David Tilson
@swamplifebirder.bsky.social
Researcher. My work focuses on assessing how different land management practices affect avifauna, with an emphasis on secretive marshbirds and grassland birds. I am also president of the Oconee Rivers Audubon Society.
Happy World Wasp Day! Visit the ORAS blog to learn more about these misunderstood insects and their importance to ecosystems and birds.
Tanager Treats: Misunderstood Wasps and Their Role in Our World
Happy World Wasp Day!
oconeeriversaudubon.org
September 24, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Happy World Wasp Day! Visit the ORAS blog to learn more about these misunderstood insects and their importance to ecosystems and birds.
Fashion face-off: Red-femured Spotted Orbweaver (Neoscona domiciliorum) bringing the sparkle with red leggings, vs. Hentz’s Spotted Orbweaver (N. crucifera) keeping things classy in subtle woodland chic. Same genus, different vibe!
September 16, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Fashion face-off: Red-femured Spotted Orbweaver (Neoscona domiciliorum) bringing the sparkle with red leggings, vs. Hentz’s Spotted Orbweaver (N. crucifera) keeping things classy in subtle woodland chic. Same genus, different vibe!
September is Georgia Native Plants Month! Support birds by planting natives that provide food, shelter & nesting sites. Check out the ORAS blog to learn more.
#NativePlants #PlantsforBirds
#NativePlants #PlantsforBirds
Feathers & Flora: Why Native Plants Matter for Birds
September is Georgia Native Plants Month!
oconeeriversaudubon.org
September 1, 2025 at 2:34 PM
September is Georgia Native Plants Month! Support birds by planting natives that provide food, shelter & nesting sites. Check out the ORAS blog to learn more.
#NativePlants #PlantsforBirds
#NativePlants #PlantsforBirds
Despite the rain, I’ve been enjoying the cooler weather while conducting vegetation surveys in central Georgia. Yesterday, we explored three beautiful sites.
August 5, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Despite the rain, I’ve been enjoying the cooler weather while conducting vegetation surveys in central Georgia. Yesterday, we explored three beautiful sites.
In early August, flocks of Mississippi and Swallow-tailed Kites appear in Georgia’s Piedmont. These graceful raptors feed on insects in open fields as they prepare for migration, offering a stunning aerial display for birdwatchers.
Soaring Spectacle: Kite Congregations in the Piedmont
Early August marks one of the most exciting times for Georgia birders: the arrival of kite flocks in the Piedmont region. These elegant raptors—Mississippi and Swallow-tailed Kites—are typically found...
oconeeriversaudubon.org
August 1, 2025 at 2:52 PM
In early August, flocks of Mississippi and Swallow-tailed Kites appear in Georgia’s Piedmont. These graceful raptors feed on insects in open fields as they prepare for migration, offering a stunning aerial display for birdwatchers.
Summer vegetation surveys began this week—key for assessing management effectiveness. Though it’s hot, most grasses and forbs are mature and identifiable now. Despite the heat, Northern Bobwhites, Field Sparrows, and a county-record Bachman’s Sparrow were still singing in NW Georgia!
July 17, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Summer vegetation surveys began this week—key for assessing management effectiveness. Though it’s hot, most grasses and forbs are mature and identifiable now. Despite the heat, Northern Bobwhites, Field Sparrows, and a county-record Bachman’s Sparrow were still singing in NW Georgia!
Longhorn Bee on Downy Sunflower. Its scopae (pollen carrying structures on the hind legs) are loaded!
July 9, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Longhorn Bee on Downy Sunflower. Its scopae (pollen carrying structures on the hind legs) are loaded!
Watson Springs, Greene Co., GA | June 2025
One of my favorite things about this site is the blending of wetlands and grasslands and how plants and animals from each occur in such close juxtaposition.
One of my favorite things about this site is the blending of wetlands and grasslands and how plants and animals from each occur in such close juxtaposition.
June 20, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Watson Springs, Greene Co., GA | June 2025
One of my favorite things about this site is the blending of wetlands and grasslands and how plants and animals from each occur in such close juxtaposition.
One of my favorite things about this site is the blending of wetlands and grasslands and how plants and animals from each occur in such close juxtaposition.
Happy #NationalPollinatorWeek! 40% of all insects are in decline globally. However, insects are one of the first groups to react to conservation efforts, even on a scale as small as your own backyard! Gardening with native plants and limiting the use of pesticides creates a noticeable difference.
June 16, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Happy #NationalPollinatorWeek! 40% of all insects are in decline globally. However, insects are one of the first groups to react to conservation efforts, even on a scale as small as your own backyard! Gardening with native plants and limiting the use of pesticides creates a noticeable difference.
Lovely visit to Clybel WMA in Jasper Co., GA, yesterday.
May 4, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Lovely visit to Clybel WMA in Jasper Co., GA, yesterday.
I had the distinct pleasure of co-leading a 3-day intensive training for our outcomes assessment team. Outcomes assessments are an important part of adaptive management. Adaptive management aims to continuously improve management practice efficacy through learning and adjustment.
April 22, 2025 at 1:07 PM
I had the distinct pleasure of co-leading a 3-day intensive training for our outcomes assessment team. Outcomes assessments are an important part of adaptive management. Adaptive management aims to continuously improve management practice efficacy through learning and adjustment.
Rocky glades are a type of grassland that forms in the thin soils surrounding exposed bedrock. They tend to be wet in the winter and spring but bone dry in the summer and fall. These harsh conditions mean the vegetation is dominated by highly specialized plant species, many of which are rare.
April 16, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Rocky glades are a type of grassland that forms in the thin soils surrounding exposed bedrock. They tend to be wet in the winter and spring but bone dry in the summer and fall. These harsh conditions mean the vegetation is dominated by highly specialized plant species, many of which are rare.
Happy #WorldWaterDay!
#Wetlands are diverse systems that help enhance water quality, control erosion, and mitigate the impacts of both floods and droughts. The National Elk Refuge, WY | Oct. 2017
#Wetlands are diverse systems that help enhance water quality, control erosion, and mitigate the impacts of both floods and droughts. The National Elk Refuge, WY | Oct. 2017
March 22, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Happy #WorldWaterDay!
#Wetlands are diverse systems that help enhance water quality, control erosion, and mitigate the impacts of both floods and droughts. The National Elk Refuge, WY | Oct. 2017
#Wetlands are diverse systems that help enhance water quality, control erosion, and mitigate the impacts of both floods and droughts. The National Elk Refuge, WY | Oct. 2017
Happy #WorldSparrowDay and the #FirstDayOfSpring!
No taxa are more iconic of brushy, grassy, and weedy areas than sparrows.
No taxa are more iconic of brushy, grassy, and weedy areas than sparrows.
March 20, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Happy #WorldSparrowDay and the #FirstDayOfSpring!
No taxa are more iconic of brushy, grassy, and weedy areas than sparrows.
No taxa are more iconic of brushy, grassy, and weedy areas than sparrows.
Woodland opening resulting from logging in 2022. Broomsedge Bluestem is often one of the first native warm-season grasses to come up in logged patches. Field Sparrows may start to breed in woodland openings 1-10 years in age and decline as succession progresses. Rockbridge Co, VA | Nov. 2024
March 8, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Woodland opening resulting from logging in 2022. Broomsedge Bluestem is often one of the first native warm-season grasses to come up in logged patches. Field Sparrows may start to breed in woodland openings 1-10 years in age and decline as succession progresses. Rockbridge Co, VA | Nov. 2024
The Cranberry Glades Botanical Area is the largest (750 acres) area of bogs in West Virginia. Bogs are acidic #wetlands with a spongy substrate known as peat. The glades serve as the southernmost home to many boreal plant species. Cranberry Glades, WV | July 2020
March 5, 2025 at 6:00 PM
The Cranberry Glades Botanical Area is the largest (750 acres) area of bogs in West Virginia. Bogs are acidic #wetlands with a spongy substrate known as peat. The glades serve as the southernmost home to many boreal plant species. Cranberry Glades, WV | July 2020
Happy #WorldWildlifeDay!
The Barn Swallow is the most abundant and widely distributed swallow species in the world. They are one of the most iconic birds of open areas like pastureland, meadows, and marshes. Walton Co., GA | Aug. 2024
The Barn Swallow is the most abundant and widely distributed swallow species in the world. They are one of the most iconic birds of open areas like pastureland, meadows, and marshes. Walton Co., GA | Aug. 2024
March 3, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Happy #WorldWildlifeDay!
The Barn Swallow is the most abundant and widely distributed swallow species in the world. They are one of the most iconic birds of open areas like pastureland, meadows, and marshes. Walton Co., GA | Aug. 2024
The Barn Swallow is the most abundant and widely distributed swallow species in the world. They are one of the most iconic birds of open areas like pastureland, meadows, and marshes. Walton Co., GA | Aug. 2024
The Meadow Ground is a 50-acre #meadow that receives periodic prescribed fire to keep it open. The native wildflowers and grasses are fire-adapted and benefit from regular controlled burns, while certain non-native plants are killed or reduced by fire. Goshen WMA, VA | Dec. 2023
March 1, 2025 at 9:59 PM
The Meadow Ground is a 50-acre #meadow that receives periodic prescribed fire to keep it open. The native wildflowers and grasses are fire-adapted and benefit from regular controlled burns, while certain non-native plants are killed or reduced by fire. Goshen WMA, VA | Dec. 2023
Small #wetlands are often overlooked on the landscape. However, all wetlands are important for improving water quality, reducing the impact of floods and droughts, and recharging groundwater. Take time to appreciate even the small wetlands! Moore’s Creek SF, VA | Aug. 2020
February 26, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Small #wetlands are often overlooked on the landscape. However, all wetlands are important for improving water quality, reducing the impact of floods and droughts, and recharging groundwater. Take time to appreciate even the small wetlands! Moore’s Creek SF, VA | Aug. 2020
I conducted my graduate research under the USGS Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Outdoor enthusiasts, please reach out to your representatives.
These infographics were compiled and designed by several fish and wildlife graduate students at the University of Idaho.
These infographics were compiled and designed by several fish and wildlife graduate students at the University of Idaho.
February 26, 2025 at 2:16 PM
I conducted my graduate research under the USGS Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Outdoor enthusiasts, please reach out to your representatives.
These infographics were compiled and designed by several fish and wildlife graduate students at the University of Idaho.
These infographics were compiled and designed by several fish and wildlife graduate students at the University of Idaho.
Savannas are a type of treed #grassland with a canopy open enough to allow a rich understory to grow. Pine savannas were once a dominant habitat type in the southeast, covering more than 120 million acres, but less than 1% of the historical #savanna acreage remains. Caney Creek WMA, MS | April 2024
February 23, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Savannas are a type of treed #grassland with a canopy open enough to allow a rich understory to grow. Pine savannas were once a dominant habitat type in the southeast, covering more than 120 million acres, but less than 1% of the historical #savanna acreage remains. Caney Creek WMA, MS | April 2024
The Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative is innovating new ways to reverse the declines of grassland birds on working lands in Virginia. The resources on this page provide an excellent place to start if you are a landowner or producer looking to bring bird-friendly practices onto your landscape.
Resources for Grassland Bird Conservation
Learn how to bring bird-friendly practices onto your landscape.
www.vagrasslandbirds.org
February 20, 2025 at 8:34 PM
The Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative is innovating new ways to reverse the declines of grassland birds on working lands in Virginia. The resources on this page provide an excellent place to start if you are a landowner or producer looking to bring bird-friendly practices onto your landscape.
Flatwoods #wetlands occur in pine savannas in the southeastern coastal plain and are maintained by periodic, low-intensity fires. Among the many species that breed in them are the endangered Frosted and Reticulated Flatwoods Salamanders (Ambystoma cingulatum/bishop). Eglin AFB, FL | March 2019
February 19, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Flatwoods #wetlands occur in pine savannas in the southeastern coastal plain and are maintained by periodic, low-intensity fires. Among the many species that breed in them are the endangered Frosted and Reticulated Flatwoods Salamanders (Ambystoma cingulatum/bishop). Eglin AFB, FL | March 2019
Harrell Prairie is the largest (160 acres) and least disturbed prairie in Mississippi, but it is only a remnant of the historical Jackson Prairie Belt. Because of the favorable soil and climate, most of the region’s prairie was converted into farmland. Harrell Prairie, MS | April 2024
February 15, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Harrell Prairie is the largest (160 acres) and least disturbed prairie in Mississippi, but it is only a remnant of the historical Jackson Prairie Belt. Because of the favorable soil and climate, most of the region’s prairie was converted into farmland. Harrell Prairie, MS | April 2024