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Data presented are results of surveys in 2021 for San Diego Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) in southern San Diego County. Surveys were conducted at 378 plots. Plots were surveyed twice in 2021 and the number, age (adult or juvenile), banding status (color banded or not), and breeding status (paired, unpaired, or unknown) of all wrens recorded. Habitat covariate data were collected including amount of dead and stressed cactus in the plot, percent cover of bare ground, and the dominant and percent cover of invasive species.
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The spatial data results of USGS surveys for Least Bell's Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus, LBVI) along the Tijuana River and San Diego River in 2020 to determine abundance and distribution of vireos to facilitate population trend analyses and collect information on dispersal and site fidelity of banded vireos as part of long-term demographic studies at multiple sites.
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We surveyed for Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus; vireo) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus; flycatcher) along the San Luis Rey River, between College Boulevard in Oceanside and Interstate 15 in Fallbrook, California (middle San Luis Rey River), in 2021. Surveys were conducted from April 13 to July 14 (vireo) and from May 18 to July 13 (flycatcher). We found 180 vireo territories, at least 125 of which were occupied by pairs. The vireo population size decreased by 6 percent from 2020 to 2021. One resident flycatcher, of undetermined breeding status, was observed in the survey area in 2021. He was detected from May 20 to June 4, 2021, and no evidence of pairing or nesting was...
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Data presented are results of surveys (2015) and monitoring (2015 and 2016) for San Diego Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) in southern San Diego County. Surveys were conducted at 35 plots. Plots were surveyed twice in 2015 and the number, age (adult or juvenile), banding status (color banded or not), breeding status (paired, unpaired, or unknown), and nesting status (active nest detected or not) of all wrens recorded. Habitat covariate data were collected including amount of dead and stressed cactus in the plot, percent cover of bare ground, and the dominant and percent cover of invasive species. During weekly monitoring visits, nests were located and checked to determine the number of eggs laid, the...
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Data presented are results of surveys and monitoring in 2018 for San Diego Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) in southern San Diego County. Surveys were conducted at 362 plots. Plots were surveyed twice in 2018 and the number, age (adult or juvenile), banding status (color banded or not), breeding status (paired, unpaired, or unknown), and nesting status (active nest detected or not) of all wrens recorded. Habitat covariate data were collected including amount of dead and stressed cactus in the plot, percent cover of bare ground, and the dominant and percent cover of invasive species. During weekly monitoring visits, nests were located and checked to determine the number of eggs laid, the number of eggs...
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The Coastal Cactus Wren is a species of high conservation concern in southern California. The goal of this project was to obtain taxonomic resolution of subspecies boundaries between coastal and desert populations of Cactus Wrens. We collected genetic samples from Cactus Wrens at California desert sites and combined this dataset with previously collected samples from coastal populations to resolve the distribution of subspecies and to determine distinct genetic lineages, gene flow, genetic diversity and effective population size of desert populations. Understanding these relationships will assist managers with development and implementation of a conservation and management strategy that could aim to avoid state...
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Data presented are results of surveys for California gnatcatchers and vegetation sampling conducted in 2015, 2016, and 2020 to address two inter-related questions: (1) How have gnatcatchers and their habitat recovered in areas burned by wildfires in 2003, 2007, and 2014?, and (2) What is the current regional occupancy of gnatcatchers throughout their southern California range? Data for the post-fire study were collected in 2015, 2016, and 2020, while the regional occupancy survey was conducted in 2016, and 2020. In 2015, gnatcatcher occupancy as a function of fire history was derived from 324 points in the following fire categories: 2003-2006 (106 points), 2007-2010 (111 points), and 2011-2014 (107 points). In 2016,...
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This project has two goals: Goal 1: The goal of this project is to conduct a statistically rigorous study of occupancy to determine the post-fire recovery of gnatcatchers and coastal sage scrub vegetation with the goal of informing management before, during, and after fire. Goal 2: The goal of this project is to conduct rangewide surveys to determine California Gnatcatcher occupancy at a regional scale. Because California Gnatcatchers will be managed through management of coastal sage scrub rather than through species-specific actions, it is necessary to determine the current status of gnatcatchers on protected lands in southern California to understand how gnatcatcher occupancy is related to coastal sage scrub...
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This habitat model was developed to delineate suitable habitat for coastal cactus wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) in southern California. A primary purpose of the model is to identify potential restoration sites that may not currently support cactus patches required by wrens, but which are otherwise highly suitable. These are areas that could be planted with cactus to increase wren populations, an important management objective for many land managers. We used the Partitioned Mahalanobis D2 modeling technique to construct alternative models with different combinations of environmental variables. Variables were calculated at each point in the center of a 150 m x 150 m cell in a grid of points across the landscape....
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This habitat model was developed to delineate a sampling frame for regional monitoring of coastal California gnatcatchers (Polioptila californica californica) to determine: 1) percent area occupied (PAO) in high and very high suitability habitat across conserved lands and participating military lands in the U.S. range in southern California; 2) changes in PAO over time; and 3) extinction and colonization rates. One purpose of the model is to identify areas recovering from disturbance, such as wildfire, that may not currently support coastal sage scrub vegetation used by coastal California gnatcatchers, but are otherwise highly suitable. In this way, we can monitor gnatcatcher occupancy associated with habitat changes...
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Genetic samples in the form of a small blood sample were collected from 263 Bell’s vireos (Vireo bellii) in drainages throughout southern and central California, Arizona, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah. We used population genomic techniques to delineate the range limit between the Least Bell’s Vireo (V. b. pusillus) and its conspecific geographical neighbor, the Arizona Bell’s Vireo (V. b. arizonae). This study provides a taxonomic classification of individuals sampled where the two subspecies meet. Moreover, it allows an estimate of genetic diversity and trends in both taxa, estimates sources and levels of dispersal and gene flow among drainages, and allows us to assess progress of recovery and effectiveness...
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Data presented are results of surveys and monitoring in 2017 for San Diego Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) in southern San Diego County. Surveys were conducted at 362 plots. Plots were surveyed twice in 2017 and the number, age (adult or juvenile), banding status (color banded or not), breeding status (paired, unpaired, or unknown), and nesting status (active nest detected or not) of all wrens recorded. Habitat covariate data were collected including amount of dead and stressed cactus in the plot, percent cover of bare ground, and the dominant and percent cover of invasive species. During weekly monitoring visits, nests were located and checked to determine the number of eggs laid, the number of eggs...
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These data show multilocus genotypes, banding age, and territory for coastal cactus wrens (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) sampled in coastal southern California between 2009 and 2019. These data support the following publication: Vandergast, A.G., Kus, B.E., Smith, J.G. and Mitelberg, A., 2022. Recent declines in genetic diversity with limited dispersal among coastal cactus wren populations in San Diego County, California. Conservation Science and Practice, 4(9), p.e12780. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12780.
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This dataset contains the invertebrates (identified to Order and Family) present in Cactus Wren nestling fecal samples and found using DNA sequencing (metabarcoding) methods. Nestling fecal samples were collected from one or more handled nestlings per territory collected between April and July of 2015 through 2019 in San Diego, California. The steps to process these data are detailed in the Data Quality section. These data support the following publication: Lynn, S., Houston, A., and Kus, B.E., 2022, Distribution and demography of Coastal Cactus Wrens in Southern California, 2015–19: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2022-1044, 44 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20221044.
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Drainage areas (or watersheds) were calculated for each stream segment in the National Hydrography Dataset High Resolution Plus Beta (NHD HR Plus Beta) using non-end junction points and the provided hydrologically enforced Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The DEM was used to create a flow direction raster. The pour points used were determined from junction points at each stream intersection excluding stream ends (i.e. channel heads are not included). Watershed calculations were automated using the ArcGIS "watershed" tool and then edited manually for accuracy. In western San Diego County (non-desert) there were 39,980 drainage areas calculated. The percent impervious in each watershed was calculated using the National...
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The spatial data results of USGS surveys for Least Bell's Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus, LBVI) along the Tijuana River and San Diego River in 2023 to determine abundance and distribution of vireos to facilitate population trend analyses and collect information on dispersal and site fidelity of banded vireos as part of long-term demographic studies at multiple sites.
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Data presented are results of surveys and monitoring in 2019 for San Diego Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) in southern San Diego County. Surveys were conducted at 493 plots. Plots were surveyed twice in 2019 and the number, age (adult or juvenile), banding status (color banded or not), breeding status (paired, unpaired, or unknown), and nesting status (active nest detected or not) of all wrens recorded. Habitat covariate data were collected including amount of dead and stressed cactus in the plot, percent cover of bare ground, and the dominant and percent cover of invasive species. During weekly monitoring visits, nests were located and checked to determine the number of eggs laid, the number of eggs...
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Data presented are results of surveys in 2020 for San Diego Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) in southern San Diego County. Surveys were conducted at 378 plots. Plots were surveyed twice in 2020 and the number, age (adult or juvenile), banding status (color banded or not), and breeding status (paired, unpaired, or unknown) of all wrens recorded. Habitat covariate data were collected including amount of dead and stressed cactus in the plot, percent cover of bare ground, and the dominant and percent cover of invasive species.
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This habitat model was developed to identify suitable habitat for the federally-endangered least Bell’s vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) across its current and historic range in California. The vireo disappeared from most of its range by the 1980s, remaining only in small populations in southern California. Habitat protection and management since the mid-1980s has led to an increase in southern California vireo populations with small numbers of birds recently expanding into the historic range. Predictions from this model will be used to focus surveys in the historic range to determine where vireos are recolonizing and to track the status and distribution of populations over time. We used the Partitioned Mahalanobis...


    map background search result map search result map Least Bell's Vireo Habitat Suitability Model for California (2019) Coastal Cactus Wren Habitat Suitability Model for Southern California (2015) Coastal California Gnatcatcher Habitat Suitability Model for Southern California (2015) Rangewide Occupancy and Post-Fire Recovery of California Gnatcatchers in Southern California, 2020 Distribution and Breeding Status of Least Bell’s Vireo Along the San Diego and Tijuana Rivers in San Diego County, California (2020) Distribution and Abundance of Least Bell's Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus) on the Middle San Luis Rey River, San Diego County, Southern California in 2021 Microsatellite Genotypes for Coastal Cactus Wrens (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) from Southern California, 2009-2019 Surveys and Monitoring of Coastal Cactus Wren in Southern San Diego County, 2015-2016 Surveys and Monitoring of Coastal Cactus Wren in Southern San Diego County, 2017 Surveys and Monitoring of Coastal Cactus Wren in Southern San Diego County, 2018 Surveys and Monitoring of Coastal Cactus Wren in Southern San Diego County, 2019 Surveys and Monitoring of Coastal Cactus Wren in Southern San Diego County, 2020 Surveys and Monitoring of Coastal Cactus Wren in Southern San Diego County, 2021 Rangewide Occupancy and Post-Fire Recovery of California Gnatcatchers in Southern California (ver 2.0, March 2023) Assessing Connectivity among Coastal and Interior Cactus Wrens in California using Population Genomics (2021) Drainage Areas for Stream Segments in Western San Diego County Capture Data and SNP Genotypes to Evaluate Subspecies Range Boundaries of the Bell’s vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus and V. b. arizonae) (2010-2022) Distribution and Breeding Status of Least Bell’s Vireo along the San Diego and Tijuana Rivers in San Diego County, California (2023) Cactus Wren Invertebrate Diet Derived from Sequencing of Nestling Fecal Samples in San Diego County, California Distribution and Abundance of Least Bell's Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus) on the Middle San Luis Rey River, San Diego County, Southern California in 2021 Surveys and Monitoring of Coastal Cactus Wren in Southern San Diego County, 2015-2016 Surveys and Monitoring of Coastal Cactus Wren in Southern San Diego County, 2017 Surveys and Monitoring of Coastal Cactus Wren in Southern San Diego County, 2018 Cactus Wren Invertebrate Diet Derived from Sequencing of Nestling Fecal Samples in San Diego County, California Surveys and Monitoring of Coastal Cactus Wren in Southern San Diego County, 2020 Surveys and Monitoring of Coastal Cactus Wren in Southern San Diego County, 2021 Distribution and Breeding Status of Least Bell’s Vireo along the San Diego and Tijuana Rivers in San Diego County, California (2023) Surveys and Monitoring of Coastal Cactus Wren in Southern San Diego County, 2019 Distribution and Breeding Status of Least Bell’s Vireo Along the San Diego and Tijuana Rivers in San Diego County, California (2020) Drainage Areas for Stream Segments in Western San Diego County Microsatellite Genotypes for Coastal Cactus Wrens (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) from Southern California, 2009-2019 Rangewide Occupancy and Post-Fire Recovery of California Gnatcatchers in Southern California (ver 2.0, March 2023) Rangewide Occupancy and Post-Fire Recovery of California Gnatcatchers in Southern California, 2020 Coastal Cactus Wren Habitat Suitability Model for Southern California (2015) Coastal California Gnatcatcher Habitat Suitability Model for Southern California (2015) Assessing Connectivity among Coastal and Interior Cactus Wrens in California using Population Genomics (2021) Capture Data and SNP Genotypes to Evaluate Subspecies Range Boundaries of the Bell’s vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus and V. b. arizonae) (2010-2022) Least Bell's Vireo Habitat Suitability Model for California (2019)