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TRANSCRIPT
2004 Mojave Desert Spring Bird Surveys
At Indian Joe Spring Piute Spring
Report to the California Department of Fish and Game
Chris McCreedy
June 2005
PRBO CONSERVATION SCIENCE
4990 SHORELINE HIGHWAY STINSON BEACH, CA
760-647-6109 www.prbo.org
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SUMMARY
In 2004, PRBO Conservation Science and the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) partnered to conduct all‐species bird surveys on CDFG holdings at Indian Joe Spring, in the Argus Range (Inyo County), and Piute Spring in the Piute Mountains (San Bernardino County). Each of these high‐elevation Mojave Desert springs supports a high diversity of breeding bird species, and each is an important migratory stopover for a number of Neotropical migrants. In all, PRBO biologists detected 39 species at Indian Joe spring, and 60 total species at Piute Spring (57 on CDFG land, and 59 on National Park Service land). PRBO confirmed breeding for 12 species at Indian Joe Spring, and 17 species at Piute Spring (11 species each on CDFG and NPS land). Indian Joe Spring hosts a population of the federally threatened and California State Endangered Inyo California Towhee (Pipilo crissalis eremophilus). PRBO biologists detected up to six Inyo California Towhee territories on CDFG holdings at Indian Joe Spring, and located a nest on one territory while observing dependent fledglings on two other territories. Piute Spring hosts a population of State Endangered Bell’s Vireos. Though Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus) and Arizona Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii arizonae) are California State Endangered (CDFG 2005), only Least Bell’s Vireos are federally endangered. While it is difficult to separate the two subspecies in the field, Piute Spring’s close proximity to the Colorado River Valley increases the likelihood that the Piute Spring population consists of Arizona Bell’s Vireos. PRBO biologists detected five singing Bell’s Vireo males at Piute Spring in 2004 – two territories on NPS land, two on CDFG land, and one territory straddling the NPS/CDFG boundary. Nests were located on each of the two territories on NPS land: the first was found after Bell’s Vireos were heard scolding a female Brown‐headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) at the nest, and the second was found with four Bell’s Vireo eggs and one Brown‐headed Cowbird egg. Thirty‐four nests were found for 16 species, and vegetation assessments were conducted at each nest to provide the CDFG with nesting habitat requirements for species breeding at each spring. These results will provide the CDFG and NPS with important baseline data to monitor future population changes in critical riparian habitats rare within the Mojave Desert. In particular, results provide a fortunate glimpse into the avian community’s condition prior to a Labor Day weekend (2004) wildfire that occurred at Piute Spring, only four months after surveys were completed. Sightings of all California Endangered Species, Threatened Species, and Species of Special Concern were GPS’d and mapped, and will be sent to the California Natural Diversity Database (NDDB). Breeding status information for California Partners In Flight (CalPIF) focal species will be submitted for inclusion to these species’ distribution maps. Information generated from this work will play a crucial role in the development of the CalPIF Desert Bird Conservation Plan, CalPIF’s latest in a series of habitat‐based bird conservation plans, and will add much‐needed data on southern California desert riparian systems to CalPIF’s next Riparian Bird Conservation Plan (Version 3.0).
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METHODS
Indian Joe Spring (INJOSP) is situated on the eastern slope of the Argus Range, in Inyo County, CA, at roughly 2800 feet above sea level (35.83244°N, 117.39736°W). INJO01, the lowest station of INJOSP’s points lies at roughly 2000 feet above sea level, while INJO11, the highest station, lies at an elevation of 2720 feet above sea level – an increase of roughly 700’ in elevation during the transect (Figure 1). Surface water did not exist below station INJO04 (2150’ above sea level) – thus stations 1‐3 lacked riparian habitat. Figure 1. Indian Joe Spring transect, Inyo County, CA. Points INJO12‐15 were
excluded due to inaccessibility and lack of riparian habitat. CDFG holdings within the boxed area.
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Piute Spring (PIUSPR) is situated on the eastern slope of the Piute Range, San Bernardino County, CA, at roughly 930’ above sea level (35.11248°N, 114.98981°W). Stations ranged from PIUSPR11 at 790’ above sea level, to PIUSPR 04 at 885’ above sea level. Though the Piute Spring drainage maintains surface water throughout the CDFG’s holdings, only stations 1,2,3,7,and 9 held riparian habitat within 100m of the point (figure 2). Figure 2. Piute Spring transect, San Bernardino County, CA. CDFG inholding within NPS‐held Mojave Natural Preserve in the boxed area.
Each spring lies at elevations well above the valley floor, and spring runoff waters a riparian corridor for up to over a kilometer (in the case of Piute Spring) from the actual springs themselves. Piute Spring hosts occasionally dense stands of Fremont Cottonwood (Populus fremontii, Gooding’s Willow (Salix goodingii) and Honey Mesquite (Prosospsis glandulosa), which stand over riparian understories of phragmites, bulrush (Scirpus sp.), saltgrass , and seep‐willow. The eastern end of the Piute Spring riparian corridor gives way to Desert‐willow (Chilopsis linearis) and Catclaw Acacia (Acaia greggii). Indian Joe Spring possesses a diverse mix of Honey Mesquite, California Walnut (Juglans californica), wild fig (Ficus sp.), and smaller, dense willows we were unable to identify (Salix sp., possibly Arroyo Willow). The top reaches of Indian Joe Spring have dense stands of the above woody dominants, as well as a meadow with emergent Fourwinged Saltbush (Atriplex canescens). While the top of Piute Spring is surrounded by an upland of cholla‐barrel cactus scrub, its lower reaches bisect creosote‐white bursage scrub. Indian Joe Spring’s surface water
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disappears into a wash of White Bursage (Ambrosia dumosa) and Indigo Bush (Psorothamnus arborescens)
Point count stations were set remotely using ArcView 3.2 (ESRI 2000), and spaced at least (and always near) 250m apart. All point count stations were flagged with orange tape and an aluminum tie‐tag. We conducted 5‐min. Variable Circular Plot point counts following standards recommended by Ralph et al. (1993 and 1995) and Fancy and Sauer (2000). Distance to each detection was measured using a Leica Rangefinder LRF800, and each detection placed in its corresponding distance bracket of 0‐10m, 11‐20m, 21‐30m, 31‐40m, 41‐50m, 51‐75m, 76‐100m, greater than 100m, or “flyovers”. Each station was visited three times and each visit was at least two weeks apart. All counts were conducted between April 4 and May 8, 2004.
All stations were censused by PRBO biologists familiar with the songs and calls of the birds in the area, and trained in distance estimation. When feasible, stations were surveyed in opposite order between visits, in order to minimize effects of time of day on detection rates. Censuses were conducted from within 30 min after local sunrise until approximately 4 hrs later, and were not conducted in excessively windy or rainy conditions. Detections were categorized as song, visual, or call (drumming woodpeckers and displaying hummingbirds were exceptions, and were categorized as ‘drumming’, or ‘displaying’). We also recorded all observations of breeding behavior.
We counted all Brown‐headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) and Eurasian Collared‐Doves (Streptoeilia risoria) seen during census times as an index of presence. All bird species detected between stations and on return walks were recorded and entered into the project journal.
A list of point count stations, transect codes, and dates of censuses for all sites, as well as
station UTM coordinates are presented in Appendix A. Nest Searching
PRBO biologists opportunistically located nests while walking between point count stations, and on return trips to their base camp or vehicle. Nest contents were recorded when possible, and nests were examined for Brown‐headed Cowbird parasitism. In addition, we recorded nest‐site data for each discovered nest and GPS’s its location. A copy of a “point counter nest card” for recording nest‐site data is presented in Appendix B, as well as a description variables we measured at each nest site.
Breeding Status Breeding status was determined for all species encountered at all study sites between March 31 and May 8, 2004. We used observations recorded before, during, and after all censuses and during project set up and vegetation assessments. Species were ranked by site, using the following four criteria of the Riparian Habitat Joint Venture breeding scale, modified from breeding bird atlas criteria (see Shuford 1993 or http://www.prbo.org/calpif/plans.html.). A species list and respective statuses is presented in Appendix C.
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0 No evidence of breeding: Species not detected during its breeding season, or detected in habitat known only as stopover and not breeding habitat.
2 Possible breeding: Individual encountered singing or acting territorial only once during the breeding season (in suitable habitat).
3 Probable breeding: Singing individual encountered on two or more different days of standardized censuses (at least one week apart); territorial behavior noted more than once at the same location; pair observed in courtship behavior.
1 Confirmed breeding: Distraction display; nest building (except woodpeckers and wrens); fecal sac carry or repeated food carries by adult; dependent juveniles with adults; active nest observed.
Geographic Data Location information was collected at all point count stations, special concern species sightings, and nest sites using a Garmin Global Positioning System (GPSII+) receiver. Positions were recorded in Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates, NAD83 Datum, Zone 11. Figure of merit (FOM), the estimated accuracy of points, ranged from 3 to 10 m. Point count, nest site, and species of concern sightings have been converted to Geographic Information System (GIS) coverages in ArcView 3.2 (ESRI 2000) for use in the analyses presented below. All maps are represented in UTM coordinates, Zone 11, NAD 83 datum. Bird species composition, distribution, and breeding status We determined breeding status for 81 species encountered over the entire study area and ranked according to the Riparian Habitat Joint Venture breeding scale (Appendix C). Current breeding status of California Partners In Flight focal species will be submitted to California Partners In Flight. See http://www.prbo.org/calpif for the most current focal species distribution maps, organized by bird conservation plan.
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Sensitive and focal species and species of special concern Thirteen detected species are on threatened or watch lists and 16 species are CalPIF focal species.
Table 1 Sensitive and focal species detected during, before, or after standard censuses at study sites, 2004. See Appendix C for breeding status by site.
Common Name SE ST CSSC USFWS MNCMC
PIF WL
Aud WL CSPFS RPFS CPFS GPFS SPFS OWPFS
Northern Harrier second x x
Prairie Falcon third x
Greater Roadrunner x
Long-eared Owl second
Short-eared Owl second
White-throated Swift x x
Costa's Hummingbird x x x
Loggerhead Shrike second x x x
Warbling Vireo x
Bell's Vireo x x
Cactus Wren x
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher x x
Sage Thrasher x
Nashville Warbler
Lucy's Warbler third x x
Yellow Warbler second x
MacGillivray's Warbler x
Common Yellowthroat x
Wilson's Warbler x
Yellow-breasted Chat third x
Western Tanager x
Black-headed Grosbeak x
Inyo California Towhee x x x
Brewer's Sparrow x x x x SE = California State Endangered; ST=California State Threatened; CSSC = California Species of Concern List 2003, and first, second, or third priority; USFWS MNCMC = Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Nongame Birds of Management Concern; PIF WL = Partners In Flight Watch List; Aud WL = Audubon Watch List; CSPFS = California Partners In Flight (CalPIF) Coastal Scrub Plan Focal Species; RPFS = CalPIF Riparian Plan Focal Species; CPFS = CalPIF Coniferous Plan Focal Species; GPFS = CalPIF Grassland Plan Focal Species; SPFS = CalPIF Sagebrush Plan Focal Species; OWPFS = CalPIF Oak Woodland Plan Focal Species (CDFG 2004; Shuford and Gardali 2003; USFWS 1995; PIF 2004; Audubon 2002)
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Inyo California Towhee PRBO biologists detected up to six Inyo California Towhee territories at Indian Joe Spring (Figure 3). Pairs were observed on four of these territories, fledglings found on two territories, and a nest found on a third. The nest was constructed 60 cm off the ground in a 165 cm high Fourwing Saltbush (Atriplex canescens), and held four seven‐day old young. Figure 3. Federally threatened Inyo California Towhee detections, Indian Joe Spring, 2004.
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11Pair, seen all 3 visitsFledglings observed on visits 2 and 3
Pair, observed on all 3 visits
Active nest located on third visit, while pair downstream had very young fledglings
Observed two visits, recent fledglingson visit 3
Singing male, one visit
Singing male, one visit
CDFG Holding
California Towhee Detections#S CALTÊÚ Nest
Inyo California Towhee DetectionsIndian Joe Spring, Inyo County, California
Bell’s Vireo PRBO biologists detected five singing Bell’s Vireo males at Piute Spring in 2004. Two territories were on National Park Service land, two on CDFG land, and one territory straddled the NPS/CDFG boundary (figure 4). Nests were located in each of the two westernmost territories, on NPS land. These two males, as well as the male whose territory straddled the NPS/CDFG boundary, were present throughout the survey period. The two eastern territories (on CDFG land) were held by late‐arriving males. One nest was found during construction, when a pair of Bell’s Vireos was heavily scolding a female Brown‐headed Cowbird at the nest. This nest was constructed 60 cm off the ground in a 480 cm‐tall Honey Mesquite (Prosopsis glandulosa). The second nest was found to have four Bell’s Vireo eggs and one Brown‐headed Cowbird egg, and was built 80 cm off the ground in a 180 cm‐tall dead Gooding’s Willow (Salix goodingii). This nest was also covered by seep‐willow (Baccharis sp.). Though a PRBO biologist
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visited CDFG holdings at Piute Spring after the Labor Day weekend fire, it is unknown how far up the canyon the fire progressed. However it appeared in all likelihood that these Bell’s Vireo nest sites were destroyed. The fire also obliterated much of the NPS/CDFG Bell’s Vireo territory, and reached into the second‐most eastern Bell’s Vireo territory as well. Figure 4. State Endangered Bell’s Vireo detections, Piute Spring, 2004.
Lucy’s Warbler Lucy’s Warblers (Vermivora luciae) are a third‐priority California Bird Species of Special Concern (CDFG and PRBO, 2001). PRBO biologists detected two singing males on multiple visits at Piute Spring in 2004. One territory straddled the western CDFG/NPS border (described in the Bell’s Vireo account above) and one territory was further east, solely on CDFG land near station PIUSPR07. As in the case of the Bell’s Vireo territory that straddled the NPS/CDFG border, much of this Lucy’s Warbler territory was obliterated in the Labor Day fire. POINT COUNTS As expected, breeding species richness values at Piute Spring decreased sharply away from the riparian (Figure 5). Though non‐riparian points 4,5,6,8,10,11,and 12 were all less than 300 meters from the riparian corridor, breeding species richness averaged only about one‐third the breeding species richness in the riparian (3.4 at non‐riparian points, 10 at riparian points).
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The two stations (PIUSPR01 and PIUSPR02) with the highest breeding species richness were within the Labor Day fire’s extent.
Figure 5. Breeding Species Richness at Piute Spring, San Bernardino County, CA, 2004.
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At Indian Joe Spring, breeding species richness increases as elevation increases and
distance to the springs decreases (Figure 6). Points 1‐3 lack surface water.
Figure 6. Breeding Species Richness at Indian Joe Spring, Inyo County, CA, 2004
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Black‐throated Sparrows (Amphispiza bilineata) and Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura) were the most commonly‐detected birds at each spring, together accounting for 47% of detections at Piute Spring and 36% of detections at Indian Joe Spring. Table 2 highlights relative abundances for the five most commonly‐detected species at each site.
Table 2. Relative abundances1 of the most common birds at Indian Joe Spring (INJOSP) and Piute Spring (PIUSPR), CA in 2004. Number of stations in parenthesees
Species Site INJOSP (11) PIUSPR (12) Black‐throated Sparrow 0.88 1.53 Mourning Dove 0.91 1.31 House Finch 0.12 0.72 Ash‐throated Flycatcher 0.03 0.39 Gambelʹs Quail 0 0.36 Costaʹs Hummingbird 0.55 0.25 Blue‐gray Gnatcatcher 0.39 0.19 Lesser Goldfinch 0.33 0.11 1 To calculate number of individuals detected per hectare, multiply abundances by 0.318. To calculate number of individuals detected across the entire transect (averaged over three visits), multiply abundance by number of station points (in parentheses). Because few species are 100% detectable, such calculations probably underestimate absolute density. Therefore results should be considered a minimum estimate of abundance.
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Nest Searching PRBO Biologists located 34 nests for 16 species. Nests by species are listed in Table 3.
Table 3. Nests located by species and site for Indian Joe Spring and Piute Spring, 2004
Site Species INJOSP PIUSPR
Bellʹs Vireo 0 2 Blue‐gray Gnatcatcher 2 1 Black‐tailed Gnatcatcher 0 1 Black‐throated Sparrow 1 4 Brown‐headed Cowbird* 1 1 Cactus Wren 0 1 California Towhee 1 0 Costaʹs Hummingbird 0 5 Common Raven 0 1 House Finch 0 1 Ladder‐backed Woodpecker 0 1 Lesser Goldfinch 1 1 Mourning Dove 0 2 Phainopepla 0 6 Sayʹs Phoebe 0 1 Verdin 0 2 Totals 5 29 (*) denotes that one Blue‐gray Gnatcatcher nest at Indian Joe Spring, and one Bell’s Vireo nest at Piute Spring were found parasitized by the Brown‐headed Cowbird.
Table 4 lists substrate frequencies types by site.
Table 4. Substrate types for nests located at Indian Joe Spring (INJOSP) and Piute Spring (PIUSPR), 2004
Site Species INJOSP PIUSPR
Honey Mesquite 0 5 Goodingʹs Willow 0 9 Salix sp. 2 0 Fig 1 0 Buckhorn Cholla 0 4 Eriogonum sp. 0 1 White Bursage 1 2 Four‐winged Saltbush 1 0 Desert‐willow 0 5 Catclaw Acacia 0 1 Cliff 0 2
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Brown‐headed Cowbirds Brown‐headed Cowbirds were not detected until the first week of May (the third visit) at each site. Brown‐headed Cowbird activity was higher (once they arrived) at Piute Spring, with 0.29 detections per hour at Indian Joe Spring, and 2.67 detections per hour at Piute Spring. These detections are low compared to cowbird detection rates in riparian areas in the Eastern Sierra, but clearly cowbirds are affecting nesting birds at these desert springs, demonstrated by parasitized Blue‐gray Gnatcatcher and Bell’s Vireo nests. The closest human habitation/agriculture where cowbirds may be expected to feed and/or roost is several miles from each spring. We did not detect Eurasian Collared‐Doves during surveys.
CONCLUSION
Piute Spring and Indian Joe Spring are examples of Mojave Desert mountain springs that play host to diverse avian communities that include threatened and listed bird species. We detected many species at each site in only three point count visits during one breeding season. These species included Neotropical migrants using the spring corridors as refueling stops, as well as a diverse community of desert breeders. The 2004 surveys present the CDFG and NPS with baseline data that was taken before a severe wildfire that scorched most of the Piute Spring riparian zone in the late summer of 2004. We recommend that the CDFG and NPS collaborate to monitor the post‐fire recovery of the Piute Spring avian community, for many of the breeding species (and nests) detected during the course of our 2004 surveys relied heavily, and occasionally completely, on the habitat that was lost. We also recommend that surveys of these sites be extended to a minimum of four, and possibly five visits over 8 weeks. Though surveys were timed to adequately detect early‐nesting desert residents such as Phainopeplas and Verdin, similar sites at the Amargosa Canyon (Inyo County) support later‐arriving migrants such as Black‐headed Grosbeaks, Brown‐crested Flycatchers, Yellow‐breasted Chats, and Yellow Warblers that can remain and breed long after our surveys were complete.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks to Denyse Racine at the California Department of Fish and Game, for recognizing the importance and fragility of isolated Mojave Desert springs such as those studied on this project. Denyse and Adrienne Disbrow helped us find our way to both study sites. Sacha Heath, Leah Culp, Mark Fogg, and Lisa Crampton assisted with point count surveys, nest searching, and vegetation assessments. The Mojave Natural Preserve permitted us to gather species lists on their portion of the Piute Spring.
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LITERATURE CITED
AUDUBON. 2002. The Audubon watch list. http://audubon2.org/webapp/watchlist/viewWatchlist.jsp CDFG. 2005. State and federally listed threatened and endangered animals of California. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/whdab/pdfs/TEAnimals.pdf ESRI. 2000. ArcView Geographic Information System version 3.2a. Environmental Research Systems Institute, Redlands, California. FANCY, S.G. and SAUER, J.R. 2000. Recommended methods for inventorying and monitoring landbirds in national parks. http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/monitor/protocols/birds.htm PARTNERS IN FLIGHT. 2000. Partners In Flight related journal articles and technical reports. http://www.partnersinflight.org/pubs/journal.htm PARTNERS IN FLIGHT. 2004. Partners In Flight watch list. http://www.abcbirds.org/pif/pif_watch_list.htm RALPH, C.J., GEUPEL, G.R., PYLE, P., MARTIN, T.E., and DESANTE, D.F. 1993. Field methods for monitoring landbirds. USDA Forest Service Publication: PSW‐GTR 144, Albany, California. RALPH, C.J., DROEGE, J.S., and SAUER, J.R. 1995. Managing and monitoring birds using point counts: standards and applications (in) monitoring bird populations by point counts. USDA Forest Service Publication: PSW‐GTR 149, Albany, California. SHUFORD, W.D. 1993. The Marin County breeding bird atlas: a distributional and natural history of coastal California. Bushtit Books, Bolinas, California. SHUFORD W.D., and GARDALI, T. 2003. Draft list of bird species of special concern in California. http://www.prbo.org/cms/docs/terre/List_17_Oct_2003.pdf UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE. 1995. Nongame birds of management concern. http://www.migratorybirds.fws.gov/reports/speccon/tblconts.html
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Appendix A. Point count station codes, UTM (NAD83) coordinates, and schedule, 2004.
Station UTM Zone
UTM easting
UTM northing Visit 1 Visit 2 Visit 3
INJOSP01 11 465690 3964274 10‐Apr 22‐Apr 8‐May INJOSP02 11 465443 3964236 INJOSP03 11 465247 3964290 INJOSP04 11 465196 3964522 INJOSP05 11 464969 3964574 INJOSP06 11 464814 3964709 INJOSP07 11 464636 3964843 INJOSP08 11 464449 3964974 INJOSP09 11 464336 3965182 INJOSP10 11 464182 3965347 INJOSP11 11 464031 3965514 PIUSPR01 11 683644 3887555 4‐Apr 21‐Apr 7‐May PIUSPR02 11 683886 3887616 PIUSPR03 11 684129 3887598 PIUSPR04 11 683645 3887806 PIUSPR05 11 683885 3887867 PIUSPR06 11 684133 3887847 PIUSPR07 11 684345 3887504 PIUSPR08 11 684346 3887749 PIUSPR09 11 684594 3887507 PIUSPR10 11 684595 3887752 PIUSPR11 11 684844 3887510 PIUSPR12 11 684844 3887760
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Appendix B Point counter nest card and nest card variables descriptions.
PC Nest Card Variables Year: 2003 Species: Four‐letter AOU Species Code Nest#: Six‐letter Station Code, date, then A,B,C etc. For example, if it is the second HOFI nest you found on Milpitas Wash on April 11, Nest#= MILWAS0411B. Obs: Your initials Date Found: 4/11/2003, for example. Results: Only fill in if you know the nest’s outcome. Example: Fledged 2, or Preyed Upon, etc. Contents: B for being built, E for eggs, Y for young. This is for host species info only. Write any cowbird nest contents in the BHCO contents space. Try to estimate the percent built if you can (i.e., a discovered half‐built PHAI nest contents would = B50). Write the number of eggs or young as E2, Y4, etc. Age of Young: Try to estimate the age of young (if the nest holds young) in days. If you are new to this, just describe the appearance of the babies on the comments lines. BHCO Contents: Similar to Contents, but just for cowbird contents. If you feel the nest has been parasitized, please explain in detail the appearance of the cowbird egg or young in the comments lines. Include WHY you feel the egg or young is a cowbird and not a host egg or young. Conspic: A four‐number scale rating the adults’ behavior before you found nest.
YEAR OBS SPECIES DATE FOUND
RESULTS
NEST #
mo/day time min. at nest GPS Coordinates (UTM Nad 83)
CO
NT
EN
TS
B=
bu
ildin
g
E=
egg
s Y
=yo
ung
AG
E O
F
YO
UN
G
BH
CO
C
ON
TE
NT
S (a
nd
ag
e y)
CO
NSP
IC
bef
ore
(1-4
)
FL
USH
(1-
4)
DIS
TR
ESS
af
ter
(1-4
)
Clumpwidth (m) Perpwidth (m) Maxclumpht (m) Plantht (cm) Htfrgrd
(cm)
Plantsp1 Plantsp2 Nstcncl1 Nstcncl2
DBH (cm) DGH (cm) Canopycov Concealab Concealbe
Concealno Concealso Concealeast Concealwest Comp. dir %
alive
NOTES:
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1 Adults very elusive/quiet around nest. You either worked really hard to find the nest, or you simply flushed a sitting adult.
2 Adults sort of conspicuous around nest. Nest fairly easy to find if you were looking/knew what to look for.
3 Adults pretty conspicuous around nest. Not super loud, but obvious food/material carries, more or less oblivious to what you or predators might be doing.
4 Adults really conspicuous. Lots of noise all the way to nest. As if you were just walking down the wash without thinking about birds and their behavior draws you to nest.
Flush: A four‐number scale rating an incubating bird’s flush as you approach nest. If no bird on nest, flush = ‐.
1 You are fairly certain adult was on nest but you didn’t actually see it flush. 2 Flush at 2‐15 feet from nest. 3 Flush at 1‐2 feet from nest – a tight sitter. 4 You have to wave you fingers at bird, or clap, to get it to flush. A very tight sitter.
Distress: A four‐number scale rating adults’ distress after you check nest . 1 Adults quietly leave nest. May watch you from afar. 2 Adults may call quietly while you check nest. 3 Adults distress somewhat loudly. Possibly feigning a little. 4 Raucous stressing, even after you leave nest area for a few minutes. Feigning
displays. Mo/day: such as 4/11 Time: time you found nest Min at nest: How many minutes you were at nest, or watching a cavity for a cavity‐nester. UTM coordinates: write UTM coords here, in NAD 83. Such as 716863/3457660 etc. Clumpwidth: Longest axis of nest clump of vegetation. A “clump” is defined as what you can easily walk around. Perpwidth: Length of clump axis perpendicular to clumpwidth axis. Maxclumpht: Maximum height of this clump of vegetation around nest site. Plantht: Height of plant supporting nest. If more than one plant supports nest, use the main substrate’s height. Htfrgrd: Height of nest. Plantsp1: 6‐letter ID code of main plant supporting nest. Write GROUND if nest on ground, ROCK if nest in a cliff, DEAD if nest in a pile of unidentifiable deadwood. Plantsp2: 6‐letter ID code of any secondary plant supporting nest. If no other plant supports nest, leave blank. Nstcncl1: 6‐letter plant ID code of main plant concealing nest. While this is often the same as plantsp1, it need not be. For example, A PHAI nest may be supported by ACGR (Acacia), but concealed by PHCA8 (Mistletoe). If the nest is a GROUND nest, the plant the nest is built under would be its Nstcncl1, since it is what conceals the plant. You may find nests with no concealment (such as Lesser Nighthawk nests), but this is rare. Nstcncl2: 6‐letter plant ID code of any other plants concealing nest. In the above example, PHCA8 would be ACGR would be plantsp1, PHCA8 would be nstcncl1, and ACGR would be nstcncl2 (since anything supporting the nest would conceal it, at least a little).
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DBH: If a woodland species, diameter 4.5 feet from ground of the trunk responsible for nest support. If not a woodland species, so not worry about taking this. DGH: Same as DBH, but diameter at ground height. Canopycov: If the nest was the center of an 11.3m radius circle, the amount of cover in the 11.3m radius circle provided only by vegetation over 5m in height. This is often a very low value, generally zero. Concealab and concealbe: Percent of nest concealed above and below, at 1m from nest. A totally concealed nest = 100%. You often need to extrapolate on these because you cannot put your face in the right position (i.e. nest is too high to see from above, etc.).Concealno, so, ea, we: Same as above, but measure concealment at nest level from each cardinal direction. In other words, concealno is % of nest concealed when looking at it from the north, etc. Compdir: Measure direction in degrees from where the trunk of the substrate meets the ground to the nest. Careful, it is easy to forget and measure this in reverse. % alive: Percent of the substrate plant that is alive. A dead tree holding a nest is ZERO. A nest in a cliff or on the ground is ZERO.
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Appendix C. Breeding statuses at CDFG holdings from March 31- May 8, 2005.
SPECIES (Common Name) SCIENTIFIC NAME
AOU Code
Indian Joe
Spring
Piute Spring CDFG
Piute Spring NPS
Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera CITE ~ ~ 2 Chukar Alectoris chukar CHUK 1 ~ ~ California Quail Callipepla californica CAQU 1 ~ ~ Gambel's Quail Callipepla gambelii GAQU ~ 3 1 Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nyticorax BCNH ~ ~ 0 Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura TUVU 0 2 2 Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus NOHA ~ 0 ~ Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus SSHA ~ ~ 0 Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii COHA ~ ~ 0 Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis RTHA ~ 2 2 Prairie Falcon Falco mexicanus PRFA 0 ~ ~ White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica WWDO ~ 2 2 Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura MODO 3 1 1 Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus GRRO 2 ~ ~ Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus GHOW ~ 2 ~ Long-eared Owl Asio otus LEOW 3 ~ ~ Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus SEOW 0 ~ ~ Common Poorwill Phalaenoptilus nuttallii COPO ~ 2 2 White-throated Swift Aeronautes saxatalis WTSW ~ 2 2 Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna ANHU ~ ~ 0 Costa’s Hummingbird Calypte costae COHU 3 1 1 Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Picoides scalaris LBWO ~ 1 3
Western Wood-pewee Contopus sordidulus WEWP ~ 2 2 Hammond's Flycatcher Empidonax hammondii HAFL ~ 0 0 Dusky Flycatcher Empidonax oberholseri DUFL ~ 0 0 Western Flycatcher Empidonax difficilis WEFL 0 0 0 Say’s Phoebe Sayornis saya SAPH 2 3 1 Ash-throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens ATFL 2 3 3 Brown-crested Flycatcher Myiarchus tyrannulus BCFL ~ ~ 2 Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis WEKI ~ 0 ~ Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus LOSH 2 ~ ~ Bell's Vireo Vireo bellii BEVI ~ 3 1 Cassin's Vireo Vireo cassinii CAVI ~ ~ 0 Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus WAVI 0 0 0 Common Raven Corvus corax CORA 3 1 3 Violet-green Swallow Tachycineta thalassina VGSW 0 0 0 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica BARS ~ 0 ~ Verdin Auriparus flaviceps VERD 1 1 1 Cactus Wren Campylorhynchus
brunneicapillus
CACW ~ 1 3 Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus ROWR 1 1 3 Canyon Wren Catherpes mexicanus CANW 3 ~ 2 Bewick’s Wren Thryomanes bewickii BEWR 1 ~ ~
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SPECIES (Common Name) SCIENTIFIC NAME
AOU Code
Indian Joe
Spring
Piute Spring CDFG
Piute Spring NPS
House Wren Troglodytes aedon HOWR ~ 0 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula RCKI ~ 0 0 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea BGGN 1 1 3 Black-tailed Gnatcatcher Polioptila melanura BTGN ~ 3 1 Townsend's Solitaire Myadestes townsendi TOSO ~ ~ 0 Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus SWTH 0 ~ ~ Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus HETH ~ 0 ~ Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos NOMO 1 2 2 Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum CEDW ~ 0 ~ Phainopepla Phainopepla nitens PHAI ~ 1 1 Orange-crowned Warbler Vermivora celata OCWA 0 0 0 Nashville Warbler Vermivora ruficapilla NAWA 0 0 0 Lucy’s Warbler Vermivora luciae LUWA ~ 3 3 Yellow Warbler Dendroica petechia YWAR ~ 0 0 Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata YRWA ~ 0 0 Black-throated Gray Warbler Dendroica nigrescens BTYW ~ 0 ~ Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia BAWW ~ ~ 0 MacGillivray’s Warbler Oporornis tolmiei MGWA 0 0 ~ Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas COYE 0 0 0 Wilson’s Warbler Wilsonia pusilla WIWA 0 0 0 Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens YBCH ~ ~ 2 Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana WETA ~ 0 ~ Green-tailed Towhee Pipilo chlorurus GTTO 0 0 0 Inyo California Towhee Pipilo crissalis ssp. eremophilus CALT 1 ~ ~ Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina CHSP ~ 0 ~ Brewer’s Sparrow Spizella breweri BRSP ~ 0 0 Black-throated Sparrow Amphispiza bilineata BTSP 1 1 1 Sage Sparrow Amphispiza belli SAGS 1 ~ ~ Lincoln’s Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii LISP 0 0 0 White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys WCSP 2 0 0 Black-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocephalus BHGR 2 0 0 Blue Grosbeak Passerina caerulea BLGR ~ 0 0 Lazuli Bunting Passerina amoena LAZB ~ 2 0 Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus BRBL ~ 0 ~ Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater BHCO 1 3 1 Hooded Oriole Icterus cucullatus HOOR ~ ~ 0 Bullock’s Oriole Icterus bullockii BUOR 0 ~ 0 House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus HOFI 3 1 3 Lesser Goldfinch Carduelis psaltria LEGO 1 3 1 Species ordered according to American Ornithological Union (AOU) Checklist (August 2003). Species with breeding confirmed in bold print. Confirmed breeding – 1 Probable Breeding – 3 Possible Breeding – 2 No Evidence of Breeding – 0 Not Detected - ~ (see Methods for further explanation of codes). INJOSP = Indian Joe Spring; PIUSPR –CDFG = CDFG lands at Piute Spring; PIUSPR –NPS = Mojave NP.
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