Birds at John Muir National Historic Site

The Dark-eyed Junco is one of over 100 bird species that have been documented at John Muir National Historic Site.

NPS / Jessica Weinberg McClosky

The Question

What bird species are present and breed at John Muir National Historic Site?

As part of national efforts to inventory vertebrates and vascular plants and conduct long-term monitoring of critical natural resources, the National Park Service conducted bird surveys at Mt. Wanda of John Muir National Historic Site. The goal was to develop a comprehensive list of birds present at the park, especially during the peak breeding season, to help inform park management activities.

The Project

Survey birds during the peak breeding season and track their status through long-term monitoring.

Three times each year between May and June, park staff and volunteers conducted bird surveys along 14 point count locations. The stations were established in the spring of 2001 by Point Blue Conservation Science and are spaced every 200 meters along a transect through coast live oak forests, blue oak woodlands, and grasslands of Mt. Wanda. Surveys began at sunrise and continued for approximately four hours (or as long as weather conditions were favorable) to capture peak bird activity. Each site was surveyed for five minutes, and all bird detections by sight, song, and call were recorded. For all detections, the approximate distance of the bird was categorized as either within a 50-meter radius, or beyond. Researchers use this information to estimate population density. Any evidence of breeding was also recorded, such as carrying materials for nests and feeding, courtship behavior and copulation, territorial behavior, nests, and presence of juveniles.

Results

Surveys have documented at least 99 species of birds at John Muir National Historic Site including Mt. Wanda.

The count of documented bird species, shown in Table 1, includes flyovers, breeding, and non-breeding species. The 2006 survey found that 41 species were likely breeding (confirmed or probable) on Mt. Wanda. It is likely that additional species were breeding on Mt. Wanda at the time, however documentation was only sufficient to confirm the species listed in Table 1.

This list includes seven breeding birds considered "Species of Continental Importance" in the Pacific Avifaunal Biome by Partners in Flight, including: Oak Titmouse, Band-tailed Pigeon, Allen's Hummingbird, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, California Towhee, Steller's Jay, and Western Scrub Jay.

Table 1. Bird species documented for John Muir National Historic Site as of 2007. Species were categorized by breeding status as follows: NA (no data gathered on breeding); 0 (no evidence of breeding); 1 (possible breeder); 2 (probable breeder); 3 (confirmed breeder on Mt. Wanda). Note: *Species of Continental Importance in the Pacific AvifaunaI Biome by Partners in Flight (National Landbird Conservation Plan 2004).

Common Name	Breeding Status
Double-crested Cormorant	NA
Great Blue Heron	NA
Canada Goose	NA
Mallard	NA
Cooper's Hawk	NA
Sharp-shinned Hawk	NA
Red-tailed Hawk	2
Red-shouldered Hawk	3
Ferruginous Hawk	NA
Northern Harrier	1
American Kestrel	2
White-tailed Kite	3
Osprey	NA
Turkey Vulture	3
Wild Turkey	3
California Quail	1
Rock Pigeon	1
Mourning Dove	2
Band-tailed Pigeon*	1
Barn Owl	NA
Western Screech-owl	3
Great-horned Owl	1
White-throated Swift	NA
Anna's Hummingbird	3
Allen's Hummingbird	1
Rufous Hummingbird	NA
Northern Flicker	0
Acorn Woodpecker	3
Nuttall's Woodpecker	3
Downy Woodpecker	2
Hairy Woodpecker	NA
Red-breasted Sapsucker	NA
Western Wood-pewee	2
Pacific Slope Flycatcher	2
Ash-throated Flycatcher	3
Black Phoebe	3
Olive-sided Flycatcher	NA
Say's Phoebe	NA
Cassin's Vireo	1
Warbling Vireo	2
Hutton's Vireo	2
Western Scrub-Jay*	3
American Crow	2
Steller's Jay*	3
Common Raven	NA
Barn Swallow	0
Cliff Swallow	0
Tree Swallow	0
Violet-green Swallow	3
Wrentit*	NA
Oak Titmouse	3
Chestnut-backed Chickadee*	3
Bushtit	3
White-breasted Nuthatch	3
Brown Creeper	3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	3
Bewick's Wren	3
House Wren	3
Golden-crowned Kinglet	NA
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	NA
Swainson's Thrush	0
Western Bluebird	3
American Robin	1
Hermit Thrush	NA
Varied Thrush*	NA
Northern Mockingbird	3
European Starling	3
Cedar Waxwing	NA
Orange-crowned Warbler	NA
Wilson's Warbler	1
Black-throated Gray Warbler*	NA
Hermit Warbler*	NA
Yellow Warbler	NA
Yellow-rumped Warbler	NA
Townsend's Warbler	NA
Western Tanager	NA
California Towhee	3
Spotted Towhee	3
Chipping Sparrow	3
Lark Sparrow	NA
Savannah Sparrow	NA
Golden-crowned Sparrow*	NA
White-crowned Sparrow	NA
Fox Sparrow*	NA
Song Sparrow	NA
Dark-eyed Junco	3
Black-headed Grosbeak	2
Lazuli Bunting	NA
Western Meadowlark	NA
Hooded Oriole	3
Bullock's Oriole	NA
Red-winged Blackbird	NA
Pine Siskin	NA
Lawrence's Goldfinch*	NA
American Goldfinch	NA
Lesser Goldfinch	3
House Finch	3
Purple Finch	NA
House Sparrow	1

Acknowledgements

Much of this work would not have been possible without Cheryl Abel, Park Ranger, John Muir National Historic Site. Point Blue Conservation Science was also instrumental in establishing the surveys and continuing to support long-term monitoring.

Additional Resources

Contact Information

Links
San Francisco Bay Area Inventory & Monitoring Network
Pacific Coast Science and Learning Center
Point Blue Conservation Science
San Francisco Bay Area Network Species Lists - Certified Species lists including residency, abundance, and native/non-native status.

Summary by the Pacific Coast Science and Learning Center, January 2007.
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