california least tern & western snowy plover monitoring ......holly fuhrer . geolocators were...

California Least Tern &

Western Snowy Plover

Monitoring Project

Huntington State Beach

Least Tern Natural Preserve

A Partnership Since 2005

California Least Tern - CLTE

Endangered

9-10”

Nests in colonies

Dives from air for fish

Parents feed young

Nesting colony can be fenced

Western Snowy Plover - WSPL

Threatened

5-7”

Nests in loose colonies or singly

Feeds on invertebrates at wrack line

Parents do not feed young

Nesting area cannot be fenced

Identification

History of the

Least Tern Natural Preserve

Established in 1973

Location: At the mouth of the Santa Ana River at Huntington State Beach

1st fully protected (fenced) California Least Tern colony in California

At that time there were only 5 nesting pairs in the Preserve

In recent years there have been 300 – 600 pairs

History of the Natural Preserve

The Preserve was originally ~1.5 acres

Now it is just over 12 acres

California Least Tern

Listed as Endangered in 1970

Historically nested along west coast beaches

from Monterey, CA to southern Baja

Currently 6 nesting areas in OC

Huntington State Beach Natural Preserve

Seal Beach NWR

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve

Burris Sand Pit/Burris Basin

Upper Newport Bay Ecological

Reserve

CA State Parks and the Natural Preserve

Maintain the Natural Preserve Non-native plant removal

Plant native plants

Maintain fencing

Move sand and remove debris and trash

Native Beach Primrose Introduced Sea Rocket

New Fencing 2016

2016

Moving Sand!

CA State Parks and the Natural Preserve

Least Tern Monitoring Project

Partnership with CA State Parks & Sea & Sage Audubon

Provide orientation and training for Docents

Provide manuals and supplies

Work with Santa Ana Watershed Association (SAWA) and USFWS

Tina Coombe

SAWA Biologists use blinds to monitor the colony.

CA State Parks and the Natural Preserve

Provide Protection Enforce regulations

Predator management

Current Success of Least Terns

at the Preserve CLTE nest counts at the Preserve

2005 ~ 310 nests

2006 ~ 420 nests

2007 ~ 485 nests

2008 ~ 454 nests

2009 ~ 434 nests

2010 ~ 433 nests

2011 ~ 712 nests

2012 ~ 542 nests

2013 ~ 347 nests

2014 ~ 516 nests

2015 ~ 524 nests

Actual productivity difficult to count Disperse quickly, in waves

Migratory

Productivity can vary, year to year

*

2015 Results - Least Tern Productivity

Estimated # Breeding Pairs 411 – 506.5

# of Nests 524

Estimated # of Fledglings 125 – 125

Fledglings per pair Ratio 0.25 – 0.30

Full report available on website

Huntington State Beach *

Western Snowy Plover

(Pacific Population)

Listed as Threatened in 1993 under Endangered Species Act

Historically nested at the Santa Ana River mouth and along west coast beaches from southern Washington to southern Baja

Separate population from interior nesters

Western Snowy Plover

(Pacific Population), Cont.

Only current regular Orange County nesting is

at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve but

nesting attempts have been documented on

Balboa Peninsula in 2010-2013

Only ~2000 birds are

in the U.S. Pacific

Population and their

population is not

stable

Current Success of

Western Snowy Plovers

at the Preserve

No Nesting at the Preserve

Beach is heavily used during their breeding season

State Parks must balance public recreation with protection of the birds

Not enough room

Not colonial nesters like terns

Cannot be fenced in like terns

Western Snowy Plovers

Use the Beach by the Preserve

Snowy Plovers do use OC beaches

Especially from July, through winter

Not all are migratory, but they do disperse

Record sightings on data sheet

Helpful to report color bands

Monitoring Project

Began in 2005

In 2005, USFWS & California State Parks

hoped to develop a safe and desirable

area for the Western Snowy Plover to nest

at the Natural Preserve while maintaining

the success of the California Least Terns

In partnership with Sea & Sage Audubon,

the volunteer docent project was created

for the 2005 breeding season

What is the Role of the Docent/Monitor?

We EDUCATE by:

Providing beach goers with accurate

information on the natural history and

biology of terns & plovers

Helping to identify birds through a

scope or binoculars

Interpreting State Park rules for

visitors

Encouraging questions and learning

on all levels

Bettina Eastman

Talk to the public about potential problems

What is the Role of the Docent/Monitor?

We PROTECT by watching for disturbances and predators to the terns

Dogs on beach

Trespassing inside Preserve fence

Sitting along fence

Predators

Tina Coombe

What is the Role of the Docent/Monitor?

Rules and Regulations

Not the Docent’s job to enforce them

See manual for details

Public Relations

Make a positive contact every time

Observe & Record

Behavior & breeding status of the terns

Predators

Docents keeping their eyes

on the Tern Preserve

Tina Coombe

Tina Coombe

Surf Camp

Tina Coombe

Dogs-Water Play in the S.A. River

Near the Preserve

Predators and Problems at

The Natural Preserve

American Crow

Common Raven

Tina Coombe

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Tina Coombe

California Ground Squirrel

Peregrine Falcon Population is increasing

in our area.

American Kestrel

Coyote

Rats

Red-tailed Hawk

Gull-billed Tern Terrestrial Feeder

Depredated both Least Tern and Snowy Plover chicks.

Gull-billed Tern

Ross Griswold

Beach Activities & Recreation

Surround the Preserve

Beach Activities & Recreation

Ross Griswold

Kites

and Kite

Surfing

Beach Tar

Motorized Hang Glider

Frisbee

Helicopters Make a note of agency & numbers

Bob Seabourn

This big bird landed

in the Preserve in 2012

Holly Fuhrer

Geolocators were placed

on Least Terns last year.

Please watch for terns with

them attached to a leg.

Call Lana Nguyen

immediately if you see one

and try to get a nest

number or location if it is

nesting.

If the tern is recaptured,

the data on the instrument

may tell the researcher

where the bird spent the

winter!

Geolocators

Tina Coombe

Biologists trying to capture

a tern and attach a geolocator

Least Tern from another colony with geolocator attached in 2012.

Several were recovered in 2013 through 2015.

This study continues.

Ross Griswold

The terns return mid-April, & court,

mate, nest, and raise their young.

Bob Hodgin

Jodi Newell

Courtship, Breeding, Chick Rearing & Fledging

Wendy Miller

Holly Fuhrer

Holly Fuhrer

Holly Fuhrer

Holly Fuhrer

Holly Fuhrer

Holly Fuhrer

Holly Fuhrer

Holly Fuhrer

Ross Griswold

Ross Griswold

C. Kam

Ross Griswold

C. Kam

C. Kam

C. Kam

Holly Fuhrer

Holly Fuhrer

Holly Fuhrer

Holly Fuhrer

Holly Fuhrer

Holly Fuhrer

Holly Fuhrer

Holly Fuhrer

Wendy Miller

Wendy Miller

Holly Fuhrer

Juveniles have a short tail

Wendy Miller

Wendy Miller

Wendy Miller

Wendy Miller

Western Snowy Plovers

Wendy Miller

Wendy Miller

S

Ross Griswold

Holly Fuhrer

Available on the website

www.seaandsageaudubon.org

1. Docent Manual (Rev. 5/14)

2. Volunteer Shift Schedule by month

3. Aging Classification Sheet for Chicks & Fledglings

4. 2015 CLTE Productivity Report

5. Chronological list of email announcements

Go to: Least Tern/Snowy Plover Project, 2016 Nesting Season

Presentation & Graphics ©Cheryl Egger

Images contained in this presentation belong to each of

the photographers as noted and may not be reproduced

or distributed in any manner without the express written

permission of the photographer. Thank you.