A Bird's Eye View

The Conservancy executed a quartet of bird surveys this year, including two that hadn’t been performed in decades. In addition to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Breeding Birds Survey and Scripps’s Murrelet Survey, both of which were performed last year, a seabird circumnavigation and Land Bird Monitoring (LBM) program were added to the docket of species monitored by wildlife program.

Executing these additional surveys is a crucial step to learning more and managing the bird species on Catalina Island. For instance, the Land Bird Monitoring survey was first conducted right after the removal of pigs and goats when the vegetation was still heavily impacted. Now that some of the vegetation has recovered, we will see if the bird population have increased or changed in response to the healthier vegetation.

“The more we understand about the connection between healthy habitat and bird species, the sooner we can move into species management to positively benefit some of these rare birds,” said Conservancy Sr. Wildlife Biologist Emily Hamblen.

One example of species management is the Conservancy’s work with Scripps’s Murrelets (Synthliboramphus scrippsi). Thanks to information gathered during previous surveys, we worked with the California Institute of Environmental Studies this year to increase the number of burrows available to the elusive species, setting 10 nests in cliffside breeding grounds as a pilot study.

“The data we collected from our surveys told us where the Scripps’s Murrelets could lay eggs safely without being predated by invasive rats,” added Hamblen.

“Now we’ll be able to follow their journey during the breeding season through the remote cameras that we placed on these nests. This will give us the information we need to manage the species like: how many chicks hatch and predators from which they may need protection.”

The Conservancy brought back a historic study first started 30 years ago by circumnavigating Catalina while documenting individual seabird species, nests and marine mammals. With help from expert ornithologist Peter Larramendy, the Conservancy’s wildlife biologists and American Conservation Experience (ACE) interns counted over 2,500 birds composing 23 species, including the pelagic cormorant (Urile pelagicus), wandering tattler (Tringa incana) and surf scoter (Melanitta perspicilatta). The data they collected on certain species will be shared with the Audubon society and added to a national database to help monitor those species across its range.

“The positive impact conservationists can have on species once we have quality information about them is immense,” said Hamblen. “I am excited to see what we learn through continued studies.”