Natural Communities Coalition

RESTORATION AND ENHANCEMENT - WORKING WITH PARTICIPATING LANDOWNERS THAT MAKE UP THE MORE THAN 37,000 ACRE NATURE RESERVE OF ORANGE COUNTY (NROC), THE NATURAL COMMUNITIES COALITION (NCC) COORDINATED THE RESTORATION OF THE COASTAL SAGE SCRUB (CSS) HABITAT WITHIN THE RESERVE. THIS BENEFITS THE COASTAL CACTUS WREN, CALIFORNIA GNATCATCHER AND ORANGE-THROATED WHIPTAIL LIZARD, EACH IDENTIFIED IN THE NATURAL COMMUNITY CONSERVATION PLAN (NCCP) AND HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN (HCP) FOR THE CENTRAL AND COASTAL SUBREGION OF ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. NROC AND THE HABITAT RESTORATION EFFORTS WITHIN BENEFIT AN ADDITIONAL 31 IDENTIFIED SPECIES WHOSE LONG-TERM SURVIVAL IS DEPENDENT UPON HEALTHY AND CONNECTED LANDSCAPES. DURING THE TAX YEAR REPORTED, NCC CONTINUED TO MONITOR AND REPORT ON THE HABITAT RESTORATION TIED TO WESTERN SPADEFOOT BREEDING SUCCESS.

COWBIRD TRAPPING - NCC CONTINUED ITS ANNUAL OBLIGATION TO TRAP BROWNHEADED COWBIRDS TO MANAGE THEIR IMPACTS ON PROTECTED BIRD SPECIES. COWBIRDS ARE BROOD PARASITES. FEMALE COWBIRDS LAY THEIR EGGS IN THE NEST OF OTHER NATIVE BIRDS. THE NESTOWNING SPECIES THEN UNKNOWINGLY RAISE THE COWBIRD CHICK TO MATURITY OFTEN TO THE DETRIMENT OF ITS OWN CLUTCH. IN AREAS WHERE THE COWBIRD POPULATIONS ARE HIGH, TRAPS ARE USED TO LOWER THEIR NUMBERS AND INCREASE REPRODUCTIVE AND FLEDGLING SUCCESS OF BIRD SPECIES PARASITIZED BY COWBIRDS. A TOTAL OF NEARLY TWO DOZEN COWBIRD TRAPS WERE DEPLOYED FOR A TOTAL OF MORE THAN 2,400 TRAPDAYS IN AREAS OF THE RESERVE WHERE COWBIRD IMPACTS ON PROTECTED SONGBIRDS ARE POTENTIALLY HIGH.