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Santa cruz island sea caves1/21/2024 ![]() Sea cave silhouette on Santa Cruz Island. ![]() Small colony sizes and fragile habitats make Ashy Storm-Petrels highly susceptible to natural or human impacts. Nests are primarily found in rock crevices, under small rocks or boulders, under driftwood, or in open sites along cave walls. At Santa Cruz Island, offshore rocks (such as Orizaba Rock) and sea caves continue to host important nesting colonies. With the growth of the native vegetation, it is even hard to find the new nesting sites within the restored areas!Īshy Storm-Petrels are rare and endemic to California and northwestern Baja California, with a world population of less than 10,000 individuals. In 2014, there were 12 documented natural burrow sites on the Rock. There has also been a documented reduction in predation of adult Cassin’s Auklets due to the increased plant cover that provides protection. Native plant cover has increased 15 times from 2008 (3.5%) to 2012 (58%) and non-native cover has decreased dramatically from 94% in 2008 to 2.6% in 2012. Annual activities include the removal of non-native plants, soil stabilization, and monitoring of seabird nesting on the Rock.īased on our work, a native plant community has now been established and Cassin’s Auklets are recovering. Over 8,000 plants of 19 species were outplanted on Scorpion Rock between 20. Biologists have also installed artificial nests to provide stable and secure nest sites for Cassin’s Auklets. MSRP restoration activities on Scorpion Rock have improved and enhanced existing natural habitat for Cassin’s Auklets by restoring native vegetation, stabilizing soil to minimize erosion, and removing non-native vegetation. Natural Cassin’s Auklet burrows were in decline on the rock, mainly from 94% coverage of ice plant that made nesting inaccessible and a high rate of soil erosion. Scorpion Rock is a small islet located off the northeast coast of Santa Cruz Island and is a historically-known important nesting area for seabirds. ![]() Scorpion Rock with blooming coreopsis plants. ![]()
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