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| Many
FeederWatchers were affected by the 2003 fires in California.
Karen Barr from El Cajon, California, and Connie Jordan
from Julian, California, lost their homes to the fires.
Both are rebuilding and soon will be counting their
birds for FeederWatch again. |
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Herman Paulk, from San Bernardino, California, was one of the lucky ones.
His home survived fires that he could see from his doorstep. However, the mountains around
him were devastated, and now mudslides are a constant worry. |
| Mourning Doves silhouetted against the smoke of the "Old
Fire." |
| Paulk described the approaching fires, "It was about 9:30 a.m., and
we had just eaten breakfast at one of our favorite restaurants near the Waterman Canyon
area. When coming out of the door of the restaurant, we immediately saw a fire." |
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| "Old Fire" moving west a few hours after
being set on Old Waterman Canyon Road, October 25, 2003 |
| "Because
the fire was rapidly advancing..., we prepared for the worst when we got home, packing all
of our valuables and getting together emergency supplies. By that evening the fire had
reached the Devils Canyon area and was advancing on all fronts. The foothills to the east
of us were on fire and the fire was nearly to our house.... Thankfully the firefighters,
who did not get enough credit for their magnificent effort, were able to save our home
along with all the homes right around us." Paulk was observing what became
known as the "Old Fire." According to the USDA Forest Service, the Old Fire,
combined with the nearby Grand Prix Fire, burned more than 91, 000 acres and 993 homes.
While sorting through some old FeederWatch photos, we discovered a photo that Herman Paulk sent in back in 1995, showing his proximity to the San Bernardino Mountains. The photo caught our eye because we recognized the mountains as the same ones featured in recent photos Paulk sent after the fires. |
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San Bernardino Mountains before... |
...and after the fires. |
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| After the fires, Paulk reported, "the mountains behind our house and all along the San Bernardino Mountain area are bare of vegetation. The heavy growth that was once there is all gone, leaving nothing but the burnt out brush." |
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A
panorama of the San Bernardino Mountains
from Paulk's backyard after the fires |
| Birds have
responded to the fires and the aftermath in different ways. Some species turned to bird
feeders to supplement the lost natural foods while others appear to have moved to new
locations. Paulk has been observing the wildlife around his home and made some comparisons
to his observations from before the fires.
He
reported, "Right away we noticed we were getting
a larger number of California Quail (below) visiting
around the base of our feeders.... This winter we
have had over 100 quail at one time. During my past
FeederWatch counts, my largest counts of California
Quail were in the forties."
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Paulk observed higher numbers of California Quail (above) and
California Thrashers (below) after the fires |
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In addition to quail,
he has also seen an increase in California Thrashers (left). He now has four or five of
these thrashers visiting his feeders regularly. Before the fire this species rarely
visited. |
| Some
species, on the other hand, have declined. He now sees
fewer White-crowned Sparrows and Lark Sparrows than
he used to. "There has been a real reduction in
the number of White-crowned Sparrows coming to our feeders
during the winter months... In previous years, my count
for this species was in the high 40's; after the fire,
the largest number I've seen...has been 15 to 16 birds.
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Lark Sparrows on the decline |
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Participants
like Herman Paulk are helping Project FeederWatch
monitor bird populations in and around fire areas.
Anyone can help Lab researchers monitor bird populations
by joining Project FeederWatch.
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Herman Paulk with his camera equipment.
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All
photos taken by Herman Paulk, San Bernardino, California
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