BY CITIZENS FOR EAST SHORE PARKS AND GOLDEN GATE AUDUBON SOCIETY

FUNDED BY A GRANT FROM THE CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS FOUNDATIONCONDUCTED JULY 2015 – JUNE 2016

Birds at the Albany Shoreline

ALBANY NECK AND BULB BIRD SURVEY

The Albany Neck and Bulb jut a mile out into San Francisco Bay from the City of Albany’s spectacular waterfront park. Starting as a landfill in1963, the Bulb became the first parcel marked for inclusion into ashoreline state park, ultimately McLaughlin Eastshore State Park. Now,the Bulb is designated as a conservation area because of its uniquelocation and abundant vegetation, which provides habitat for a richdiversity of wildlife. The City of Albany and the East Bay Regional ParkDistrict are working together to complete the development of the Neckand Bulb as a magnificent park.

Albany Neck and Bulb Bird Survey Map South Facing Slope (SFS) of the Neck and Bulb – surveyedfrom the Shoreline Trail. Every survey started here because

it heats up earlier in the morning, stimulating early bird activity.This area was not accessible July – November 2015 due toconstruction activity. Until the trail opened to the public, thebirding teams surveyed the SFS area by looking south (down)from the top of the Neck and listening for bird calls.

Top of the Bulb (TOB) – surveyed from the circular trail atthe top of the Bulb, plus its several side trails that lead to

viewpoints of adjacent portions of the Bulb.

North Side of the Bulb (NSOB, not including TOB) –surveyed from the trail that heads north from the TOB down

to the shoreline; then east (as far as feasibly possible) along thenorth shoreline of the Bulb.

Top of the Neck (TON) – surveyed by walking east from the east edge of the Bulb to the east end of the Neck.

Surveyors identified a lone eucalyptus tree as the boundary linebetween the east end of the neck and the west end of AlbanyPlateau.

Bulb

North

TON

TOB

Great News! Burrowing Owl sighted on the AlbanyPlateau conservation area.This bird is threatened withextinction.

NSOB

SFS

Plateau

AlbanyBeach

Neck

FlemingPoint

1

1

2

3

4

2

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About the Bird Survey The bird survey was conductedtwo times each month from July2015 to June 2016. The areastudied consists of the entire Neckand Bulb, the airspace above, andthe exposed mudflats adjacent tothe Neck and Bulb.

Each survey began betweensunrise and one hour after sunrise.Every bird team identified thenumber of land birds and thespecies by sight and sound in eachsurvey area. Water birds and shorebirds were not tallied unlessobserved on the immediateshoreline. The survey:• Determined which bird species are present and howtheir abundance varies over acalendar year.

• Identified the habitats thesebirds use.

• Increased our understanding ofwhat kinds of feasible habitatimprovements would likelysupport greater diversity andabundance of native birds.

A Living Environment The Albany Bulb has specificattributes that differentiate it from other East Bay shorelinelands. A 33-acre area, it featuresvaried topography, biodiverseruderal vegetation, and a

geographic location that providesnatural beauty and wildernessadjacent to a dense urban area. Aspart of the Pacific Flyway, the Bulbserves as an important refuge formigrating, resident, and winteringbirds. Both non-native and nativevegetation play a role in furnishinghabitat upon which the diverse birdcommunities depend. The Bulbexemplifies the resilience andpower of nature as it has evolvedfrom a landfill into today’s vitalhabitat for an abundance of wildlife.

Designated in the Eastshore StatePark General Plan as an upland andtideland conservation area, theAlbany Bulb also contains wetlandhabitats and coastal salt marshvegetation.

A Variety of Uses Means a Variety of Birds Approximately ninety bird specieswere observed at the Neck andBulb over the 12-month surveyperiod. Birds heavily use this areaacross the seasons for breeding, asa migration rest stop, for year-round residence, and for wintering.Birds depend on the Neck and

Bulb for rest, food, and shelter.Here are some examples:

• The House finch is a consistentBulb resident. The partially coral-colored males and buffyfemales gather in large social and vocal flocks.

• The White-crowned sparrow is a regular wintering bird thatdepends on the Bulb forabundant food and shelter, suchas seeds and Coyote bush.

• The Say’s phoebe is a popularmigrant that reliably visits theNeck.

• Townsend’s warblers are wintervisitors that depend on the Bulbas a welcome waypoint betweentheir breeding site as far north asAlaska and their winteringgrounds as far south as Panama.

• White-tailed kites dependon the Bulb as an ideal locationwhere they can rest and surveytheir hunting and nestingterritories.

• The Golden-crowned sparrow is a voracious berry gulper andspends winters at the AlbanyBulb.

The Bulb exemplifies the resilience and power ofnature as it has evolved from a landfill into today’svital habitat for an abundance of wildlife.

Clockwise from left:Merlin, California

towhee nest, Snowyegret, Say’s phoebe,

Northern mockingbird

Explore All Species Observed at the Neck and BulbA full list of the species observed,including the NorthernMockingbird, a polyglot thatperfectly mimics sounds frommotorbikes to ringtones, is onlineat www.eastshorepark.org. Imagesand additional details about thebird survey are also available.

Climate change threatens speciesincluding the Townsend’s warbler,White-tailed kite, and Forster’s ternamong others found at the Bulband Neck. Read more on theAudubon CA site at bit.ly/1Q6Lore.

A Place for DiscoveryThe Albany Neck and Bulb birdsurvey documents the tremendousdiversity of bird species in thisrelatively small area along the San Francisco Bay. As the Bulbtransitions into the state park, it must remain a refuge thatimproves and supports this vastwildlife community. Goals:

• Invite park visitors to discover theremarkable resilience of the wild

community that thrives at the Bulb.• Minimize construction to createlow-impact paths and protect theundergrowth and grasses onwhich many ground-dwellingspecies depend.

• Ensure that important habitat isundisturbed and that thevegetative features that sustainthe Bulb and Neck’s biodiversityare enhanced.

• Cultivate and protect theoutstanding attributes of thenatural beauty of the wild Bulband Neck biological community.

Special ThanksContributors: Robert Cheasty,Shirley Dean, Patricia Jones, PeterRauch, Cameron Wilson, RobertaWyn, Pam Young.Print and Design: Conifer Creative,

Autumn Press, Sally Douglas Arce.The Bird Survey Team operatedunder the guidance of Golden GateAudubon Society East BayConservation Committee; from leftto right: Steve Granholm, EllenBarth, Pam Young, Erica Rutherford,John Colbert, and Emilie Strauss(top right photo).Photographers: Pam Young, birds;Robert Lewis, birds; Gregory Pfau,nest; Cameron Wilson, team photo.

Golden Gate Audubon Society www.goldengateaudubon.orgGolden Gate Audubon Society engages people to experience thewonder of birds, translate that wonder into action, and protect nativebird populations and their habitats.

Citizens for East Shore Parks (CESP)www.eastshorepark.org The mission of CESP is to create a necklace of shoreline parks fromthe Oakland Estuary to the Carquinez Strait.

Clockwise from left:Anna’s hummingbird,Townsend’s warbler,Bird survey teammember Emilie Strauss,Golden-crownedsparrow

Cover photos from top to bottom: California towhee, Red-tailed hawk, White-tailed kite, Osprey