2003 Bird Lab updates - Ventana Wildlife Society

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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
Larson, a former BSOL intern, and is part of an ongoing study funded by Oregon State University. We banded roughly 100 Caspian Tern chicks in two and a half hours in a collaborative effort with about twenty volunteers, all of whom became intimate with the Night Island mud by day's end. Thanks for having us along, Keith! Visitors are always welcome to BSOL. We band five days a week at Andrew Molera State Park, Tuesdays through Saturdays, beginning fifteen minutes after dawn and closing after five hours. Currently, we run our nets from about 6:30 am to 11:30 am. For more information, please contact BSOL Coordinator, Sarah Stock, at (831) 624 - 1202, or by email at SarahStock@VentanaWS.org. We look forward to having you with us! BSOL Update, June 2003: What could be better than June at BSOL. Early sunrise. Long, cool mornings -- maybe foggy today, maybe sunny tomorrow, always perfect for bird lovers. June brings even longer, warm, sun-drenched afternoons and evenings -- maybe a bit windy, but never too hot. Nighttimes are calm and mild, short, but restful. The river footbridges have been re-installed, allowing many thankful visitors unimpeded access to the trails and the beach. Now that school is out for the summer, many of our BSOL visitors are families with children. What a joy it is to witness a child's wonder and excitement in the presence of a wild bird. We offer families a safe, personalized, nature learning experience, and invite all parents to bring your children of all ages for a visit as soon, and as often as possible. A working visit to BSOL on June 4-5 by Peter Pyle, author of Identification Guide to North American Birds: Part I, clearly was the educational and scientific highlight of the month for BSOL staff and guest bird banders from Sequoia National Park and Mexico. Peter gave us a superb workshop on Ageing and Sexing North American Passerines by Plumage, which included an information-packed, 4-hour lecture, and two mornings of practical application of our new knowledge in the lab using just-captured birds. Peter emphasized the importance of primary coverts and molt limits in other contour feathers. Among the latest advances he shared with us was the soon-to-be-introduced re-naming of molt terminology. Thank you Peter! Mist-Netting and Banding The month of June kept us on our toes with an eye-popping spectacle of vagrants. The bird gods and goddesses indulged us with some most unusual captures, including Great Tit (first ever capture),
Page 1 and 2: Ventana Wildlife Society BIG SUR OR
Page 3 and 4: only a matter of time before we wil
Page 5 and 6: Fall migration continued unabated,
Page 7 and 8: given day. So, please either call u
Page 9 and 10: each of Yellow Warbler, Bewick's Wr
Page 11 and 12: Public Outreach and Education BSOL
Page 13: Vireos and others have been observe
Page 17 and 18: most frequently captured species in
Page 19 and 20: estored banks of the Carmel River,
Page 21 and 22: nature! Fortunately for the owls (o
Page 23 and 24: forces to meet this challenge. We i
Page 25 and 26: Wilson's Warblers captured on March
Page 27 and 28: Carmel Middle School BSOL continued
Page 29 and 30: Project Monarch Alert This month, i

2003 Bird Lab updates - Ventana Wildlife Society

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