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Evaluation of Pinyon Removal Effects Evaluation of Pinyon Removal Effects Typical of a Wildland-Urban Interface Fuels Reduction Project, Mono County, California: Avian Monitoring Component at Rancheria Gulch, 2008. Colin Woolley Stella S. Moss November 2008 PRBO Conservation Science 3820 Cypress Drive #11 Petaluma, CA 94954 707-781-2555 www.prbo.org PRBO Contribution # 1653 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ……...…………….…………………………………………………………………… 1 INTRODUCTION ……..……………….………………….……………………………………………………… 2 METHODS ……...……..……………………………..………………………………………………………… 3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ……..…………...………………………………………………………………… 10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……...………………………………………………………………………………… 19 LITERATURE CITED ………………..…………………………………………………………………………… 22 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Nest searching plot names, codes, number of census days ..…...………………………..……………... 6 Table 2. Point count cluster names… number of points, and dates of censuses ….………..……..……..……... 7 Table 3. Species categories used in species richness, diversity and abundance analysis ..……………………... 8 Table 4. Listed species detected at Rancheria Gulch, 2005 ‐ 2008 ……………………….…………………… 10 Table 5. California Partners In Flight …Bird Conservation Plan focal species detected .....…………………… 12 Table 6. Number of territories per hectare for territorial birds, by plot …………….......……………………… 13 Table 7. Total number of detections within 100m … at …point count stations ..………………………………… 14 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Rancheria Gulch study area, 2008 ..…..……………………………………………………..………… 3 Figure 2. Study Plots at Rancheria Gulch, 2005 ‐ 20078 ..………………………………………..………..……… 5 Figure 3. Breeding bird species richness… ……………………………………………….……………………… 16 Figure 4. Breeding bird species abundance… ………………………………………….………………………… 16 Figure 5. Breeding bird diversity … …………………………………….……………………………………. 17 LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A. Point Count Locations, UTM Nad83, Zone 11, Rancheria Gulch, 2008 ……….……………… 22 Appendix C. Breeding status for all species detected on study plots at Rancheria Gulch, 2005 ‐ 2008 ………. 23 Rancheria Gulch Pinyon Removal Effects Study: Avian Monitoring Component, 2008. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In 2008, PRBO Conservation Science (PRBO) completed the fourth field season of avian studies associated with the Joint Fire Sciences Program funded study “Evaluation of Pinyon Removal Effects Typical of a Wildland‐Urban Interface Fuels Reduction Project, Mono County, CA.” 2008 was the second post treatment season. We determined avian use of the study plots during surveys conducted from May 5th through July 14th, 2008. We ranked breeding status for 83 species encountered in the study area. 13 of these are listed on one or more species of concern lists. In 2008, 11 and 8 species held territories on the treatment and control plots respectively. Treatment plot density more than doubled from the first year after treatment (2007) to the second year after treatment (2008). In 2008 Green‐tailed Towhees, Chipping Sparrow and Brewer’s Sparrow were the highest density breeders on the treatment plot. New species holding territories on the treatment plot in 2008 were Mountain Bluebird and Black‐headed Grossbeak. Green‐tailed Towhee density almost doubled in 2008 on the treatment plot but decreased slightly on the control plot. Blue‐ gray Gnatcatchers were the densest breeding species on the control plots, density stayed the same on the treatment plot. Brewer’s Sparrow density increased significantly in 2008 on the treatment plots, but is still lower than post treatment levels. Green‐tailed Towhee, Spotted Towhee and Brewer’s Sparrow were the most abundant species detected by point counts from 2005‐2008. Green‐tailed Towhee detections on the treatment plots in 2008 were the highest (40). Spotted Towhee had the next highest detections with an average of 13 individuals on the control plots and 7 on the treatment plots. Mountain Chickadee detections dropped drastically in 2008 on the treatment plots. There was no change in species richness for pinyon, sage or generalist nesting species between pre treatment (2005 – 2006) and post treatment (2007 and 2008) years. Species richness was highest for pinyon‐breeding species throughout all four years of the study. In all years there were at least twice as many pinyon‐associated species as there were sage‐associated species. Detections of sage‐associated species were highest in 2008. 1 Rancheria Gulch Pinyon Removal Effects Study: Avian Monitoring Component, 2008. INTRODUCTION The spring and summer of 2008 was the fourth field season of avian studies associated with the Joint Fire Sciences Program funded study “Evaluation of Pinyon Removal Effects Typical of a Wildland‐Urban Interface (WUI) Fuels Reduction Project Mono Basin, CA” (Removal Study; USDI 2005). Managers from the Bureau of Land Management, Bishop Field Office, California (BLM) and research scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center (USGS) collaborated with PRBO Conservation Science (PRBO) to conduct the avian component of the Removal Study. The Removal Study has undergone changes in design every year since its inception (see USDI, 2006). The bird monitoring component has adjusted accordingly (see Woolley and Heath 2005, Heath and Moss 2006).The primary objective of the bird monitoring component of the Removal Study is to investigate the effects of the mosaic of pinyon pine thinning treatments on sagebrush and pinyon woodland breeding birds. Pinyon thinning treatments were conducted in fall of 2006. Data collected in 2005 and 2006 describe bird use of the site during pre‐treatment years, while data collected in 2007 and 2008 describe post‐treatment bird use of the site. We used standardized survey methods to determine avian use of the study site, including bird species abundance, territorial density, nest survivorship and vegetation characteristics associated with nest sites and breeding bird abundance in 2005 ‐ 2006. In 2007 and 2008, due to changes in treatment design (e.g. treatment plot acreage was greatly reduced), we only implemented methods to determine territorial density, bird indices of richness, diversity and abundance and associated vegetation characteristics (see below). 2 Rancheria Gulch Pinyon Removal Effects Study: Avian Monitoring Component, 2008. METHODS Study Area The study area was located at Rancheria Gulch, Mono County, California (38° 04’ 03” N, ‐119° 06’ 37” W, Figure 1). Located ca. 6 km north of Mono Lake and on the southern slopes of the Bodie Hills, this site was characterized by pinyon pine woodland with a few sporadic Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma). The woodland merged into sagebrush as elevation decreased. Dominant shrub species included mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata). Herbaceous cover was primarily bottlebrush squirreltail (Elymus elymoides), needlegrass (Achnatherum spp.), and basin wildrye (Leymus cinereus). Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) was distributed in low abundance throughout the site, primarily located under the shade of pinyon trees or shrubs. Figure 1. Rancheria Gulch study area, 2008. 3 Rancheria Gulch Pinyon Removal Effects Study: Avian Monitoring Component, 2008. Study Design The Removal Study has undergone changes in design every year since its inception. The bird monitoring component has adjusted accordingly. See Wolley and Heath 2005 and Heath and Moss 2006 for history of study design changes. In 2008, we focused on comparing measures of bird density, abundance and richness between treated and untreated areas and between pre and post treatment years via territory mapping and point counts. We used the same methods as in 2007. These methods are described in detail below. 4 Rancheria Gulch Pinyon Removal Effects Study: Avian Monitoring Component, 2008. Figure 2. Study Plots at Rancheria Gulch, 2005 ‐2008. Detail of area delineated by red box in Figure 1. Treatment areas and nest searching plots represent initial study design. Of the three treatment clusters, only the north and central clusters were treated in fall 2006. The pale blue circle and polygon indicate plots where we continued territory mapping in 2007 and 2008. All point count locations were revisited in 2008. 5 Rancheria Gulch Pinyon Removal Effects Study: Avian Monitoring Component, 2008. Spot Mapping In 2008 PRBO biologists conducted spot mapping at one treatment plot (RATB) and one control plot (RACA) (pale blue circle and polygon, Figure 2, Table 1). We only present spot mapping data derived from these two plots in this report. The same biologists mapped all territorial individuals during each visit to the plot, following guidelines discussed in Ralph et al. (1993) and International Bird Census Committee recommendations (Robbins 1970). At the end of the field season, daily spot maps were combined into single territory maps for each breeding species at each plot and number of territories per plot was determined. Locations of transient species were noted to document their presence on the plots. Table 1. Spotmapping plot names, codes, size, number of census days, hours and range of census dates at Rancheria Gulch, 2008. Plot Number Number of Plot size of Census Plot Code (ha) Census Dates Censuses Hours Rancheria Gulch Treatment B RATB 25 May 5 – Jul. 14 10 32 Rancheria Gulch Control A RACA 25 May 7 – Jul. 6 9 29 Totals 19 61 Point Counts PRBO biologists, familiar with songs and calls of birds in the area, conducted all point count censuses. We censused one or two clusters of 3 ‐4 points per morning. Points were spaced at least 250m from one another. We visited all
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