Our largest preserve, Baker Sanctuary, is 715 acres of ashe-juniper woodland, prime habitat for the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler and many other species. We manage this land, but we also monitor it to see how bird populations are doing, and figure out which conservation techniques could lead to better outcomes for species in need.
Sanctuary-wide Breeding Bird Survey
In late spring, our land manager at Baker Sanctuary completed the fifteenth-annual Sanctuary-wide Breeding Bird Survey. For two weeks, Chris visited 38 stations across the preserve and did a 10-minute count, looking and listening for birds at each stop; a majority of the IDs were from calls heard by ear. This survey gives us a sense of how bird populations are trending at the preserve.
Most abundant species:
- Northern Cardinal
- Painted Bunting
- Lesser Goldfinch
- Mourning Dove
- Black-crested Titmouse/Tufted Titmouse
Negative population trend:
- Black-and-white Warbler
- Great-tailed Grackle*
- Northern Bobwhite*
- Northern Mockingbird
- Turkey Vulture*
* Grackles and Bobwhite have never been common at Baker, so that trend is not a surprise, and Turkey Vultures are abundant but tend to be missed in early morning point counts.
Positive population trend:
- Chimney Swift
- Great Crested Flycatcher
- Lesser Goldfinch
- Northern Cardinal
- Painted Bunting
- Red-eyed Vireo
- Summer Tanager
- White-eyed Vireo
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Golden-cheeked Warbler Survey
Baker Sanctuary is home to the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler (GCWA), so we carry out an additional survey for that species every year. This survey was conducted between March and June across a 97-acre plot in the southwestern section of the sanctuary. A team of seven volunteers and staff completed the survey, using a combination of mist-netting and visual and audio tracking to identify birds.
They recorded 364 GCWA observations, about the same as previous years, which matches the flat population trend for GCWAs found in the Sanctuary-wide Breeding Bird Survey. However, the measures for breeding success and overall productivity were the lowest recorded since these GCWA surveys were initiated in 2014. While the cause of these observations is not readily apparent, a contributing factor may have been the unusually hot and dry temperatures witnessed for the months of March and April. These conditions may have contributed to a decreased availability of food resources later in the breeding season, potentially causing nests to fail at a higher rate than typical.
We will continue to conduct both surveys in the years to come. You can support that work by making a donation.
View more detailed survey results here.
Photo: Golden-cheeked Warbler by Rich Kostecke
