Songbird Conservation Plans for Terrestrial habitats

California Partners in Flight Bird Conservation Plans are available for downloading at www.prbo.org.

Grasslands Coastal Scrub & Chaparral Sierra Nevada Range Oak Woodlands Coniferous Forest Riparian

Multi-species Approach to Conservation Planning

This image displays a few of the species found in CA riparian habitat and the different layers and substrate s in which they prefer to nest. .

Coniferous Forest

Black-backed Woodpecker Black-throated Gray Warbler Brown Creeper Dark-eyed Junco Flammulated Owl Fox Sparrow Golden-crowned Kinglet MacGillivray's Warbler Olive-sided Flycatcher Pileated Woodpecker Red-breasted Nuthatch Vaux's Swift Western Tanager

Grassland

Ferruginous Hawk Grasshopper Sparrow Mountain Plover Northern Harrier Western Meadowlark White-tailed Kite Savannah Sparrow Burrowing Owl

Fifty-six focal species

Coastal Scrub/Chaparral

Mountain Quail Greater Roadrunner (Coastal) Lesser Nighthawk (Coastal) Costa's Hummingbird Coastal Cactus Wren Blue-gray Gnatcatcher California Gnatcatcher Wrentit LeConte’s Thrasher Gray Vireo Rufous-crowned Sparrow Black-chinned Sparrow Bell's Sage Sparrow Nuttall's White-crowned Sparrow

Oak Woodland

Acorn Woodpecker Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Lark Sparrow Nuttall's Woodpecker Oak Titmouse Western Bluebird Western Scrub-jay Yellow-billed Magpie

Riparian

Bank Swallow Bell's Vireo Black-headed Grosbeak Blue Grosbeak Common Yellowthroat Song Sparrow Swainson's Hawk Swainson's Thrush Warbling Vireo Willow Flycatcher Wilson's Warbler Yellow-billed Cuckoo Yellow-breasted Chat Yellow Warbler

Over 220 specific multi-species recommendations in California PIF Bird Conservation Plans

Recommendation 4.1:

Restore and manage riparian forests to promote structural diversity and high volume of the understory.

Species Benefited:

Blue Grosbeak Common Yellowthroat Least Bell’s Vireo Song Sparrow Spotted Towhee Swainson’s Thrush Willow Flycatcher Wilson’s Warbler Yellow-breasted Chat Yellow Warbler

Recommendation 3.6:

Plant a minimum of 3 tree species including willow, alder, and elderberry in Central Valley and foothill riparian habitats.

Species Benefited:

Black-headed Grosbeak Lazuli Bunting Spotted Towhee Western Kingbird Western Wood Pewee

California Partners in Flight Overview

September 2002

Sophie Webb

I) II) Test recommendations in other bioregions and conditions.

Disseminate recommendations.

III) V) Addition of new focal species.

IV) Development of population targets with demographic parameters for each focal species in each bioregion (and watersheds if possible) Develop of long-term assessment monitoring programs (with reference sites) in each bioregion of CA

Restoration recommendations from the Central Valley A) Maintain patchy and varied age strucuture

1. High water events will contribute to structural diversity resembling that of structurally diverse riparian systems, and provide more heterogeneous nesting habitat. 2. Regeneration of habitat mosaics.

3. May reduce populations of nest predators. Cosumnes River levee break

California Partners in Flight Priorities for implementation

September 2002

Sophie Webb

I) II) Test recommendations in other bioregions and conditions.

Disseminate and integrate recommendations.

III) V) Addition of new focal species.

IV) Development of population targets with demographic parameters for each focal species in each bioregion (and watersheds if possible) Develop of long-term assessment monitoring programs (with reference sites) in each bioregion of CA

• • •

Dissemination and Integration

– Workshop that include BCP recommendations.

NRCS Wetland Restoration, Management and – – Compatible Use.

State agencies ‘Legacy Program’ With stakeholders and watershed groups.

– – Joint Projects Central Valley Joint Venture NRCS Conservation Reserve and Enhancement Program – – – – – Funding (project ranking) US Forest Service Charter San Francisco Bay Joint Venture Creeks Comm.

RHJV project selection criteria.

NAWCA Endangered species Act ?

Groups in California currently using Cal PIF Bird Conservation Plans .

Central Valley Joint Venture Cal Fed Intermountain West Joint Venture National Park Service Vital Signs Sonoran Joint Venture San Francisco Bay Joint Venture Pacific Coast Joint Venture Sierra Nevada Framework NRCS (RCD, CREP) Wildlands Project CDFG Species

of Concern

California Partners in Flight Priorities for implementation

September 2002

Sophie Webb

I) II) Test recommendations in other bioregions and conditions.

Disseminate recommendations.

III) V) Addition of new focal species.

IV) Development of population targets with demographic parameters for each focal species in each bioregion (and watersheds if possible).

Develop of long-term assessment monitoring programs (with reference sites) in each bioregion of CA.

Riparian species abundance data used as suggested population targets in Riparian Bird Conservation Plan

.

Riparian Plan Table 5-2. Suggested population targets by species and bioregion

2.29

Yellow Warbler densities at Rush Creek • 2.29 pairs / ha

Mayfield estimates of nest survivorship (S) (mean and observed ‘range’) of 10 (of 26) species of open-cup nesters in the Central Valley .

Species

Mourning Dove Hutton's Vireo Common Yellowthrt.

Yellow Warbler Lazuli Bunting Blue Grosbeak Black-hd. Grosbeak Spotted Towhee Song Sparrow American Goldfinch

n

78 25 80 6 103 57 183 309 221 73

Mean S.

0.16

0.07

0.36

* 0.12

0.26

0.35

0.23

0.14

0.18

range

0.06-0.25

0.05 -0.10

0.13-0.59

* 0.07-0.17

0.06-0.41

0.15-0.57

0.20- 0.50

0.05-0.24

0.13-0.26

Song Sparrow Model for the Central Valley Lowest observed nest success: lambda = 0.66

# nestlings/successful nest (calculated from 99 nests ) Adult survival, (PRBO Marin Co., CA 16 years ) # nesting attempts (est. from color-banded pop) Juvenile survival to age 1 (Mandarte Island, BC)

0.60 + (2.82 x

0.05

x 2.20 x 0.40)/2

= 0.66

0.60 + (2.82 x

0.24

x

2.20 x 0.40)/2

= 0.90

Lowest observed estimate of nest success Highest observed estimate of nest success Highest observed nest success: lambda = 0.90

California Partners in Flight Priorities for Implementation

September 2002

Sophie Webb

I) II) Test recommendations in other bioregions and conditions.

Disseminate recommendations.

III) V) Addition of new focal species.

IV) Development of population targets with demographic parameters for each focal species in each bioregion (and watersheds if possible) Develop of long-term assessment monitoring programs (with reference sites) in each bioregion of CA.

Evaluate efficacy of riparian restoration on Sacramento River

Step 1 Identify issues

Restore functioning riparian ecosystem with meander that supports self-sustaining and diverse songbird populations

Step2 Set biological goals

12 steps for implementing assessment monitoring

Breeding and migrating land bird diversity will increase with current restoration efforts (both process-based and horticultural).

Step3 Develop specific biological objectives

Standardized bird surveys and vegetation information and nest monitoring performed

Step 4 and 5 collect and store data

Revise

Integrate with other conservation and management plans and stimulate research Results suggest increase shrub cover is associated with species diversity and may increase nest success Increase shrub species in planting mix and increase scouring by removing levees

Step 7 and 8 Implementation Step6 Generate result Step 11 and 12

New data and multi-year analysis of nest data suggest that nest success increases with amount of mugwort and rush cover.

Add mugwort and rush to planting mix Bird surveys and nest monitoring continue.

Step9 continue data collection Step 10 repeat