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Patterns and Dynamics of Shorebird Use of California's Central Valley

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Patterns and Dynamics of Shorebird Use of California's Central Valley The Condor 1”0:227-244 Q The Cooper Omitholog~cal Soaety 1998 PATTERNS AND DYNAMICS OF SHOREBIRD USE OF CALIFORNIAS’ CENTRAL VALLEY ’ W. DAVID SHUFORD, GARY W. PAGE AND JANET E. KJELMYR Point ReyesBird Observatory,4990 ShorelineHighway, StinsonBeach, CA 94970, e-mail: [email protected] Abstract. Surveys of California’s Central Valley between 1992-1995 documentit as one of the most important regions in western North America to migratory and wintering shore- birds. Populationsaveraged 134,000 individuals in August, 211,000 in November, 303,000 in January, and 335,000 in April. Of 33 species, the 10 or 11 that averaged over 1,000 individuals each seasonaccounted for 99% of total numbers.Managed wetlands,agricultural fields (especially rice), and agriculturalevaporation ponds held the most shorebirds.Species varied their seasonal,geographic, and habitat use of the Central Valley, primarily in response to changesin water availability from rainfall or managementpractices and latitudinal vari- ation in habitat availability mediated, in part, by climate. In the record rainfall year of 1994- 1995, shorebird numbers increased 74% between November and January, primarily from coast-to-interior movements of the Dunlin (Cafidris alpina) and Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromusscolopaceus) and local habitat shifts of Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus).Al- though the Valley’s shorebirdsface threats from poor or toxic water quality, changing ag- ricultural practices,and habitat loss to urbanization,they shouldbenefit from current efforts to increase flooding of rice fields and to secure a stable high quality water supply for wetlands. Development of a sound conservation strategy is crucial for the preservationof shorebird populations in the Central Valley, as this agriculturally-dominatedlandscape is among the most altered in North America and remains vulnerable to strong economic and population growth pressuresthat may impact shorebirdhabitats in the future. Kev words: conservation,distribution, habitat use, Pacz$c Flyway, ricelands,seasonal abundance,wetlands. INTRODUCTION regions as migration-staging and wintering areas North American shorebirds are primarily wet- for various species, and knowledge of species’ land-dependent species, many of which migrate population sizes, seasonal abundance patterns, long distances between breeding and wintering and habitat needs. areas. Although massive habitat alteration in this From 1988 to 1995, Point Reyes Bird Obser- century has undoubtedly reduced many shore- vatory (PRBO) conducted a large-scale census- bird populations, information indicating popu- ing program to document the number of shore- lation declines is largely anecdotal (Page and birds in specific wetlands in the western United Gill 1994) or limited to the past 25 years (Howe States. Expanding geographically, by 1992 this et al. 1989, Morrison et al. 1994). effort included California’s entire Central Valley, Concern over the effects of continued habitat which historically hosted one of the world’s loss on migrating and wintering shorebirds(My- largest concentrations of wintering waterfowl ers 1983, Senner and Howe 1984) led to the cre- and other aquatic birds (Banks and Springer ation of a system of voluntary reserves in North 1994). During the past 150 years, the Valley has and South America known as the Western Hemi- been converted into one of the most productive sphere Shorebird Reserve Network (Myers et al. agricultural areas in the world. Although over 1987, Hanington and Perry 1995). Still, much 90% of its historic wetlands have been lost basic information critical for guiding the selec- (Frayer et al. 1989, Kempka et al. 1991), it still tion of sites for inclusion in this reserve system supports about 60% of the waterfowl wintering is lacking. Key information needed for western in the Pacific Flyway and 20% of those in the North America are an overview of the relative United States (Heitmeyer et al. 1989). Current importance of specific wetlands and geographic efforts to increase wetland habitat in the Central Valley in responseto continent-wide declines of waterfowl also aim to benefit other wetland-de- ’ ’ Received 22 May 1997. Accepted30 January pendent birds, including shorebirds (U.S. Fish 1998. and Wildlife Service 1990, Streeter et al. 1993), [2271 228 W. DAVID SHUFORD ET AL but are hampered by a paucity of biological data DATA COLLECTION on most of these species. Our primary shorebird surveys of the Central Prior information on shorebird occurrence in Valley occurred from 1992 to 1995 after 6 years the Central Valley consistsprimarily of surveys of drought (1986-1987 to 1991-1992) and en- of small isolated sites (Jurek 1973, 1974), coarse compassed one dry (1993-1994) and two wet descriptions of seasonal abundance patterns and winters, including the wettest on record (67% habitat selection in the northern drainage of the above average) in 1994-1995. We tried to sur- Valley (Manolis and Tangren 1975), and studies vey all shallow-water habitat in the entire Valley of single species (e.g., Pitelka 1950). Our sur- in August 1992, 1993, and 1994; November veys of most wetland and other shallow-water 1993 and 1994; late January to mid-February habitat in the Central Valley from 1992 to 1995 (hereafter January) 1993, 1994, 1995; and April provide an overview of the overall abundance, 1992, 1993, and 1994. We also made supple- geographic distribution, and habitat use of mental surveys of selected subregions of the shorebirdsthroughout this region and document Valley that documented (1) high shorebird num- its continent-wide importance to migrating and bers in the Grasslands wetlands of the San Joa- wintering shorebirds. We also examine future quin Basin in April 1991 during a period of de- threats to shorebird habitat to evaluate the po- layed draw-down of water in duck clubs, (2) tential of the Central Valley to remain a key high shorebird numbers in the Tulare Basin in staging and wintering area for shorebirds. April 1995 after an unusually wet winter, and METHODS (3) numbers of Wilson’s Phalaropes(Phalaropus tricolor) in the Tulare Basin in late July 1990, STUDY AREA 1993, 1994, and 1995, during the peak period of The Central Valley, surrounded by mountains their migration (Jehl 1988). except for its western drainage into San Fran- Reliance on aerial versus ground surveys var- cisco Bay, averages about 644 km long and 64 ied by region and habitat to obtain the most ac- km wide (Fig. 1). It is divided into the Sacra- curate counts while accommodating logistical mento Valley, draining southward, the San Joa- restraints. Aerial counts were the primary meth- quin Valley, draining northward, and the Sacra- od used for large expanses of flooded agricul- mento-San Joaquin River Delta (hereafter Delta) tural lands, which varied greatly in size season- where these rivers converge. The Sacramento Valley is further divided into the Colusa, Butte, ally and annually, and for other areas inacces- Sutter, American, and Yolo drainage basins, and sible on the ground. They were the primary cen- the San Joaquin Valley is divided into the San sus method for the SacramentoValley and Delta, Joaquin Basin and, the usually closed, Tulare although we regularly undertook ground counts Basin. Heitmeyer et al. (1989) described the on all federal and state wildlife areas and a few physiography and extent of historical and recent private wetlands and sewage ponds. We relied wetlands and croplands by subregion of the Val- on ground counts for all wetlands in the San ley, and Moore et al. (1990) and Chilcott and Joaquin Valley, except for the southern Tulare Johnson (1991), respectively, provided infor- Basin, where we used aerial surveys for private mation on agricultural evaporation ponds and wetlands and flooded agricultural fields. sewage ponds, two other shorebirdhabitats. Pre- Ground counts were conductedby skilled vol- cipitation in the watershed falls primarily from unteers, agency personnel, and project staff and October through April, as rain on the valley were timed to coincide closely with aerial floor and foothills and snow in the higher moun- counts. Aerial counts were conducted by G. tains. Chico, in the northern Sacramento Valley, Page and D. Shuford, primarily from a Cessna has average temperatures of 24.7”C in August 172 flown at about 130 km ht-’ mostly from 15 and 7.1”C in January and an average annual to 60 m above the ground. Counts made from rainfall of 65.9 cm, whereas Bakersfield, in the opposite sides of the plane were summed to ob- southern San Joaquin Valley, has average tem- tain totals. We used maps of the entire survey peratures of 28.O”C in August and 9.o”C in Jan- region divided into many small subareas and uary and an average rainfall of 14.5 cm (Na- worked opportunistically back and forth be- tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tween known landmarks to cover all habitat in 1982). each subareabefore moving to the next. We flew CENTRAL VALLEY SHOREBIRDS 229 BUll-E BASIN COLUSA BASI MERICAN BASIN Study Area Shaded in Grey SUISUN MARSH) _E SAN JOAQUIN BASIN TULARE BASIN Scale - I Kilometers 100 0 100 1 -_ Miles 50 0 50 1 : 2800000 FIGURE 1. Map of the drainage basins of California’s Central Valley. multiple parallel abutting transects over larger project staff within a day of aerial counts to re- bodies of water and single passes over small fine aerial numbers, particularly by providing ra- wetlands and sewage ponds. Occasionally we tios for species of small sandpipers (Western made repeat passes to obtain better counts or Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, and Dunlin; see Ta- confirm species identifications. An important ble 2 for scientific names) not distinguishable supplement to the aerial counts, particularly in from the air. the Sacramento Valley and Delta, were ground Extensive discussionswith numerous field bi- counts at sites, varying from census to census, ologists, coupled with overflights of most of the where large concentrations of shorebirds were Valley, convinced us that our surveys covered located from the air.
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