Birds and the Salton Sea

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Birds and the Salton Sea

• An exploration of the importance of the Salton
  Sea and associated ecosystems to birds a global
  and regional perspective
• Presented to
• California Water Dialogue
• Sept. 16, 2003
• Los Angeles
• Daniel S. Cooper, M.Sc. (University of
  California, Riverside)
• Director of Bird Conservation
• Audubon California
• Pasadena

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Birds and the Salton Sea

• Habitat diversity in the Lower Colorado River
  Valley (LCR) ecosystem
• Rare vs. rare
• Defining the Salton Sea avifauna ( birdlife)
• Outlook for Salton Sea avifauna, and what Audubon
  is doing to help

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Key bird habitats of the Salton Sea/LCR Valley
(in no order)

• Shallow, open water
• Salton Sea, northern Gulf of California
• Islands
• Freshwater/brackish marsh
• LCR and tribs. seeps in large canals unlined
  smaller canals
• Mudflat/Impoundment
• Mainly South End Salton Sea
• Mesquite Bosque
• Algodones Dunes, Lower Colorado River Valley
• Cottonwood/Willow Woodland
• Lower Colorado River Valley, Locally in Imperial
  Valley
• Agricultural fields
• Mainly Imperial and Mexicali Valleys locally
  elsewhere

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Rare vs. rare

• Species formerly common in California, now
  declining or lost entirely
• Generally due to habitat loss
• e.g. Burrowing Owl, Mountain Plover
• Species formerly absent or in low numbers now
  present but still rare
• Due to habitat alteration or climate/global
  change
• e.g. Gull-billed Tern
• Species never common in California, and only
  occurring as vagrants
• Chased by bird-watchers of low conservation
  concern

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The Salton Sea avifauna

• Lower Colorado River (LCR) Endemics
• Last Stand breeders/winterers
• Winter congregants
• Summer dispersers
• Passage migrants
• Vanishing (vanished?) nesters

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Lower Colorado River Endemics

• Confined to extreme northwestern Mexico, western
  AZ, southern NV and southeastern CA
• Yuma Clapper Rail
• Van Rossems Gull-billed Tern
• Aberts Towhee
• Salton Sea Song Sparrow
• Large-billed Savannah Sparrow

Clapper Rail Gull-billed Tern
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Last Stand Breeders/Winterers

• Mountain Plover
• 30-40 Global population in Imperial Valley
  (formerly widespread)
• Burrowing Owl
• 70 of California pop. in Imperial Valley
• Associated with agricultural fields
• 60 of CA population lost in 1980s
• Western Snowy Plover
• Largest wintering concentration in interior of
  U.S.
• Major interior-U.S. breeding site

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Winter congregants

• Begin arriving late July/August November
• Occur in two main roles
• Agricultural fields
• Largest agricultural/grassland area in southern
  California
• The Salton Sea itself
• Largest and shallowest body of water in California

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Winter congregants (agricultural)
From left Sandhill Crane, Long-billed Curlew,
White-faced Ibis
One of just 3 crane wintering areas left in SoCal
(formerly common) 20K curlews wintering each
year 40K ibis wintering each year
Bob Miller
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Winter congregants (the Salton Sea itself)
Up to 75 of N. Am. pop. passes through in early
spring (from Gulf of CA to Great Basin) 1.5
million birds in winter
David Blevins
Bob Miller
Lost shallow water lakes Tulare Lake, Owens
Lake, San Jacinto Lake Buena Vista Lake plus
most coastal wetlands south of SF Bay
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Winter congregants (the Salton Sea itself)
Black-necked Stilt Am. White Pelican American
Avocet
100 miles of shoreline 10s of thousands of
shorebirds on shoreline and adj.
impoundments 30 of Global AWP pop.
David Blevins
Bob Miller
Lost shallow water lakes Tulare Lake, Owens
Lake, San Jacinto Lake Buena Vista Lake plus
most coastal wetlands south of SF Bay
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And lots in between
Freshwater impoundment at the edge of the Sea
(southeast corner) c. 30,000 Snow and Ross
Geese 100,000 other waterfowl
David Blevins
Bob Miller
Richard Ditch
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Summer Dispersers north out of the Gulf
(Looking south)
Large-billed Savannah Sparrow Yellow-footed Gull,
Brown Pelican
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Passage migrant songbirds
Spring Along eastern Gulf of California and
directly through Salton Trough Fall In hills
west and east of Salton Trough Extensive use of
native riparian and mesquite habitat
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Vanishing (from CA) species
Harris Hawk
Elf Owl
Fulvous Whistling-Duck
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Vanishing (from CA) species

• Elf Owl
• Formerly common along LCR now 1-5 pr. (if still
  breeds)
• Most of habitat cleared for agriculture
• Harris Hawk
• Extirpated from Imperial Valley c. 1955, from LCR
  (CA) c. 1965
• Fulvous Whistling-Duck
• Formerly (pre-1950) bred throughout southern
  Calif. wetlands
• Fairly common at South End Salton Sea
  Impoundments until 1990s

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Outlook for the Sea

• Do nothing (Increased salinity/pollutants
  fewer fish)
• Declines in pelicans
• Unhealthy birds?
• Lower Colorado River continues to dry/degrade
• Save the Sea w/o retaining some agriculture
• No more Burrowing Owl, Sandhill Crane, curlews,
  etc.
• Audubon is pushing for maximum restoration of
  entire LCR system, including the Salton Sea
• Improvement to threatened ecosystems
• Reflective of historic conditions
• No net loss of birds
• No increase of exotic vegetation

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Thanks!
Audubon California is the state office of the
National Audubon Society. Formally established in
1996, it has its own Board of Directors and
staff manages gt10,000 acres of centers and lands
throughout the state and raises 100 of its
operating funds.