Post-fire Bird Recovery in Strawberry Creek

This article was originally published in The Midden – Great Basin National Park: Vol. 18, No. 2, Winter 2018.

Cassin’s Finches are one of the bird species that have increased after the Strawberry Creek fire.

By Gretchen Baker, Ecologist

What happens to bird populations after a major wildfire? We are starting to see answers in Strawberry Creek watershed, which burned in 2016. Before the fire, in 2005, two breeding bird transects were established in Strawberry Creek watershed, one along the riparian zone from the trailhead down, and one through the mountain shrub community from the trailhead up and into Windy Canyon. The breeding bird transects follow Great Basin Bird Observatory protocols. They consist of ten locations spaced 250 meters apart. A surveyor starts near sunrise and moves along the transect to each point, where she counts birds for ten minutes. The surveys are conducted in June. Before the fire, six riparian and seven mountain shrub surveys were completed. Since the fire, two post-fire surveys along each of the transects have been completed, following the same protocols.

Preliminary data analysis shows dramatic changes in the bird populations, especially in the riparian zone. Bird species showing an increase in numbers after the fire include Broad-tailed hummingbirds (likely due to the amazing flowers this year), Cassin’s Finches, Chipping Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, Hairy Woodpeckers, Lazuli Buntings, and Western Wood-Pewees. Spotted Towhees have not been spotted after the fire, and Warbling Vireos (a species that likes aspens a lot) are present in much lower numbers. Only half the mountain shrub transect burned, but there are still differences pre- and post-fire. With many of the shrubs burned and grasses replacing them, Brewer’s Sparrow and Green-tailed Towhee numbers are down. These two species make up the biggest overall numbers, so their decrease is especially notable. Additional breeding bird surveys and data analysis will continue. Experienced birders are invited to participate.