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

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Bolsa Chica Lowlands Restoration Monitoring 2008 Annual Report Future Full Tidal Basin A total of 9,105 individual birds (113 species) were counted in the 104-ha FFTB in 2008. The most abundant guilds in the FFTB were upland birds, dabbling ducks, and shorebirds, respectively. The most abundant upland bird was Belding’s Savannah sparrow that utilized the pickleweed-dominated salt marsh and house finch that utilized the weedy uplands available in this area. These zones are dry and highly disturbed in some areas. The ponded water within Zones 38, 63, and 30 was utilized by dabbling ducks and shorebirds. American coot is also very abundant in this region. Seasonal Ponds The 50-ha Seasonal Ponds were utilized by 8,241 individual birds during the 2008 surveys, representing 92 species. These ponds are a very important habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, and Belding’s Savannah sparrow. Zone 11 makes up the largest portion of the Seasonal Ponds, supports the most diverse habitats, and is the least disturbed of the Seasonal Ponds zones and as a consequence most bird activity was focused on this zone. The degree of inundation by rainfall fluctuates from year to year, but generally it provides a mix of shallow water, salt panne, riparian forest, freshwater marsh, and salt marsh. The most abundant guilds in the Seasonal Ponds were shorebirds and dabbling ducks. Western sandpiper was the most abundant shorebird, representing 67.9% of all shorebirds and 30.1% of all birds observed in this area. This area was also occupied by species such as the black-bellied plover, semipalmated plover, American avocet (Recurvirostra americana), black-necked stilt; the latter two nested in the Seasonal Ponds. The most common dabbling ducks were the northern shoveler, gadwall (Anas strepera), and American wigeon, indicating the importance of the shallow water in the inundated salt panne for foraging and the exposed salt panne for resting. The Seasonal Ponds also support considerable expanses of pickleweed that were heavily utilized for nesting by Belding’s Savannah sparrow. The Seasonal Ponds are much more heavily used by shorebirds during high tide, when the mudflats of the FTB are no longer exposed and large flocks of sandpipers, black-bellied plover, and semipalmated plover move over the berm into the ponds. This condition is not reflected in this dataset. Muted Tidal Basins The 77-ha MTB was the least utilized of all the survey areas, with the most abundant guilds being shorebirds and upland species. The MTBs had a total of 4,633 individuals (95 species) during the 2008 surveys. Western sandpiper, black-bellied plover, and killdeer were the most abundant shorebird species, and all utilized areas of open mudflat and salt panne primarily at the western ends of the MTBs. As with the Seasonal Ponds, the MTBs were much more heavily used by shorebirds at high tide, when mudflat was lost in the FTB but remained in the MTBs due to the muting by, or continued closure of, the tide gates. The most abundant upland species during the surveys were Belding’s Savannah sparrow and house finch. The MTBs are an important area for Belding’s Savannah sparrow nesting, providing large expanses of pickleweed. In 2008, there was standing water in much of the MTBs due to the opening of the west MTB to the FTB and subsequent flow into the central and east MTBs, however Belding’s Savannah sparrow usage remained high. The ponded water in the MTBs was also utilized by least tern and Forster’s tern for foraging. Merkel & Associates, Inc. 83
Bolsa Chica Lowlands Restoration Monitoring 2008 Annual Report Muted Pocket Marsh The 14-ha Muted Pocket Marsh is primarily shallow open water and mudflat and therefore highly utilized by shorebirds and dabbling ducks. The Muted Pocket Marsh had a total of 3,745 individuals (88 species) during the 2008 surveys. Although this area appeared to have the lowest number of individuals and species, this is solely due to its size. Compared to the highly utilized FTB, which had an overall total of 161 birds per hectare, the Muted Pocket Marsh supported 268 birds per hectare. The most abundant of dabbling ducks included American wigeon and green-winged teal (Anas crecca). The most abundant shorebirds were dowitcher, which frequented the marsh in high numbers during the winter months. The rampikes of dead eucalyptus trees that ring the basin were used for perching by osprey, doublecrested cormorant, and belted kingfisher. The dead Myoporum along the shorelines were frequently occupied by roosting black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax). Avian Distribution and Abundance by Habitat Type Mudflats were the most utilized habitat type during the 2008 surveys (37.5% of all birds observed) (Figure 1-18). Large and small shorebirds had the highest utilization of the mudflats for foraging and resting. During the June survey, the sand shoals in the FTB were the most utilized habitat due to their considerable size at that time and the absence of most shorebirds from the basin. The inundated salt panne was also highly utilized (19.0% of all birds), particularly by foraging northern shoveler, American coot, ruddy duck, northern pintail, and American widgeon. This is followed by usage of salt marsh habitat (13.5% of all birds) and open water habitat (12.3% of all birds). Salt marsh habitat usage, unlike the other major usage habitat types, appears to increase during the breeding season and continue to increase into the fall surveys. This can largely be attributed to breeding Belding’s Savannah Sparrow; however, during the August and October surveys there was also an increase in large shorebirds and upland birds (swallows and morning dove). 25,000 90 20,000 Number of birds Number of species 80 70 Number of birds 15,000 10,000 60 50 40 30 Number of species 5,000 20 10 0 Salt Marsh Dist urbedFreshwat er Willow/ Salt Marsh Marsh Riparian Mulefat Decaying/ Scrub Transit ional Salt Panne Inundat ed Salt Panne Nest Site Open Wat er Riprap Mudf lat Sand Shoal Coast al Non-nat ive Urban/ Sage ScrubVegetationDist urbed 0 Figure 1-18. Avian abundance by habitat type at Bolsa Chica during 2008 surveys Merkel & Associates, Inc. 84
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