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Activity of the California Least Tern (Sternula Antillarum Browni) at Huntington State Beach, Orange County, California

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Activity of the California Least Tern (Sternula Antillarum Browni) at Huntington State Beach, Orange County, California Activity of the California Least Tern (Sternula antillarum browni) at Huntington State Beach, Orange County, California Prepared by The Santa Ana Watershed Association Prepared for Orange County Water District California Department of Fish and Wildlife U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Principal Investigator Richard Zembal Primary Author Nicole Housel Field Investigators Florence Chan, Natalia Doshi, Nicole Housel, Alec Mang, Lana Nguyen, Bernice Villanueva 2018 1 Activity of the California Least Tern (Sternula antillarum browni) at Huntington State Beach, Orange County, CA Santa Ana Watershed Association 2018 INTRODUCTION The California Least Tern (Sternula antillarum browni; hereafter Least Tern) is a state and federally listed endangered species which migrates to coastal California from Central America. Adults are gray with white under-parts, a black cap and lore with a white forehead, black-tipped wings, and a yellow beak with dark tip. Young birds are brownish-gray with a scaly appearance, black head lacking the white triangle on the forehead and a dark beak. California Least Terns are approximately 10 inches in length with a 30-inch wingspan. This once abundant, colonial nesting species inhabits seacoasts, beaches, estuaries, lagoons, lakes, and rivers and prefers to nest on bare or sparsely vegetated sand, soil, or pebbles. Least Tern nesting occurs between April and September and is characterized by two “waves”. The first wave begins with the first nest initiations, and is mainly comprised of experienced breeders, typically birds three years and older. The second wave is predominately two-year-old birds breeding for the first time, and usually begins mid-June. Pairs that lose their first clutch and re-nest may also contribute to the group of second wave nesters (Massey and Atwood 1981). The nest of the Least Tern is a simple shallow scrape in the sand, sometimes lined with shells, pebbles, bits of wood, or plant material, and may contain one to three eggs. Both parents incubate the eggs, which hatch after approximately 21-23 days (Massey 1974). Adults forage for fish in near-shore waters, estuaries, lagoons, bays, and river mouths. Fledging, or the ability to fly, usually occurs within three weeks of hatching. In the late 1800’s, when population decline began, Least Terns were collected to adorn women’s hats. Today, habitat destruction is the biggest threat to this species as nesting habitat is prized for recreation and residential development (Atwood and Kelly 1984). Depredation pressures on terns have increased in response to habitat development, as predatory species that thrive amongst humans have been able to colonize closer to tern colonies (Jokimaki et al 2005, Shochat et al 2006). Common predators of Least Terns include birds of prey, crows, ravens, coyote, fox, and domesticated or feral cats and dogs. Due to global climate changes, El Niño and La Niña weather patterns have become more intense and erratic (NOAA 2016). This causes an offshore and northern shift in fish populations following cold water currents (NOAA Fisheries), likely forcing the terns to fly further for food resources, and potentially resulting in a shortage of food for adult terns and their young. In Los Angeles and Orange Counties, there are seven Least Tern nesting areas that have been utilized since 1986: Venice Beach, Los Angeles Harbor, Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve, Burris Basin, and Huntington State Beach. Least terns were recorded breeding at Anaheim Lake in 2016, making a total of eight known breeding colonies in these counties. In 2016, a minimum of 636 breeding pairs were reported for these colonies. A minimum of two pairs were documented at Venice Beach, 109 at Los Angeles Harbor, 73 at Seal Beach National Wildlife Reserve (NWR), 124 at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, 18 at Upper Newport Ecological Reserve, six at Burris Basin, two at Anaheim Lake, and 304 at Huntington State Beach (Frost 2017). At the time of this writing, the California Least Tern Breeding Season 2017 report was not available. The nesting area at Huntington State Beach (Figure 1) has been a “top 5” colony in California, in terms of number of pairs, nests, and fledgling production, making it an important contributor to the recovery of the species. The Huntington State Beach tern colony is bordered to the north-west by the Talbert Channel, a tidal inlet to the Talbert Marsh. Located to the north of the colony, Talbert Marsh is a predominantly salt 1 Activity of the California Least Tern (Sternula antillarum browni) at Huntington State Beach, Orange County, CA Santa Ana Watershed Association 2018 water marsh with full tidal influence and some freshwater flow from runoff during storm events. To the east, the colony is bordered by the Santa Ana River, the largest river in Southern California, beginning in the San Bernardino Mountains and flowing into the Pacific Ocean immediately adjacent to the Huntington Beach colony. The colony is located on land managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks), which stretches two miles up-coast, and is one of the most visited California state beaches with over two million visitors per year. To the south-east the beach is managed by the city of Newport Beach and backed by private residences. Over the past several years, an illegal dog beach has been initiated across the Santa Ana River from the colony. The Huntington State Beach tern colony was designated a 2.5-acre preserve in 1975 (Huntington State Beach General Development Plan, 1976). Over the years several changes were made, including increases in acreage and improvements to fencing. In 1984 and 1985, the Huntington State Beach California Least Tern Natural Preserve consisted of about 6.4 acres protected by chain-link and temporary sand fencing. This area was expanded to 7.5 acres in 1986 and completely surrounded with a five to seven- foot high chain link fence. In 1989, the fence was replaced with one designed to preclude entry by predators including the non-native red fox (Vulpes vulpes), which had plagued the colony in preceding years. A cantilevered barrier was placed at the top, creating a net height of about eight feet which would prevent climbing or bounding over by mammalian predators. A strip of plastic aviary netting was partially buried along the entire base of the fence to keep chicks inside the fenced area and to prevent predators from burrowing under the fence. In 1990, fence modifications increased the size of the enclosure by approximately 1.1 acres, which created a total area of approximately 8.6 acres. In the winter of 2012- 2013, the sand fence around the south side of the colony was replaced with the chain-link fencing used around the rest of the colony. Plastic netting was partially buried along the base of this fence to keep chicks inside. The sand fence was moved approximately 20 feet outside of this chain-link fence to prevent sand drift and burial of the plastic netting in addition to providing a buffer from park visitors. During the winter of 2016-2017, the fence that divided the main 7.5-acre colony and the 1.1-acre addition from 1990 was removed to deter falcons from using this section of fencing as a perch and to aid in more efficient monitoring within the colony. Chick fencing was also repaired, and 10,000 cubic feet of sand was spread on the beach in front of the colony to help repair damage from erosion the year before. The Huntington State Beach colony was raked to clear vegetation in most years until 1985 (Pavelka and Stadtlander 1993). The nesting area typically supports a widely-spaced and low-stature population of beach primrose (Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia), some sparse beach morning-glory (Calystegia soldanella), sea rocket (Cakile edentula), and beach sand verbena (Abronia umbellata). The vegetation is now strategically cleared in an alternating grid pattern in order to maintain approximately 25% bare sand and allow for varying amounts of vegetative cover. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) previously studied and reported on Least Tern nesting activity at the Huntington State Beach colony from 1986 through 1988 while the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) monitored the colony in 1989 and 1990. The USFWS then resumed monitoring until 1993. In 2008, the Santa Ana Watershed Association (SAWA) and Orange County Water District (OCWD) began nest monitoring at Huntington State Beach with the assistance of State Parks biologists and volunteers. In addition to colony nest monitoring, a citizen science program developed by California 2 Activity of the California Least Tern (Sternula antillarum browni) at Huntington State Beach, Orange County, CA Santa Ana Watershed Association 2018 State Parks and Sea and Sage Audubon in 2005 provides trained volunteers to educate the public and monitor the colony boundary. Over 513 volunteer hours were spent protecting the colony in 2018. The work reported herein discusses the results of Least Tern monitoring efforts in 2018. METHODS Site Preparation Prior to the 2018 breeding season, State Parks raked a limited amount of vegetation in the colony. Grid markers were re-marked and roof tiles, which offer chicks shelter from the sun, were cleaned out. Fencing surrounding the colony was mended and non-native vegetation was removed. Erosion damage from the previous year was also repaired. Monitoring In 2018, the Huntington State Beach colony was monitored twice per week from early May to early August for a total of 24 visits. Visits to the colony typically lasted about two to three hours for a total of 188.75 observer field hours. Two to three observers monitored inside the colony throughout the breeding season; each observer covered about one-third to one-half of the colony.
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