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Conservation |
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UPLANDSRichardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary manages 11 acres of uplands directly adjacent to the Bay. It is a varied terrain that is home to a number of representative coastal habitats including: beach, bluffs, grasslands, oak woodland, coastal scrub and riparian. Currently we are working with a habitat restoration plan to remove non-native vegetation and replace it with native plants. This is a long-term project that will likely take many years to implement using mostly volunteer assistance. We also operate a MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) bird-banding station on the Center grounds in order to monitor the breeding bird populations. Banding HABITAT RESTORATION [top] 
Youth volunteers pulling radish (K. Wilcox).
Youth volunteers cut back tamarisk on the beach (K. Wilcox).
Stand of non-native Blackwood Acacia and Eucalyptus near Barnacle Beach
Hiking path cuts through non-native plums in bloom (K. Wilcox). CLICK HERE TO SEE NATIVE PLANTS OF RICHARDSON BAY AUDUBON CENTER A weed management plan was developed for Audubon in 2006 (by local ecologist Peter Baye) which focuses on some of the major invasive plant species found on the Center grounds. At this time, many volunteers have contributed their time and energy to remove large numbers of plants including French broom, wild radish, eucalyptus, acacia and fennel. Current plans include mapping and photographing vegetation on the grounds, creating a working timetable for action and setting up a native nursery for propagating plants. NATIVE GARDEN AREAS [top] A number of cultivated areas on the Center grounds have begun to be renewed within the last couple of years. Non-native weeds and plants from earlier gardens are being removed, and are being replaced by native plants examples. Most notably, the Hummingbird Garden near the Lyford House has been improved with more native flowers and shrubs, and the garden along Greenwood Beach road has been reclaimed for coastal scrub plants, including sage, ceanothus and buckwheat. Much of this work was spearheaded by long-time Audubon volunteer Alison Pence. 
Hummingbird garden with a view of Lyford House and Richardson Bay (K.Wilcox).
MAPS BIRD BANDING [top] MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) is a nationwide project developed by the Institute for Bird Populations (IBP) out of Point Reyes Station, CA. It uses data collected by volunteers and professionals at over 500 banding stations throughout North America to keep track of demographic changes in landbird populations that breed in the United States, Canada and northern Mexico. In combination with data collected by the Breeding Bird Surveys and Christmas Bird Counts, MAPS can provide crucial information on the health of avian communities and the habitats they need to survive. 
Our MAPS banding station has been operated each year at the Audubon Center since 2007. Once every ten days during the 90-day summer season, fine nylon nets (mist nets) are placed around the property in strategic locations to maximize the probability of capturing mostly small songbirds that breed on the property. Once captured, the birds are fitted with numbered aluminum bands (see photo) from the USGS-Bird Banding Laboratory, measured, aged and released. Since many male birds tend to defend a territory for breeding and both sexes often return to the same area to breed year after year, individual birds can be caught multiple times throughout their lifetimes. All banding data collected each season is sent to both IBP and the USGS-Bird Banding Laboratory for large-scale analysis.
Amy Finfera extracts a wren from a mist-net (K Velas)
Julian Yao (L) and Bob Hinz examine a Bewick’s Wren (K. Wilcox)
Male Spotted Towhee (K. Velas)
Measuring the wing of a Wilson’s Warbler (K Wilcox) Cooper’s Hawk Other species regularly seen on site during MAPS banding, but not captured: (*On-site breeder) WINTER BANDING [top] Dozens of species make their way to the Bay Area during the winter months to take advantage of the more temperate climate here. The Richardson Bay Audubon Center is no exception as White-crowned, Golden-crowned, and Fox Sparrows as well as Hermit Thrushes, American Robins and Cedar Waxwings all arrive to take advantage of seeds and winter fruit. In order to better understand how bird populations are using the sanctuary uplands during the non-breeding season, we have been setting up the nets to see what species are here, how long they’re staying and whether they return in subsequent years. Large numbers of Zonotrichia sparrows (White-crowned and Golden-crowned) make up the bulk of new captures during the winter, but we also catch a good number of Fox Sparrows, Hermit Thrushes and Yellow-rumped Warblers. On one day in October 2007, in fact, we banded 18 individual Hermit Thrushes! Frequently, birds are recaptured throughout the winter season, but most exciting is recapturing birds that had been banded in a prior year! We have recorded multiple individual Golden-crowned and Fox Sparrows that have made it back to the Audubon Center after spending the summer elsewhere.
Noah Schlager holds a Western Scrub-jay
Fox Sparrow (K. Velas).
Golden-crowned Sparrow
A rare migratory treat: Western Tanager (K. Velas).
Examining an Orange-crowned Warbler (K. Velas).
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