|
Bay Area birds get help from Audubon Canyon |
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, 10 October 2006 |
Bay Area birds get help from Audubon CanyonAs humans move in, egrets and herons often move out and Audubon Canyon Ranch announced today the creation of an atlas that will make it easier for planners to routinely evaluate the effects of development on bird populations.According to the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, herons and egrets face challenges to survival including human encroachment, habitat degradation, contaminants, changes in water levels, and changes in climatic conditions. The observatory reports that large historical colonies such as the ones at Bair Island and Mallard Slough no longer exist in the South Bay.
The Audubon Canyon Ranch's atlas documents the exact locations of all known heron and egret colony sites in the region, as well as bird reproductive performance, habitat conditions, disturbance history, and provides conservation implications.
The atlas presents the results of observations conducted over the last 15 to 37 years throughout an area that extends from the outer Pacific Coast to the Central Valley of California in the north and the Santa Clara Valley and interior East Bay sub-regions in the south. The area includes Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Alameda, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties.
According to Audubon Canyon's atlas, rates of nest failure are associated with local conditions near heronries, such as nest predation, disturbance by humans and extreme wind. |
Bird News 