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Conservation Assessment and Management Plan for Breeding Western and Clark’S Grebes in California

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Conservation Assessment and Management Plan for Breeding Western and Clark’S Grebes in California Conservation Assessment and Management Plan for Breeding Western and Clark’s Grebes in California Gary L. Ivey, Wildlife Consultant PO Box 2213 Corvallis, OR 97339-2213 [email protected] June 2004 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES.............................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. vi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...........................................................................................................vii INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................1 BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................................2 Taxonomy ...............................................................................................................................2 Legal status .............................................................................................................................2 Description..............................................................................................................................2 Geographic distribution ..........................................................................................................3 Life history .............................................................................................................................5 Habitat requirements......................................................................................................5 Reproductive ecology. ...................................................................................................6 Demography...................................................................................................................6 Feeding ecology.............................................................................................................7 Movements and migration. ............................................................................................7 Mortality ........................................................................................................................8 Population status and trends....................................................................................................9 Threats to populations...........................................................................................................13 Natural factors..............................................................................................................13 Habitat loss...................................................................................................................13 Water management ......................................................................................................14 Contaminants ...............................................................................................................14 Disturbance ..................................................................................................................15 Disease. ........................................................................................................................15 Summary of recent conservation actions ..............................................................................15 STUDY AREA ..............................................................................................................................16 METHODS ....................................................................................................................................22 RESULTS ......................................................................................................................................23 Colony size ...........................................................................................................................23 Relative importance of sites surveyed ..................................................................................24 Eagle Lake ...................................................................................................................24 Tule Lake NWR...........................................................................................................25 Clear Lake....................................................................................................................25 Lake Almanor. .............................................................................................................25 Thermalito Afterbay and Bridgeport Reservoir...........................................................25 Goose Lake. .................................................................................................................25 Other sites. ...................................................................................................................26 Colony and nest habitat.........................................................................................................26 Eagle Lake ...................................................................................................................26 Tule Lake and Lower Klamath NWRs. .......................................................................28 i TABLE OF CONTENTS (con't) Clear Lake....................................................................................................................28 Lake Almanor ..............................................................................................................30 Thermalito Afterbay.....................................................................................................31 Bridgeport and East Park reservoirs ............................................................................32 Goose Lake. .................................................................................................................33 Nest success ..........................................................................................................................35 Eagle Lake. ..................................................................................................................35 Clear Lake....................................................................................................................35 Lake Almanor. .............................................................................................................35 Other areas. ..................................................................................................................36 Brood surveys .......................................................................................................................36 Lake Almanor. .............................................................................................................36 Clear Lake....................................................................................................................36 Eagle Lake and Bridgeport Reservoir..........................................................................36 Thermalito Afterbay.....................................................................................................36 Other areas. ..................................................................................................................36 Nesting and fledging chronology..........................................................................................38 Species composition..............................................................................................................42 Mortality ...............................................................................................................................42 DISCUSSION................................................................................................................................42 Conservation issues...............................................................................................................43 Reduce mortality..........................................................................................................43 Increase nesting success...............................................................................................44 Enhance and maintain breeding habitat. ......................................................................44 Monitor efficacy of implemented conservation measures...........................................45 Recommendations for selected sites .....................................................................................45 Eagle Lake. ..................................................................................................................45 Tule Lake and Lower Klamath NWRs ........................................................................48 Clear Lake....................................................................................................................50 Lake Almanor. .............................................................................................................53 Thermalito Afterbay.....................................................................................................55 Bridgeport Reservoir....................................................................................................58 Goose Lake. .................................................................................................................59 East Park Reservoir......................................................................................................60
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