Agelaius Tricolor) As Endangered Under the California Endangered Species Act and Request for Emergency Action to Protect the Species

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Agelaius Tricolor) As Endangered Under the California Endangered Species Act and Request for Emergency Action to Protect the Species BEFORE THE CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME COMMISSION A Petition to List the Tricolored Blackbird (Agelaius tricolor) as Endangered under the California Endangered Species Act and Request for Emergency Action to Protect the Species tricolor blackbird, Agelaius tricolor, Dave Menke, USFWS August 19, 2015 i Petition to list the Tricolored Blackbird as Endangered With Emergency Regulations Notice of Petition For action pursuant to Section 670.1, Title 14, California Code of Regulations (CCR) and Sections 2072 and 2073 of the Fish and Game Code relating to listing and delisting endangered and threatened species of plants and animals. I. SPECIES BEING PETITIONED: Common Name: Tricolored Blackbird (Agelaius tricolor) II. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Immediate Listing as Endangered with Emergency Regulations The Center for Biological Diversity submits this petition to list the Tricolored Blackbird (Agelaius tricolor) as endangered throughout its range in California, under the California Endangered Species Act (California Fish and Game Code §§ 2050 et seq., “CESA”). This petition demonstrates that the Tricolored Blackbird clearly warrants listing under CESA based on the factors specified in the statute. This petition provides identical information as contained in the Center’s 2014 petition with the addition of an addendum providing new research. III. AUTHORS OF PETITION: Name: Lisa Belenky, Senior Attorney, Center for Biological Diversity, and Monica Bond, Wild Nature Institute Address: 1212 Broadway, Suite 800, Oakland, CA 94612 Phone: 510-844-7107 Fax: 415‐436‐9683 Email: [email protected] I hereby certify that, to the best of my knowledge, all statements made in this petition are true and complete. Signature: _________________ Date: August 19, 2015 August 19, 2015 ii Petition to list the Tricolored Blackbird as Endangered With Emergency Regulations Table of Contents Executive Summary .........................................................................................................................1 Procedural History ...........................................................................................................................4 The CESA Listing Process and Standard for Acceptance of a Petition ...........................................5 1.0 Population Status and Trend ......................................................................................................6 1.1 Historical Population Estimates ...................................................................................8 1.2 Recent Population Estimates......................................................................................11 1.3 Summary ....................................................................................................................13 2.0. Range and Distribution ..........................................................................................................17 2.1 Species’ Range ...........................................................................................................17 2.2 Historical Distribution ...............................................................................................19 2.3 Current Distribution ...................................................................................................20 3.0 Abundance ...............................................................................................................................23 3.1 Historical Abundance.................................................................................................23 3.2 Current Abundance ...................................................................................................24 4.0 Life History ............................................................................................................................25 4.1 Species Description ....................................................................................................26 4.2 Taxonomy and Population Genetics ..........................................................................27 4.3 Reproduction and Growth ..........................................................................................28 4.4 Diet and Foraging Ecology ........................................................................................28 4.5 Mortality and Population Regulation .........................................................................30 5.0 Kind of Habitat Necessary for Survival .................................................................................30 6.0 Factors Affecting the Ability to Survive and Reproduce .......................................................36 6.1 Present or Threatened Destruction, Modification, or Curtailment of Habitat or Range ....................................................................................................37 August 19, 2015 iii Petition to list the Tricolored Blackbird as Endangered With Emergency Regulations 6.1.1 Destruction of Native Habitats ....................................................................37 6.1.2 Colony Destruction by Agricultural Activities ...........................................38 6.1.3 Destruction of Other Suitable Upland Breeding Substrates and Surrounding Habitats ................................................................................41 6.2 Inadequacy of Existing Regulatory Mechanisms ......................................................41 6.3 Overutilization for Commercial, Recreational, Scientific, or Educational Purposes 42 6.4 Disease or Predation ..................................................................................................42 6.5 Other Natural or Anthropogenic Factors ...................................................................44 6.5.1 Storms and Droughts..................................................................................44 6.5.2 Poisons and Contaminants .........................................................................45 6.5.3 Killing Blackbirds for Crop Protection ......................................................47 6.5.4 Allee Effect of Small Population Size .......................................................48 7.0 Degree and Immediacy of Threat and Request for Emergency Action ................................49 7.1 Degree and Immediacy of the Threat...........................................................................49 7.2 Request for Emergency Action ....................................................................................50 8.0 Impacts of Existing Management Efforts ...............................................................................50 8.1 Silage Buy-outs and Harvest Delays..........................................................................50 8.2 Tricolored Blackbird Working Group and Conservation Plan ..................................53 9.0 Recommended Future Management and Recovery Actions .................................................54 10.0 Availability and Sources of Information ..............................................................................57 11.0 Detailed Distribution Map ...................................................................................................61 August 19, 2015 iv Petition to list the Tricolored Blackbird as Endangered With Emergency Regulations Executive Summary The Tricolored Blackbird (“Tricolor;” Agelaius tricolor) is a colonial-nesting passerine largely endemic to California. It forms the largest colonies of any passerine in North America since the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius, Bent 1958). Colonially nesting birds are particularly vulnerable to extinction because a small number of colonies can include a large proportion of the population; thus human activities can have catastrophic effects by killing adults or chicks or destroying habitat (Cook and Toft 2005). Such was the fate of the colonial Passenger Pigeon, Carolina Parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis), and Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis) and will be the fate of the Tricolored Blackbird if immediate action is not taken. As scientists working with the Tricolored Blackbird noted, early actions are needed to protect colonial bird species from rapid collapse. “Surely the legacy of Passenger Pigeon should be our understanding of how such extinctions can occur rapidly in extremely abundant organisms because of non-linear population dynamics and thresholds caused by inverse density dependence. Failure to address the impact of habitat and human activities on reproductive success of Tricolored Blackbird may again lead to the extinction of a once-abundant bird.” (Cook and Toft 2005:86.) Tricolored blackbird populations are declining at an alarming rate in large part due to the direct loss and degradation of habitat from human activities. This includes historical market hunting of blackbirds, poisonings and shootings to protect crops from blackbirds, pesticide use, and harvest of grain crops grown for dairy silage and other agricultural grain crops and routine plowing of weedy fields throughout most of its range during nesting season. For example, every year, thousands of Tricolors, often entire colonies of tens of thousands of birds representing the largest known colonies in a given year, nest unsuccessfully on agricultural lands because their eggs and nests are destroyed during harvest or weed abatement activities (Beedy and Hamilton 1999, Hamilton 2004, Cook and Toft 2005, Meese 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009a, 2011). The concentration of most of the known Tricolor
Recommended publications
  • Revised Section 4.6 Biological Resources Draft Environmental
    Revised Section 4.6 Biological Resources Draft Environmental Impact Report SCH No. 2002091081 Prepared for: City of Santa Clarita Department of Planning & Building Services 23920 Valencia Boulevard, Suite 302 Santa Clarita, California 91355 Prepared by: Impact Sciences, Inc. 30343 Canwood Street, Suite 210 Agoura Hills, California 91301 March 2004 Revised Section 4.6 Biological Resources Draft Environmental Impact Report SCH No. 2002091081 Prepared for: City of Santa Clarita Department of Planning & Building Services 23920 Valencia Boulevard, Suite 302 Santa Clarita, California 91355 Prepared by: Impact Sciences, Inc. 30343 Canwood Street, Suite 210 Agoura Hills, California 91301 March 2004 Table of Contents Volume I: Environmental Impact Report Section Page Introduction....................................................................................................................I-1 Executive Summary ......................................................................................................ES-1 1.0 Project Description....................................................................................................... 1.0-1 2.0 Environmental and Regulatory Setting......................................................................... 2.0-1 3.0 Cumulative Impact Analysis Methodology .................................................................. 3.0-1 4.0 Environmental Impact Analyses................................................................................... 4.0-1 4.1 Geotechnical Hazards..........................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority (RCA) Annual Report to the Wildlife Agencies
    Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan Biological Monitoring Program 2016 Tricolored Blackbird (Agelaius tricolor) Survey Report 22 August 2017 2016 Tricolored Blackbird Survey Report TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 1 BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................... 1 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................... 3 METHODS ............................................................................................................................ 3 TRAINING ...................................................................................................................................... 4 DATA ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT ........................................................................................... 4 RESULTS ............................................................................................................................. 6 CORE AREAS ................................................................................................................................. 6 OTHER LOCATIONS ....................................................................................................................... 6 DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • 03-23-21 Condemnation of Real Property-Ave J On
    STATE ROUTE 14 (STATE ROUTE 138)/ AVENUE J INTERCHANGE IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT CITY OF LANCASTER, LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CALIFORNIA District 7-LA-14 (SR-138)-PM R67.3/68.3 EA 31620 – EFIS 0715000198 Initial Study Mitigated Negative Declaration Prepared by the State of California Department of Transportation April 2019 SCH: 2018091018 MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION Pursuant to Division 13, State of California Public Resources Code Project Description: The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), in cooperation with the City of Lancaster (City) and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), propose to modify and improve the operational capacity of the State Route 14 (SR-14) (State Route 138 [SR- 138])/Avenue J interchange, and supporting roadways, in the City of Lancaster, California. Caltrans is the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) lead agency for the project. The proposed SR-14 (SR-138)/Avenue J Interchange Improvements project proposes to improve capacity at the existing interchange and local roadway operations on Avenue J between 15th Street West and 25th Street West. The proposed project will help reduce congestion, enhance operational capacity, improve local circulation of traffic, improve wayfinding, and provide multi- modal facilities in the form of bikeways and sidewalks. Determination: Caltrans has prepared an Initial Study (IS) for this project, and following public review, has determined from this study that the proposed project would not have a significant effect on the environment for the following reasons: The proposed project will have no impact on agricultural and forestry resources, mineral resources, or public services. The proposed project will have less than significant impacts on aesthetics, air quality, cultural resources, hazards and hazardous materials, geology and soils, hydrology and water quality, land use and planning, population and housing, noise and vibration, recreation, transportation/traffic, tribal cultural resources, or utilities.
    [Show full text]
  • Point Mugu INRMP EA
    Final Environmental Assessment for the Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Point Mugu, California Prepared For DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY Mr. Thomas Keeney, Natural Resources Manager NBVC Point Mugu, Environmental Division Point Mugu, California Prepared By: TETRA TECH EM INC. February 2002 Final Environmental Assessment for the Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Point Mugu, California RESPONSIBLE AGENCY: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY Proposed Action: Implementation of the 2002 INRMP for NBVC Point Mugu, Ventura County, California Point of Contact: Mr. Thomas Keeney Naval Air Station Point Mugu Environmental Division Code 833210E Point Mugu, CA 93042-5001 (805) 989-3808 Abstract: Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Point Mugu proposes to implement an Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) consistent with the military use of the property and the goals and objectives of the Sikes Act Improvement Act (SAIA) (16 U.S. C. 670a et seq) of 1997. The intent of the INRMP is to implement an ecosystem-based conservation program that provides for conservation and enhancement of natural resources in a manner that is consistent with the military mission, that integrates and coordinates all natural resources management activities, that provides for sustainable multipurpose uses of natural resources, and that provides public access for the use of natural resources subject to safety and military security considerations. The EA considers two management alternatives: the Proposed Action and No Action Alternative. Because the No Action Alternative does not fulfill statutory requirements under the SAIA for ecosystem-based, long-term natural resource planning, the No Action Alternative was rejected.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecology and Management of Red-Winged Blackbirds
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln USDA National Wildlife Research Center - Staff U.S. Department of Agriculture: Animal and Publications Plant Health Inspection Service 2017 Ecology and Management of Red-Winged Blackbirds George M. Linz USDA/APHIS/WS National Wildlife Research Center, [email protected] Page E. Klug USDA/APHIS/WS National Wildlife Research Center, [email protected] Richard A. Dolbeer Wildlife Services Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdm_usdanwrc Part of the Life Sciences Commons Linz, George M.; Klug, Page E.; and Dolbeer, Richard A., "Ecology and Management of Red-Winged Blackbirds" (2017). USDA National Wildlife Research Center - Staff Publications. 1983. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdm_usdanwrc/1983 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the U.S. Department of Agriculture: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in USDA National Wildlife Research Center - Staff Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. CHAPTER 2 Ecology and Management of Red-Winged Blackbirds George M. Linz and Page E. Klug National Wildlife Research Center Bismarck. North Dakota Richard A. Dolbeer Wildlife Services Sandusky. Ohio CONTENTS 2.1 Taxonomy ............................................................................................................................... 19 2.2 Breeding Biology
    [Show full text]
  • Santa Clara County Tricolored Blackbird Nesting and Foraging Monitoring Project 2017-2018 Final Report
    Santa Clara County Tricolored Blackbird Nesting and Foraging Monitoring Project 2017-2018 Final Report Final Report Prepared for: California Department of Fish and Wildlife & Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency Prepared by: Ryan Phillips, Andrew Bradshaw, Katie Smith and Claire Ackland Talon Ecological Research Group 421 N. 19th Street San Jose, California 95112 Contact: Ryan Phillips Email: [email protected] Prepared on: September 2019 ABSTRACT During 2017 and 2018, Talon Ecological Research Group (Talon) conducted a comprehensive survey of Tricolored Blackbirds (Agelaius tricolor) throughout Santa Clara County. Financial support for this project was provided by a Natural Community Conservation Program Local Assistance Grant with a matching grant from the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency. The goal of the project was to determine the breeding status of the species and better understand their local ecology. Tricolored blackbirds have declined at an alarming rate throughout their range. Recent surveys have shown an 80% decline over the past 90 years and a 63% decline between 2008 and 2014. Within the past 40 years, seven historical nesting colonies were recorded in Santa Clara County. Talon monitoring during the 2017 breeding season found only two of those seven sites had nesting Tricolored Blackbirds. This is a 71.4% decline of nesting colonies in Santa Clara County. This study found that 29 sites had adequate breeding habitat. However, only 4 of those 29 sites (9%) had Tricolored Blackbirds present. Two historic sites and one newly identified site (75% of occupied sites) successfully fledged young in 2017. Two nesting colonies were located on private property (Del Puerto Canyon Road and Highway 130 in San Antonio Valley) and one on public property (Cañada de Los Osos Ecological Reserve).
    [Show full text]
  • Life History Trade-Offs Between Longevity and Immunity in the Parasitic Brown-Headed Cowbird? D
    8 The Open Evolution Journal, 2011, 5, 8-13 Open Access Life History Trade-Offs Between Longevity and Immunity in the Parasitic Brown-Headed Cowbird? D. Caldwell Hahn* and Graham W. Smith USGS-Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD 20708-4039, USA Abstract: Life history theory predicts evolutionary trade-offs between investing in immune defense and other traits. We investigated whether reduced longevity was associated with increased investment in immunity in an avian brood parasite, the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater). Previously we had found that the brown-headed cowbird was unusually re- sistant to infection with West Nile virus and other pathogenic arboviruses when compared with three closely related spe- cies in the same Family, Icteridae, the New World blackbirds. In this study, we hypothesized that the cowbird’s more ef- fective immune responses may be associated with a trade-off in somatic maintenance that results in a shorter lifespan. We measured lifespan using the North American bird banding database and compared the lifespan of the cowbird with the lifespan of red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) and Brewer’s blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus), two related species whose immune defenses were previously found less effective against West Nile virus. The cowbird lifespan was significantly shorter than those of both the red-winged blackbird and Brewer’s blackbird. We also found that both male and female cowbirds had a shorter lifespan than the males and females in the two non-parasitic blackbird species. These data suggest that the brown-headed cowbird is a good study species for examining the trade-offs between immunity and longevity.
    [Show full text]
  • ND07-02 J Newbrey
    Technical Report No: ND07-2 WEST NILE VIRUS ANTIBODIES IN FREE-LIVING NORTH DAKOTA ICTERIDS by Jennifer L. Newbrey Wendy L. Reed Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota June 2007 North Dakota Water Resources Research Institute North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota Technical Report No: ND07-2 WEST NILE VIRUS ANTIBODIES IN FREE-LIVING NORTH DAKOTA ICTERIDS by Jennifer L. Newbrey1 Wendy L. Reed2 1WRRI Graduate Research Fellow, 2Assistant Professor Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota June 2007 The work upon which this report is based was supported in part by federal funds provided by the United States of Department of Interior in the form of ND WRRI Graduate Research Fellowship for the graduate student through the North Dakota Water Resources Research Institute. Contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the US Department of Interior, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute their endorsement or recommendation for use by the US government. Project Period: 03/01/04 – 02/28/06 Project Number: 2004ND46B North Dakota Water Resources Research Institute Director: G. Padmanabhan North Dakota State University Fargo, North Dakota 58105 ii Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS.......................................................................................................iii LIST OF FIGURES ...............................................................................................................iv
    [Show full text]
  • Red-Winged Blackbird Agelaius Phoeniceus Probably No Bird Is More Common in Freshwater Marshes Across North America Than the Red-Winged Blackbird
    New World Blackbirds and Orioles — Family Icteridae 555 Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus Probably no bird is more common in freshwater marshes across North America than the Red-winged Blackbird. Even San Diego County, in spite of the aridity of its climate, has enough wetlands to sup- port the Red-winged as a common if localized per- manent resident. Creation of reservoirs has created new blackbird habitat, and the birds’ gathering in large flocks in winter gives the impression that they are doing well. But breeding Redwings need open uplands for foraging as well as marshes for nesting. Urbanization eliminates this habitat, and the black- birds’ retreat from development is already evident in San Diego. Photo by Anthony Mercieca Breeding distribution: Though most characteristic of freshwater marshes, the Red-winged Blackbird takes south to Otay Mesa (up to 375 at Upper Otay Lake and advantage of small isolated creeks, scattered ranch ponds, north end of Lower Otay Lake, T13, 14 April 2000, T. W. and thick stands of mustard. As a result, it is widely dis- Dorman). tributed over San Diego County’s coastal slope, recorded As long as habitat is available, the Red-winged Blackbird as at least a possibly breeding species in 78% of atlas does not appear limited in San Diego County by eleva- squares outside the Anza–Borrego Desert and confirmed tion; it nests up to 5400 feet in Laguna Meadow (O23; 60, nesting in 58% of them. Gaps correspond mainly to rug- including fledglings being fed by adults, 24 July 1998, E. ged terrain covered largely by chaparral, such as Aguanga C.
    [Show full text]
  • Agelaius Tricolor) in CALIFORNIA
    STATE OF CALIFORNIA NATURAL RESOURCES AGENCY DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE REPORT TO THE FISH AND GAME COMMISSION A STATUS REVIEW OF THE TRICOLORED BLACKBIRD (Agelaius tricolor) IN CALIFORNIA CHARLTON H. BONHAM, DIRECTOR CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE February 2018 Status Review of the Tricolored Blackbird in California California Department of Fish and Wildlife—February 2018 Table of Contents LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................................ v LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................................................. v LIST OF APPENDICES .................................................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................................................. vii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................. 1 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK .......................................................................................................................... 6 Petition Evaluation Process....................................................................................................................... 6 Status Review Overview...........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • KERN RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD (Agelaius Phoeniceus Aciculatus) Terri Gallion
    II SPECIES ACCOUNTS Andy Birch PDF of Kern Red-winged Blackbird account from: Shuford, W. D., and Gardali, T., editors. 2008. California Bird Species of Special Concern: A ranked assessment of species, subspecies, and distinct populations of birds of immediate conservation concern in California. Studies of Western Birds 1. Western Field Ornithologists, Camarillo, California, and California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento. Studies of Western Birds No. 1 KERN RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD (Agelaius phoeniceus aciculatus) Terri Gallion Criteria Scores Population Trend 5 Range Trend 0 Population Size 7.5 Range Size 10 Endemism 10 Population Concentration 5 Threats 10 Inyo County Tulare County Kings County Kern County Breeding Range County Boundaries Water Bodies Kilometers 30 15 0 30 Breeding, and perhaps primary year-round, range of the Kern Red-winged Blackbird, a California endemic. Restricted to the Kern River Valley and the Walker Basin of east-central Kern County, where the general outline of the range remains intact but numbers have declined at least slightly. 432 Studies of Western Birds 1:432–436, 2008 Species Accounts California Bird Species of Special Concern SPECIAL CONCERN PRIORITY of the Kern River; Bodfish; and the Walker Basin (Mailliard 1915a, b; van Rossem 1926; Grinnell Currently considered a Bird Species of Special and Miller 1944). Mailliard (1915a) described this Concern (year round), priority 2. Not included on subspecies as limited to a few individuals in the prior special concern lists (Remsen 1978, CDFG Walker Basin and in the Kern River Valley, where 1992). it occurred in small groups and colonies and was “far from numerous.” Grinnell and Miller (1944) REEDING IRD URVEY TATISTICS B B S S stated that irrigated alfalfa fields had increased for- FOR CALIFORNIA aging habitat for the Kern Red-winged Blackbird.
    [Show full text]
  • Tricolored Blackbird (Agelaius Tricolor)
    Birds Tricolored Blackbird (Agelaius tricolor) Tricolored Blackbird (Agelaius tricolor) Status State: Bird Species of Special Concern, Priority 1 Federal: None Population Trend Global: Declining State: Declining (Beedy and Hamilton 1997, 1999) Within Inventory Area: Possibly declining (Beedy and Hamilton 1997). The first systematic surveys of tricolored blackbird population status and distribution were conducted by Neff (1937, 1942). During a 5-year interval, he found 252 breeding colonies in 26 California counties; the largest colonies were in rice-growing areas of the Central Valley. He observed as many as 736,500 adults per year (1934) in just eight Central Valley counties. The largest colony he observed was in Glenn County; it contained more than 200,000 nests (about 300,000 adults) and covered almost 24 hectares (60 acres). Several other colonies in Sacramento and Butte Counties contained more than 100,000 nests (about 150,000 adults). DeHaven et al. (1975a) estimated that the overall population size in the Sacramento and northern San Joaquin valleys had declined by more than 50% since the mid-1930s. They performed intensive surveys and banding studies in the areas surveyed by Neff (1937) and observed significant declines in tricolored blackbird numbers and the extent of suitable habitat in the period since Neff’s surveys. Orians (1961a) and Payne (1969) observed colonies of up to 100,000 nests in Colusa, Yolo, and Yuba Counties, but did not attempt to survey the entire range of the species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Fish and Game, and California Audubon cosponsored intensive, volunteer tricolored blackbird surveys in suitable habitats throughout California in 1994, 1997, 1999, and 2000 (Hamilton et al.
    [Show full text]