2007 Annual Monitoring Report (pdf 16MB) - Bolsa Chica Lowlands ...

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Bolsa Chica Lowlands Restoration Monitoring2007 Annual Report1.6. AVIAN MONITORINGGeneral Avian MonitoringIntroductionThe general avian monitoring program for the Bolsa Chica Lowlands Restoration Project was designedto employ similar methodologies and survey units as those used in previous pre-restoration biologicalsurvey work. The Monitoring Plan calls for avian monitoring to be conducted once per month inmonitoring Year 2, with no monitoring in Years 1 and 3. Review of other long-term avian monitoringprogram data, such as the Batiquitos Lagoon Restoration Long-Term Monitoring Program and the Portof Los Angeles/Port of Long Beach Biological Baseline Study, suggested that such closely spacedmonitoring events do not provide significantly more useful information on avian site-usage thanquarterly or bi-monthly surveys do.With review and concurrence by the Bolsa Chica Steering Committee and the California CoastalCommission, a revised monitoring schedule was adopted to conduct the surveys every other month,distributed over a period of two years (monitoring Year 2 and 3), for the same total of 12 surveys. Thisapproach is more likely to detect annual anomalies, capture natural inter-annual variations in avianusage, and better document changes in distribution and site use patterns as the restored site matures.Additionally, it was originally anticipated that by Year 2 the muted tidal basins would be receivingtidal waters. Due to delays in opening the basins to tidal influence, the relictual salt marsh in thebasins had not had a chance to develop significant infaunal communities that would support the arrivalof migratory shorebirds. Extending the avian monitoring over both Years 2 and 3 will allow for thetracking of avian usage both before and after the introduction of tidal influence to these basins, andpresumably the development of conditions attractive to migratory birds. It is anticipated that the basinswill be opened to tidal influence in 2008.Merkel & Associates biologists conducted the avian surveys with assistance from a team of birdersfrom Chambers Group, Inc.MethodologyStudy AreaThe study site at Bolsa Chica was divided into "zones" (differing from "stations" for the fish andbenthic studies) for the general avian surveys (Figure 1-7). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service providedthe initial zone boundaries and numbering. The term zone is interchangeable with the term cell, oftenused at Bolsa Chica when numbering the marsh units bounded by service roads throughout the site.The newly created Full Tidal Basin (FTB) was divided up into new zones as described below.The Seasonal Ponds at the southeastern side of Bolsa Chica are divided into Zones 2 through 13.These zones consist mainly of salt panne with small to extensive expanses of pickleweed, primarilyalong the slightly elevated zone boundaries. Portions are seasonally inundated with fresh to brackishwater. Zones 14 through 40 and Zone 63 (Future Full Tidal Basin) occur between the Seasonal Pondsand the Muted Tidal Basin and include Freeman Creek. These zones are very similar to the SeasonalPonds and consist mainly of salt panne and pickleweed, although there are some areas that retain wateryear-round. Zone 36 is primarily a freshwater marsh. Zones 41 through 50 and Zone 66 (Muted TidalMerkel & Associates, Inc. 35
Table 1-6 Avian abundance by zone (October 17 and 18, 2007)FullMutedGrandFull Tidal Basin Tidal Seasonal Ponds Seas.Muted Tidal Basin TidalFuture Full Tidal BasinPocketBasinPondsBasinFFTB MarshSurvey Zone Total 68 69 70 72 73 Total 2 9 10 11 12 13 Total 41 42 45 46 47 48 49 50 66 Total 14 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 63 Total TotalAllen's Hummingbird 1 0 0 0 1 1 0American Avocet 147 0 14 51 65 0 1 1 2 80American Coot 282 18 3 21 103 26 129 0 4 10 63 1 45 7 130 2American Crow 60 7 7 1 1 12 6 3 1 18 40 5 5 7American Goldfinch 17 0 0 14 3 17 0 0American Kestrel 7 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 4 2American Wigeon 215 0 16 98 23 137 0 3 4 7 71Anna's Hummingbird 19 0 1 1 2 4 1 1 8 1 2 3 1 1 1 1 10 0Barn Swallow 19 0 8 2 10 0 4 1 2 7 2Belted Kingfisher 4 1 1 2 0 1 1 0 1Bewick's Wren 1 0 0 1 1 0 0Black Phoebe 11 0 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 2 9 0Black Skimmer 46 44 2 46 0 0 0 0Black-bellied Plover* 1678 65 305 668 5 1043 40 15 150 371 5 581 2 2 4 0 50Black-crowned Night Heron 1 0 0 0 0 1Black-necked Stilt 46 1 1 4 15 1 20 0 2 9 11 14Blue-gray gnatcatcher 10 0 0 0 4 1 5 10 0Blue-winged Teal 11 0 0 0 9 9 2Brown Pelican 54 4 2 47 1 54 0 0 0 0Brown-headed Cowbird 1 0 0 0 1 1 0Bufflehead 1 1 1 0 0 0 0Burrowing Owl 1 0 0 1 1 0 0Bushtit 10 0 0 0 5 5 10 0Caspian Tern 4 1 1 3 3 0 0 0Cinnamon Teal 8 0 6 6 0 2 2 0Clark's Grebe 1 1 1 0 0 0 0Cliff Swallow 6 2 2 0 0 2 2 4 0Common Raven 15 0 2 2 0 1 11 1 13 0Common Snipe 1 0 0 1 1 0 0Common Yellowthroat 2 0 0 0 2 2 0Double-crested Cormorant 282 5 1 46 24 162 238 10 9 6 25 4 4 2 3 1 6 9Dunlin 117 5 4 9 1 88 89 0 0 19Eared Grebe 33 3 4 2 6 8 23 3 3 6 0 2 2 4 0Elegant Tern 2 2 2 0 0 0 0European Starling 3 0 0 1 1 1 1 2 0Forster's Tern 80 64 2 2 1 69 0 0 0 11Gadwall 49 0 10 10 0 5 26 8 39 0Great Blue Heron 16 6 1 3 1 11 0 0 1 1 2 3Great Egret 16 9 1 2 12 0 1 1 1 1 2Greater Yellowlegs 13 0 0 0 0 13Great-tailed Grackle 1 0 0 0 1 1 0Green-winged Teal 51 0 51 51 0 0 0Horned Grebe 2 1 1 0 0 1 1 0House Finch 102 0 4 1 5 3 8 7 46 64 7 11 10 3 2 33 0House Wren 1 0 0 1 1 0 0Killdeer 117 6 2 1 9 11 5 16 5 5 4 54 68 1 3 1 7 6 1 2 2 23 1Least Sandpiper 111 15 3 18 2 2 0 1 2 4 4 11 80Lesser Goldfinch 11 0 0 5 6 11 0 0Lesser Yellowlegs 4 0 0 0 3 1 4 0Long-billed Curlew 2 1 1 2 0 0 0 0Mallard 37 5 5 2 14 16 0 4 6 2 4 16 0Marbled Godwit 270 175 10 15 10 2 212 6 6 0 0 52Marsh Wren 17 0 7 7 1 2 3 2 3 1 1 7 0Mourning Dove 83 0 1 13 1 15 15 1 6 3 25 4 2 8 8 1 2 2 1 11 1 3 43 0Northern Harrier 3 1 1 0 1 1 2 0 0
Page 1 and 2: BOLSA CHICA LOWLANDSRESTORATION PRO
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Page 20 and 21: MutedPocket MarshSTATION 1wq1STATIO
Page 22 and 23: 22Temperature35Salinity2134.5203419
Page 30 and 31: Cordgrass Planting Area (0.7 acres)
Page 32 and 33: BS PM Rep1BS PM Rep2BS PM Rep3PS1 R
Page 36 and 37: 100%California Halibut Size Class D
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Page 46 and 47: FullMutedGrandFull Tidal Basin Tida
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Page 68 and 69: M&A# 05-162-01August 2006 to Januar
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Bolsa Chica Lowlands Restoration Mo
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Sampling Location CoordinatesCalifo
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Cordgrass Transplant in Bolsa Chica
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Shorebirds (cont'd)Upland birdsRudd
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50664749484668694542417040393863717
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2007 Breeding Season for the Califo
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Ninety-five-percent of documented m
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Final ReportWestern Snowy Plover Ne
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StudyAreaMeters0 250 500 1,000Figur
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2007 Nest LocationsNest LocationAt
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Western Snowy Plover Nesting at Bol
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