Sagebrush Bird Conservation Network

Project Name: Habitat associations and nesting success of birds in northeast California’s sagebrush habitats

Objectives:

  1. Collection of basic data on primary demographic parameters of shrubsteppe songbirds at Skedaddle Mountain and Horse Lake Basin, Lassen County, California.
  2. Development of an understanding of shrubsteppe songbird habitat associations in previously unstudied areas of northeast California and northwestern Nevada.
  3. Assessment of the varying habitats within the study area and their importance to regional shrubsteppe songbird populations.
  4. Collection of basic natural history data of shrubsteppe songbird communities in areas & habitat types in which they are previously unstudied or poorly studied.

Location: Skedaddle Mountain and Horse Lake Basin (demographic intensive component) / northeastern California and northwestern Nevada (habitat association component)

Project duration: 2002 - 2004. (Some portions ongoing.)

Project contact:
Dan Barton
Shrubsteppe Program Biologist
PRBO Conservation Science
dbarton@prbo.org

Aaron Holmes
Shrubsteppe Program Director
PRBO Conservation Science
aholmes@prbo.org

Bird sampling methods: 5 minute variable circular plot point counts, spot-mapping, nest-monitoring

Vegetation sampling: 100 m line intercept, 20 adapted daubenmire frames, and juniper tree counts (for estimating juniper density) have been conducted at all survey sites, and nest vegetation sampling has been conducted at all nest sites.

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