A Program for the Birds

by Henry Coletto

This project began with an idea and a committed volunteer. Bob Clement is a retired biology teacher who has given lectures and guided field trips all over California. Bob has been a volunteer at Canada de los Osos since its conception.

The first part of the work started at a local juvenile facility. Over 50 bird boxes were built by students at the wood shop. Then came the fun part, with youth and adult volunteers from local elementary and high schools helping to put the boxes up at the ecological reserve. The project doesn’t stop there – boxes are checked several times during and after the nesting season to keep them clean and to monitor nesting success. The project provided nesting sites for western bluebirds, tree swallows, violet green swallows, oak titmouse, house wrens, and an acorn woodpecker. Kids got to see the variety of materials birds collected to build the nest, including grasses and a variety of feathers. Feathers from red-tailed hawk, wood ducks, and mallards were among those keeping the chicks warm.

Thanks to all that took part in this project. Each year over a hundred birds use these boxes – a real contribution to the wildlife found at Canada de los Osos Ecological Reserve.

Being a volunteer and teaching others the importance of all wildlife and the role each species plays in the great outdoors.	A clutch of bluebirds wait for their next meal in the warm nest
A collection of feathers and other materials made up the nests, protecting the eggs and young chicks.	Bob Clement and Jim Barnett, both volunteers at CDLO, are committed to teaching others about our state’s wildlife.
Young volunteers at work for wildlife at CDLO.

Nesting Success at Cañada de los Osos
Bob Clement

Nesting success for the bird monitoring program at Cañada de Los Osos Ecological Reserve showed a mixed bag as some species were able to cope fairly well with the very erratic weather swings this year while others did poorly. The bluebirds started early and some nested a second time. Excessive heat and the early dry season had some negative effects, but these birds did relatively well. Of the 53 eggs produced in the 11 nests, about 92.5% hatched. There was some mortality among the nestlings, but about 87.8% managed to leave the nest. Many of these will not survive their first difficult year but a sufficient number will probably survive to add to next year’s nesting population here and elsewhere.

Eggs Laid		Young Hatched	Young Fledged
1.	5	5	5
2.	6	5	5
3.	5	5	5
4.	5	4	2
5.	5	5	5
6.	5	5	4
7.	4	4	4
8.	5	5	4
9.	4	4	2
10.	5	5	5
11.	4	2	2
Totals	53	49	43

The Black Phoebes nested again on the back wall of the generator shed and successful hatched and fledged 3 young.

Tree Swallows nested in profusion this year but suffered many losses. The drought caused plants to stop blooming early, which lessened the number of ‘flying’ insects that these birds depend on. Periods of unusually cold weather, and then excessive heat, killed some young directly and caused the starvation of others. Adults had to fly longer and farther to find food and found it hard to catch enough food and provide for other needs at the same time. It appears some may have resorted to eating some eggs to keep themselves alive and pairs broke up early and abandoned nests to leave for more productive areas. The hatching rate was not too bad at 89.2%, but survival rate of the hatchlings was only about 73.5%. This does not sound too low, but unlike the bluebirds, these birds fly long distances and most probably winter in Mexico, or farther south. The newly fledged young, and their parents, may not be in very good condition for such a long journey and many of these long-distance travelers may not survive the trip.

 

 

 

 

	Eggs Laid	Young Hatched	Young Fledged
1.	5	5	5
2.	4	0	0
3.	5	5	4
4.	4	4	4
5.	7	6	1
6.	4	4	2
7.	5	5	5
8.	4	4	4
9.	5	2	1
10.	4	4	4
11.	5	4	3
12.	5	4	3
13.	5	4	4
14.	5	5	5
15.	5	4	3
16.	5	4	4
17.	5	4	2
18.	5	5	3
19.	5	4	3
20.	6	6	0
	93	83	61

 

There were 3 Wood Duck nestings also. Two boxes produced a total of 15 young and the third hatched all its eggs before it was discovered (number unknown)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Canada de los Osos Ecological Reserve Habitat Restoration Project
The California Deer Association, in partnership with the California Department of Fish and Game, has been awarded a grant from the Wildlife Conservation Board to repair hydrologic function and provide riparian and upland habitat diversity to the Canada de los Osos Ecological Reserve.

Upon the purchase of the ecological reserve by the Department of Fish and Game, CDA entered into an

Click to enlarge aerial photo

agreement to assist the DFG in the management and maintenance of the reserve, as well as provide an outdoor education program for local schools. The project site located on the Canada de los Osos Ecological Reserve offers good potential for the development of a diversity of riparian habitat and native grass uplands through the combined use of local school groups, volunteer efforts and professional contractors. This plan focuses on restoring approximately 2,500 feet of the upper Canada de los Osos Creek, as well as perennial native grass upland to an adjacent 45-acre field, formerly used for agricultural production and grazing.

Site Specific Tasks:

1. In order to restore the riparian and upland habitats to the project site the following activities are planned.
2. Excavate the banks of Canada de los Osos Creek to a minimum of a 2:1 slope to prevent erosion and sloughing of stream banks and provide a suitable area for riparian plantings with a native grass under story.
3. Use excavated material to de-level the adjacent uplands and provide a diversity of topography
4. Conduct at least one to two years of weed control to the entire site through a combination of intensive mowing, disking, spraying and/or controlled burning, to deplete existing weed seed bank.
5. CDA will coordinate local school groups and volunteers in planting 45,000 native grass plugs (creeping wild rye) and 385 native shrubs and trees (mixture of Fremont's cottonwood, Gooding's willow, California bay, California wild rose, coyote bush, toyon, California buckeye, valley oak, and coastal live oak).
6. CDA will coordinate local school groups and volunteers in installing 5 willow root wad structures to aide in the control of bank erosion and establishment of riparian habitat.
7. Install new well and pump to provide water to riparian plantings as well as property facilities.
8. Local school groups will be used to aid in the installation of a drip system to help establish the newly planted riparian trees and shrubs.
9. Repair windmill to provide year-round off stream water for wildlife and any future managed grazing efforts.
10. Purchase and install a new vehicle bridge, where deemed appropriate, to provide year-round access to the ranch without driving through Canada de los Osos Creek.
11. Use a native grass seed drill to plant the 45-acre upland area with a native perennial grass seed mix (4 .b/ac. California brome, 4/b/ac. blue wildrye, 8lb/ac. purple needlegrass) of the local Santa Clara County Arastradero ecotype.
12. Conduct ongoing native grass maintenance and weed control, as needed, through the use of mowing, spraying, managed grazing and/or controlled burning.

The habitat restoration will be constructed in accordance with the design plans and specifications included in the WCB grant request. The specific location of the riparian plantings, root wads, well site and vehicle bridge will be determined during the construction phase of the project.

Cost-Share, Timeline, and Permits

Restoration activities shall be initiated in the spring of 2008 and be completed by the spring of 2010. All final design work will be approved by DFG prior to initiation of the construction. DFG shall be responsible for obtaining all necessary local, state, and federal permits as may be required to complete the restoration and conduct the management practices prescribed by this plan, including water quality certifications, grading ordinances, prescribed burning, and other required permits.

Riparian Habitat

Approximately 385 Gooding's willows, Fremont's cottonwoods, California wild rose, coyote bush, toyon, California buckeye, valley oak, coastal live oak and California bays will be planted on the slopes of Canada de los Osos Creek and adjacent uplands during the winter and spring of 2008 and 2009. Installation and use of the pump and drip irrigation system for the first two to three years after planting will help to ensure the establishment of these plantings. Depending on planting placement and seasonal rainfall additional irrigations may be needed to ensure the establishment of some plantings.

Upland Habitat

Approximately 45 acres of previously developed agriculture/grazing lands will be restored to perennial native grasslands. Pre-planting weed control through the combined use of mowing, disking, spraying, managed grazing and/or controlled burning will be conducted as needed during the summer, fall, winter of 2008 and native grasses during the late fall 2009 and weed control through mowing, spraying, grazing or controlled burning may occur, on an as-needed basis, during the winter of 2010 and beyond.