OF BIRDS

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OF BIRDS BRUINS students, wildlife, and the
restoration
Presentation by Jason Finley and Bobby Walsh
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Creek as Opportunity

• Multi-faceted project, many levels of involvement
  possible
• Stakeholders with diverse interests, many types
  of involvement possible
• Part I Student() Volunteering
• (making things happen)
• Part II Bird Survey Work
• (documenting whats happening)

In this Presentation
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Campus Community Interest

• UCLAs Environmental Coalition
• Community-service based clubs, fraternities
• Ecology related majors
• Dozens of students, faculty, alumni, neighbors
  have been involved in hands-on work, good
  communication publicity
• Challenges maintaining student involvement,
  recruiting large groups, time commitment, etc

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Getting Our Hands Dirty
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(No Transcript)
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Bird Surveys
GOAL Get a snapshot of the avian community at
Stone Canyon Creek pre-restoration compare to
historical and, ultimately, future bird
populations
APPROACH Encourage students, faculty, and local
birders to perform counts following a simple
protocol (10-min point counts). B.O.W. serves as
a center for survey materials, data compilation,
and news
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Pre-restoration Bird Survey

• October 13th - 29th, 2005
• 38 observation periods
• Mostly 10 min. each
• 21 volunteer observers

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Survey Results

• Total species observed 19
• Rare species (for UCLA) 7
• Fraction of all UCLA species 27
• Avg. individuals per period 5
• Avg. species per period 2

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Top 4 Birds(by individual observations)
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• October '05 Creek Survey
• Total species observed 19
• Rare species (for UCLA) 7
• Fraction of all UCLA species 27
• Informal Creek Observations over Past Year
• Total species observed 30
• Rare species (for UCLA) 14
• Fraction of all UCLA species 43
• Informal Botanical Garden Observations over Past
  Year
• Total species observed 42
• Rare species (for UCLA) 21
• Fraction of all UCLA species 60

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American Robin
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Hermit Thrush
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Spotted Towhee
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Song Sparrow
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Yellow-rumped Warbler
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Townsends Warbler
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American Crows
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Putting Counts in Context

• Quantitative comparisons with future data
  possible (e.g., birds/hour effort)
• Qualitative comparisons to the past already
  possible

Dr. Loye Miller
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Gone with the Willows
The tule patches and the mud bars of lower Stone
Canyon have disappeared since the subsurface
tunnel replaced the natural stream bed. The long
bill of Wilson's Snipe can't probe for
mud-dwelling worms on top of a concrete storm
drain Loye Miller, 1945
Wilsons Snipe
Green Heron
Least Bells Vireo
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Gone with the Willows
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Future Plans

• Continue winter resident bird surveys annually
• Observe migrant use
• Breeding bird survey
• Student research projects? (198s and 199s)
• Student involvement in other aspects of
  monitoring bird surveys show its possible

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To Close Cause for Optimism?
Meadowlarks one of many former UCLA residents,
that are now just transients. If habitat quality
is improved, the probability transients will
remain improves.
Birds serve as a living link between the creek
and remaining, intact habitat. Towhees and
laurel sumac