Birds respond quickly to changes in vegetation and thus are extremely useful indicators of ecological processes in flux. Birds should benefit, especially where dikes containing the river and its tributaries have been moved back to expand meanders that absorb and contain water, lowering the flood potential downstream. Our analyses suggest that many bird species are associated with these meanders, where gravel bars form on river curves opposite the cut banks where valley oaks occur. As the river is allowed more room to meander, more habitat will be created for birds. Using these, we ask whether bird communities differ on the mainstem of the Sacramento River versus the tributaries, and in large versus small patches and poorly connected versus well connected habitat along the mainstem.
Triangular flags are additional locations for data collection on the river s tributaries.
This information is critical for managers trying to improve ecosystem health by preserving or restoring vegetation and using birds as indicators. In a recent analysis, we buffered each point count location by 500 meters and 100 meters to capture important aspects of the surrounding habitat. A variety of metrics were calculated to characterize vegetation within those distances of the point count location. There are 31 patches in this top circle and 22 in the bottom one. Notice that each scale captures different aspects of habitat.