Best Management Practices for Species of Significance in Stanley Park
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Best Management Practices for Species of Significance in Stanley Park Submitted to: Alan Duncan, Vancouver Park Board Submitted by: Robyn Worcester and Brian Titaro, Stanley Park Ecology Society Date: 12 June, 2012 Acknowledgments Authors: Robyn Worcester, Dipl. Tech., B.Sc, RPBio - Conservation Programs Manager, Stanley Park Ecology Society Brian Titaro, B.E.S, EPt - Conservation Technician, Stanley Park Ecology Society Editors: Leora Fenner, Louise Pedersen and Patricia Thomson Funding Support: Peer Review: Abby Schwarz Laurence Brown Bruce Cousens Maria Morlin Carlene Lee Mark White Caroline Astley Melissa Todd Carmen Cardin Michael Price Dalyce Epp Michael Chutter Dick Cannings Pontus Lindgren Elizabeth Elle Peter Woods Elke Wind Ralph Wells Erin Rutherford Rob Cannings Isabelle Aube Roy Teo Jennifer Heron Sandie Hollick Kenyon Karen Barry Sheila Byers Karen Needham Susan Leech Kiyoshi Takashashi Terry Taylor Krista Englund ZoAnn Morten Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 Background ..................................................................................................................................................... 1 Project Summary ............................................................................................................................................ 2 Goal ................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Objectives ....................................................................................................................................................... 3 Project Work Plan ........................................................................................................................................... 3 Key Staff and Project Partners ........................................................................................................................ 4 Methodology .................................................................................................................................................. 4 2.0 Species at Risk .................................................................................................. 5 Band-tailed Pigeon ......................................................................................................................................... 6 Barn Swallow .................................................................................................................................................. 9 Blue Dasher ................................................................................................................................................... 13 Johnson’s Hairstreak ..................................................................................................................................... 18 Pacific Water Shrew...................................................................................................................................... 22 Western Screech-Owl ................................................................................................................................... 26 Olive-sided Flycatcher .................................................................................................................................. 30 Surf Scoter .................................................................................................................................................... 33 Purple Martin................................................................................................................................................ 37 Ecosystems at Risk ........................................................................................................................................ 42 3.0 Keystone Species ............................................................................................ 51 American Beaver .......................................................................................................................................... 52 4.0 Nesting Bald Eagles ........................................................................................ 56 Nesting Bald Eagles ....................................................................................................................................... 57 5.0 Rare species ................................................................................................... 65 Vancouver Feather-duster ............................................................................................................................ 66 Round-leaved Sundew .................................................................................................................................. 69 Marbled Murrelet ......................................................................................................................................... 72 6.0 Locally Declining Populations ......................................................................... 76 Small Owls .................................................................................................................................................... 77 Amphibians ................................................................................................................................................... 80 Reptiles ......................................................................................................................................................... 87 Bats ............................................................................................................................................................... 92 Cavity Nesting Birds ...................................................................................................................................... 98 Native Insect Pollinators ............................................................................................................................. 104 Salmonids ................................................................................................................................................... 109 7.0 Migratory Birds ............................................................................................. 113 Waterfowl ................................................................................................................................................... 114 Shorebirds ................................................................................................................................................... 123 Coots and Rails ........................................................................................................................................... 130 Songbirds .................................................................................................................................................... 134 Bitterns and Herons .................................................................................................................................... 147 Loons and Grebes ....................................................................................................................................... 153 Gulls and Terns ........................................................................................................................................... 158 8.0 References .................................................................................................... 164 List of Figures Figure 1: Map of ecological communities at risk. .................................................................................................. 48 Figure 2: Diagram of pond-levelling device currently installed in Beaver Lake. ................................................... 55 Figure 3: Waterfowl identification poster. .......................................................................................................... 115 Figure 4: Total number of water birds seen along the Stanley Park shoreline . ................................................. 120 Figure 5: Total number of birds seen during monthly bird counts at Beaver Lake and Lost Lagoon . ................ 121 Figure 6: Breeding bird survey locations in Stanley Park. ................................................................................... 138 Figure 7: Merlin Silhouette to use in the prevention of songbird collision. ........................................................ 146 Figure 8: Loon abundance along the Stanley Park seawall ................................................................................ 156 Figure 9: Grebe abundance along the Stanley Park seawall .............................................................................. 156 List of Tables Table 1: Ecological Communities (site associations) at risk in Stanley Park. ......................................................... 42 Table 2: Stanley Park bald eagle pair nesting productivity records. ..................................................................... 62 Table 3: Cavity excavator nest tree and hole descriptions. ................................................................................. 100 Table 4: Songbird species on record for Stanley Park. ........................................................................................ 142 1.0 Introduction Background On May 6, 2010, Vancouver Park Board