2008 Annual Monitoring Report (pdf 10.9MB) - Bolsa Chica ...

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Bolsa Chica Lowlands Restoration Monitoring 2008 Annual Report Each of five teams, which included 2-3 people (1-2 observers and 1 recorder), was responsible for surveying an assigned set of zones over each survey day, which extended from approximately 0700 to 1200. Team size depended upon complexity of the survey area and seasonal abundance of birds. Multiple observers allowed teams to minimize double-counts associated with bird movements between zones. The field biologists used both binoculars and spotting scopes to identify and count species. All teams conducted surveys simultaneously. Data collected included species, number of individuals, activities of the birds (foraging, flying, resting, or showing evidence of breeding), and habitats in which the birds occurred (open water, nesting site, mud flat, salt marsh, disturbed salt marsh, freshwater marsh, willow riparian, baccharis scrub, salt panne [dry], inundated salt panne, and non-native vegetation). Weather conditions, including air temperature, wind speed, wind direction, cloud cover, precipitation, and tide height, were recorded several times during each survey day. Due to the large size of the zones being surveyed, particularly in the FTB, identifications were often made over great distances. When it was not possible to identify a bird to the species level due to distance, overhead flight, or a limited view of the bird, a less specific identification was made such as unidentified gull or unidentified swallow. In cases where challenging lighting conditions and long distances prevented the distinction between two species that are very similar and require close inspection to identify, the less specific name was used if necessary, i.e. greater and lesser scaup or long-billed and short-billed dowitchers were identified as unidentified scaup and unidentified dowitchers. The accuracy of the bird counts was compromised somewhat on Zones 70 and 71 (Nest Site 1) during the June and August surveys. This was due to the large number of birds, including western snowy plover, elegant tern (Thalasseus elegans), black skimmer (Rynchops niger), California least tern, royal tern (Thalasseus maximus), and Caspian tern (Hydroprogne caspia), that were nesting and rearing their young on Nest Site 1. To avoid disturbing the nesting birds, the survey of these zones was conducted from either end of the nest site and therefore some avian species, particularly in the center of the site, were likely missed. Avifauna observed during field surveys were recorded on field data sheets along with collection location, time, and name of field observer. All field staff carried a field guide to avoid misidentification of uncommon species. In order to avoid double counts of birds, individuals that were observed on the boundary of a zone or flying from one zone to another were recorded by only one team. This was determined by communicating directly with the other team by radio or phone. If contact could not be made, the data were recorded and details noted on the data sheets. At the end of each survey, field staff reviewed the data sheets and, if necessary, corrections were made on the data sheets to avoid over-counting of individual birds. In some cases it was not possible to definitively assess whether a double-count had occurred, particularly with large flocks of highly transitory shorebirds and with raptors, which ranged over all survey zones and were seen on both survey days. In cases where an over-count is suspected, a note has been made on the reported table of birds observed. All survey data were initially recorded in the field on hard copy data sheets and then transferred in the office to digital database files and checked for accuracy. The database was then queried to extract Merkel & Associates, Inc. 75
Bolsa Chica Lowlands Restoration Monitoring 2008 Annual Report summary information used to prepare tables and figures. Data were analyzed to identify spatial and temporal trends in total avian abundance, numbers of species, and patterns of habitat usage, activity, and seasonal variation. Each bird species observed was assigned to one of 9 ecological guilds (Appendix 1-D). Attempts were made to locate results of previous avian monitoring programs within Bolsa Chica for comparison. Prior western snowy plover reports prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Fancher, 1998; Fancher et al., 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005a, 2005b, 2006) and the report on Belding’s Savannah sparrow populations in California (Zembal et al., 2006) were located and reviewed. Data collected during prior general avian surveys of the site were not located. The following results report all data collected from January to December 2008, capturing the last three quarters of monitoring Year 2 (January to September 2008) and the first quarter of Year 3 (October to December 2008) (see Figure 0-2 for monitoring schedule). Results A summary of the 2008 avian survey results is presented in Table 1-19. Avian abundance was fairly consistent for each survey period with the exception of the June survey, when counts were notably lower. This was due to the absence of many shorebirds and wintering ducks, and the timing of the survey at the end of the spring migration period. Diversity ranged from 82 to 114 species and was highest during December and February surveys. A total of 135 species was observed in 2008, for a grand total of 145 species observed since the start of the monitoring period (October 2007 to December 2008). Table 1-19. Summary of 2008 survey dates and number of birds and species observed. Date Number of Birds Number of Species February 14 & 15, 2008 8,948 114 April 10 & 11, 2008 9,779 99 June 25 & 26, 2008 3,818 82 August 19 & 20, 2008 9,387 85 October 1 & 2, 2008 8,793 84 December 18 & 19, 2008 10,412 106 Table 1-20 presents the abundance of each species by survey event. Abundance data tables are presented in Appendix 1-E showing the number of each species by zone in 2008. Overall, the ten most abundant species in 2008 were western sandpiper (Calidris mauri) (26.0% of the total), followed by black-bellied plover (Pluvialis squatarola) (7.8%), elegant tern (5.4%), northern shoveler (Anas clypeata) (4.6%), dowitcher (Limnodromus sp.) (4.1%), American coot (Fulica americana) Merkel & Associates, Inc. 76
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