As we move into the next phase of the summer season, things have started to slow down. Birds are beginning to molt their feathers, juveniles are practicing their flying skills, and many species are preparing for migration. As this transition begins, it’s interesting to look back at everything birds were doing just a few months ago—establishing territories, building nests, foraging food, and raising their young.
Spring and early summer are also when Audubon Conservation Ranching’s Rangeland Ecologists head into the field to monitor birds across California’s working rangelands. Working alongside Point Blue scientists and ranchers, the teams spend early mornings listening and watching birds while collecting information that helps us better understand how these landscapes support wildlife. Every monitoring season offers another opportunity to learn about the relationship between birds, habitat, and cattle grazing.
Bird monitoring is paired with vegetation monitoring to tell a more complete story about the landscape. Ecologists conduct bird point count surveys while also collecting vegetation data along 100-meter transects, recording the plants found throughout each survey area. Looking at both sets of observations together helps show how habitats like grasslands, oak woodlands, riparian areas, and chaparral provide important resources for birds while continuing to support working ranches.
One of the highlights of the season is seeing the variety of birds that call these rangelands home. In Northern California, White-breasted Nuthatches could often be spotted climbing oak trunks in search of insects or storing food for later. Out in the grasslands, Western Kingbirds perched on fence posts before launching into the air to catch insects, all while keeping watch over their nesting territories. In Southern California, the frequently spotted Wrentits grab caterpillars and spiders and hurry to feed them to their nestlings along the top of coastal shrubs. Spending time observing these behaviors offers a small glimpse into how different species use working landscapes throughout the breeding season.
Like the birds, field crews had to adjust to changing conditions throughout the season. Rainy weather often meant shifting focus from bird surveys to vegetation monitoring until conditions improved. Traveling between ranches also meant experiencing California’s incredible diversity of landscapes—from the coastal prairies of Marin County to the mountain meadows of Plumas County and the sagebrush steppe of Siskiyou County. Even though every ranch looked a little different, the monitoring methods stayed the same, allowing observations to be compared across regions and over time.
One thing that stood out throughout the season was how many people contributed to this work. Rangeland Ecologists, ranchers, and Point Blue scientists all play an important role in understanding these landscapes. A special moment occurred when a Western kingbird sat on top of a rancher’s head at the Central Coast Rangeland Coalition meeting. It reminded the monitoring team that while the science is important, it’s also the special moments in the field when they really witness the value of land stewardship, when various species feel safe in their habitats. Whether it was sharing observations in the field or talking through management questions, the monitoring season reflected how much can be learned when science and stewardship come together.
As another monitoring season comes to a close, the work doesn’t end with the final survey. The observations collected this spring will help build a better understanding of California’s rangelands over time and continue informing conversations about habitat management. Looking back on the season, it’s exciting to see how every early morning survey, vegetation transects, and bird observation contributes to conserving bird habitat on the working lands that support both wildlife and ranching.
