UPLANDS

Richardson 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.

We are also operating a MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) bird-banding station on the Center grounds in order to monitor the breeding bird populations.

HABITAT RESTORATION

A weed management plan was developed for Audubon in 2006 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, and we are currently planning for a comprehensive timetable to implement recommendations of the plan.






Youth volunteers pulling radish Stumps of eucalyptus trees removed in 2006




photos by K. Wilcox

MAPS BIRD BANDING

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


Setting up a mist net at dawn (K. Velas).

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.

2007 marks the first year that MAPS banding has taken place at the Audubon Center. 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 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.




MAPS volunteers Lara Martin, Amy Finfera,
Hilary Benson, Bob Hinz and Meg Fawcett
Photos by K. Wilcox Hilary Benson measures the
wing of a Western Scrub-jay
while Meg Fawcett records data






Meryl Sundove holds a Cooper’s Hawk (K. Wilcox).Male Spotted Towhee (K. Velas).




 

List of species captured during the MAPS 2007 season:

Cooper’s Hawk

Anna’s Hummingbird *

Pacific-slope Flycatcher

Black Phoebe *

Western Scrub-jay *

Chestnut-backed Chickadee *

Bushtit *

Bewick’s Wren *

Swainson’s Thrush

Northern Mockingbird *

Wilson’s Warbler

Spotted Towhee *

California Towhee *

Dark-eyed Junco

Black-headed Grosbeak

 

Other species regularly seen on site during season, but not captured:

Red-tailed Hawk

Mourning Dove *

American Crow *

Common Raven

Barn Swallow *

Cliff Swallow *

House Finch *

( * = onsite or nearby breeder)