[EBB Sightings] an interesting vireo in Pleasanton 6/15

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=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Songbird Missing from Central Valley for 60 Year=
s
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0=A0 Reappears at San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refu=
ge

=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 CALFED Funds Began Successful Restoratio=
n


=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 A husky-voiced little songbird once common in California's Ce=
ntral
Valley but not heard there for the last 60 years has reappeared on the
San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) west of Modesto.

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 The least Bell's vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) is a musical,c=
hatty
bird.=A0 Some males have up to 15 different songs that finish with a
distinctive, "cheedle, jeew." That song was heard by bird counter
Lynette Lina along the banks of the San Joaquin River last Friday, who then
verified it with other bird monitors. On Tuesday, they were able to
recordthe birds to confirm the species.

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 The sighting of a nesting pair of least Bell's vireo occurred=
 on the
refuge, a unit of the San Luis NWR Complex that was restored under the
CALFED program. The restoration began just three years ago and was
completed this spring. In that time, the former farm field has quickly
grown into a tangle of willows, blackberry, wild rose and other native
riverside plants, some already 30 feet high. It is reminiscent of the
original valley riverside habitat, and least Bell's vireos soon found
the area, even though they haven't nested in the Central Valley for 85
years.

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 "Hearing the least Bell's vireo again demonstrates that a goo=
d
recovery plan, committed partners and resources to carry it out, can
bring many species back to life in areas where they seemed lost forever,"=20
said
Steve Thompson, manager of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's
California-Nevada Operations Office.

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 The wildlife refuges increasingly play a major role in the su=
rvival
and recovery of species.=A0 The Aleutian Canada goose, for example, recovere=
d
from the brink of extinction after it began wintering at the same San
Joaquin River refuge.

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 The least Bell's vireo once was common from Red Bluff downthr=
oughout
the Central Valley and south into Baja California. But the removal of 90
per cent of the riparian habitat resulted in their steep decline. Thelast
time least Bell's vireo breeding was confirmed in the valley was 1919. By
the 1940s birders could no longer hear them in the Valley. Exhaustive
searches for the bird in the 1970s and 1980s also came up empty-handed,
and biologists sadly concluded that the bird no longer nested in the valley.

=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 When the least Bell's vireo was federally listed as endanger=
ed in
1986 only 300 pairs were left, all along small streams in Southern
California.

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 This week's success is the outcome of a broad partnership inv=
olving
at least nine different organizations. CALFED spawned the effort in 1998
when it provided key funds to purchase an 800-acre farm owned by the late
Ed Hagemann. Many other agencies also contributed, among them the Natural
Resources Conservation Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the
California Resources Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the
Audubon Society.

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 Three years ago, CALFED provided funds to the San Luis NWR to=
 restore
a 164-acre section along the San Joaquin River where the least Bell's vireo
now has nested. The restoration quickly filled in the farmed land with
classic Central Valley riparian habitat.

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 The hands-on restoration work was an adaptive effort by three
conservation partners -- PRBO Conservation Science, River Partners and the
Endangered Species Restoration Program at CSU-Stanislaus. Each year they
made refinements to improve the quality of habitat being developed for
native bird and animal species. The process is closely monitored by PRBO
and ESRP, two wildlife organizations that work closely with state and
federal agencies to monitor special species.

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 Geoff=A0 Geupel of PRBO said the least Bell's vireo's return=20=
"is a
success for CALFED's adaptive management approach to habitat restoration."
Learning from earlier restoration efforts, they planted more shrubby
understory and created a varied pattern of planting that mimics the
natural floodplain habitat.=A0 That created an area perfect for the least=20
Bell's
vireo -- dense shrubby understory.

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eva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2">

=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Songbird Missing from Central Valley for 60 Year=
s

=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0=A0 Reappears at San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refu=
ge

=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 CALFED Funds Began Successful Restoratio=
n

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 A husky-voiced little songbird once common in California's Ce=
ntral

Valley but not heard there for the last 60 years has reappeared on the

San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) west of Modesto.

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 The least Bell's vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) is a musical,c=
hatty

bird.=A0 Some males have up to 15 different songs that finish with a

distinctive, "cheedle, jeew." That song was heard by bird counter

Lynette Lina along the banks of the San Joaquin River last Friday, who then<=
BR>
verified it with other bird monitors. On Tuesday, they were able to

recordthe birds to confirm the species.

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 The sighting of a nesting pair of least Bell's vireo occurred=
 on the

refuge, a unit of the San Luis NWR Complex that was restored under the

CALFED program. The restoration began just three years ago and was

completed this spring. In that time, the former farm field has quickly

grown into a tangle of willows, blackberry, wild rose and other native

riverside plants, some already 30 feet high. It is reminiscent of the

original valley riverside habitat, and least Bell's vireos soon found

the area, even though they haven't nested in the Central Valley for 85

years.

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 "Hearing the least Bell's vireo again demonstrates that a goo=
d

recovery plan, committed partners and resources to carry it out, can

bring many species back to life in areas where they seemed lost forever," sa=
id

Steve Thompson, manager of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's

California-Nevada Operations Office.

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 The wildlife refuges increasingly play a major role in the su=
rvival

and recovery of species.=A0 The Aleutian Canada goose, for example, recovere=
d

from the brink of extinction after it began wintering at the same San

Joaquin River refuge.

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 The least Bell's vireo once was common from Red Bluff downthr=
oughout

the Central Valley and south into Baja California. But the removal of 90

per cent of the riparian habitat resulted in their steep decline. Thelast
searches for the bird in the 1970s and 1980s also came up empty-handed,

and biologists sadly concluded that the bird no longer nested in the valley.=
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 When the least Bell's vireo was federally listed as endanger=
ed in

1986 only 300 pairs were left, all along small streams in Southern

California.

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 This week's success is the outcome of a broad partnership inv=
olving

at least nine different organizations. CALFED spawned the effort in 1998

when it provided key funds to purchase an 800-acre farm owned by the late
California Resources Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the

Audubon Society.

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 Three years ago, CALFED provided funds to the San Luis NWR to=
 restore

a 164-acre section along the San Joaquin River where the least Bell's vireo<=
BR>
now has nested. The restoration quickly filled in the farmed land with

classic Central Valley riparian habitat.

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 The hands-on restoration work was an adaptive effort by three=
conservation partners -- PRBO Conservation Science, River Partners and the
Endangered Species Restoration Program at CSU-Stanislaus. Each year they

made refinements to improve the quality of habitat being developed for

native bird and animal species. The process is closely monitored by PRBO

and ESRP, two wildlife organizations that work closely with state and

federal agencies to monitor special species.

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 Geoff=A0 Geupel of PRBO said the least Bell's vireo's return=20=
"is a

success for CALFED's adaptive management approach to habitat restoration."
Learning from earlier restoration efforts, they planted more shrubby

understory and created a varied pattern of planting that mimics the

natural floodplain habitat.=A0 That created an area perfect for the least Be=
ll's

vireo -- dense shrubby understory.

2">
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