Santa Cruz Island Reserve

03 Mar, 04 PM - 30 May, 05 PM

Continue comparative study of Orange-crowned warblers breeding ecology, focusing on the selection of nest sites and nesting success. Additionally we will analyze the effect of pig disturbance combined with the presence of jays on the height of OCWA nests. Our results from 2005 indicate that OCWA are likely to benefit from the feral pig eradication currently underway on Santa Cruz. We suggest that the warbler could be used as an indicator of understory vegetation health on the Channel Islands. We will search for nests on the same study plots used during the 2005 breeding season. We will mist-net and band adults, videotape nests and measure vegetation at nest sites and at random points within the territories. We will also conduct a series of point-count surveys on to better determine habitat-specific abundance of warblers on the island. The goal of the surveys will be to locate areas with similar or higher warbler densities than our current sites. Once these areas are found, we will establish additional plots to increase the number of warbler territories under study. We will use the nest vegetation datasets to compare warbler nest site selection between Santa Cruz and Catalina Islands. We will compare the vegetation attributes at nests with random points to estimate island-specific selection of nest sites vs. site availability. The ratio of use to availability will be used as a measure of warbler selectivity. These data will also form an invaluable baseline for monitoring the progress of habitat restoration on Santa Cruz and Catalina.

Visit #9123 @Santa Cruz Island Reserve

Approved

Under Project # 5082 | Research

Reproductive ecology, habitat associations, and West Nile Virus prevalence in landbirds on Santa Cruz Island

research_scientist - Smithsonian Institution

Reservation Members(s)

Scott Sillett Mar 3 - May 30, 2006 (89 days)
Group of 2 Other Mar 3 - May 30, 2006 (89 days)
Scott Sillett Mar 3 - May 30, 2006 (89 days)
Scott Sillett Mar 3 - May 30, 2006 (89 days)

Reserve Resources(s) | Create Invoice

Dorm 5 Mar 3 - May 30, 2006