rough topography of Cuivre River State Park was historically in mixed hardwood forest, glades, and woodland (Nigh and Schroeder 2002). The area is still predominantly Cuivre River State Park IBA forested uplands and bottomland, interspersed with small tracts of tallgrass prairie, savanna, old fields, and glades. The landscape surrounding the IBA is otherwise devoid of native vegetation. All of the Cuivre River State Park IBA is entirely contained in the state park of its namesake (Missouri Department of Natural Resources ).

Ornithological Summary

Cuivre River State Park provides a large block of forest that serves as migratory-stopover and breeding habitat for numerous forest bird species, including species of concern like the Cerulean Warbler (observed during breeding dates), Wood Thrush, and Worm-eating Warbler. Additionally, the more open habitats found on the SP contain species such as the Blue-winged Warbler, Northern Bobwhite, and Prairie Warbler.

Conservation Issues

Cuivre River State Park is protected state land, which is becoming increasingly important given the rapid growth of the nearby St. Louis / St. Charles metropolitan area to the southeast. The IBA is embedded within the larger Cuivre River Hills Conservation Opportunity Area (MDC 2005), which will focus on restoration of tallgrass prairie, savanna, and woodland habitats that have vanished from that landscape. Prescribed burns are occasionally conducted in the park. As with many other woodland/forest fragments in Missouri, invasion of non-native shrub honeysuckle is a major concern within the park.

Missouri Important Bird Area (IBA) Program

The Missouri IBA program is part of a global effort initiated by BirdLife International to identify, monitor, and protect the areas that are the most important to bird populations, in the face of increasing habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation. The National Audubon Society, in partnership with BirdLife, began implementing the IBA program in the United States in 1995.

By defining the areas that are most important to bird populations, and strategically focusing efforts on those areas, we can have a far greater positive impact with the limited funds that are available for bird conservation. As a testament to the effectiveness of this approach, the IBA program has been adopted as a key tool in the planning processes of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan, and the North American Waterbird Conservation Plan.

You can also find more information about the IBA program from National Audubon’s IBA.

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