2003 Bird Lab updates - Ventana Wildlife Society

Mouth. Having concluded the fun work, he spent the majority of July
documenting the vegetation associated with each of the nests he located.
Carmel Middle School Projects
Mist-Netting/Banding. We continued our MAPS
banding at the Carmel Middle School (CMS) in
association with Craig Hohenberger. This month's
capture totals and species diversity were about the
same as last month. In three days of banding we
captured 64 individuals of 17 species. Bewick's
Wrens and Purple Finches were once again our
most frequently captured birds, with 15 and 10
individuals respectively. This month we had several very exciting
captures. We banded a juvenile California Thrasher, proof-positive that
they are breeding at CMS. We also captured an adult Red-shouldered
Hawk (first ever captured at CMS) and a juvenile Pygmy Nuthatch, which
is the first capture of that species at any BSOL banding station.
Other Field Projects
Bell's Vireo Project. This July the Bell's Vireo Surveys at Camp Roberts
came to a close. After completing six sets of point count surveys, each
consisting of 13 points, BSOL biologists could not locate a single Bell's
Vireo. This news shouldn't come as a surprise considering extensive
degradation of riparian habitat in the Salinas Valley and the fact that Bell's
Vireos have been essentially extirpated from Monterey County. In fact
there hasn't been a single observation of a Bell's Vireo this decade and the
last singing male was observed in 1993 on the Salinas River. Camp
Roberts continues to carry out a Brown-headed Cowbird and European
Starling removal project in an attempt to improve chances for potential
breeding of Bell's Vireos in the future.
East Molera Grasslands Project. This July BSOL biologists, in
collaboration with State Park resource ecologist, Jeff Frey, wrapped up the
summer session of East Molera Grassland surveys. This is the third
consecutive year that we have gathered information on bird diversity and
abundance at 6 different sites in the East Molera grasslands prior to
restoration efforts. This long-term study uses birds as indicators of the
success of specific restoration treatments that will soon be underway in the
grasslands.
Public Education and Outreach
A special highlight this July was a trip up the
coast for BSOL interns who participated in a
day of color banding Caspian Terns on Night
Island in San Pablo Bay, northeast of San
Francisco. The project is coordinated by Keith