Seal Beach wildlife hangs on the balance

The sun peeked its way through the overcast skyline, as vacationers flocked to the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station early in the morning last Saturday.
“I want to see how our tax dollars are being spent,” said one visitor.
Droves of onlookers expected to get an up-close glimpse of wildlife during the base’s free tour, held on the last Saturday of each month.
Volunteers wearing beige vests then went over a few rules: no smoking, no cameras and, most recently, no cell-phone cameras.
The security regulations are due to the wildlife’s relationship with the Navy base, used as a holding ground for ammunitions.
This hidden natural habitat, known as the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge, which takes up one fifth of the 5,000-acre Navy base, is one of the last remaining protected areas for bird species.
Predators in peril
But some biologists and specialists say a declining amount of predators, such as red-tailed hawks, cooper’s hawks and American kestrels, throughout Southern California, could threaten the very existence of this vast ecosystem.
“It’s puzzling,” said Pete Bloom, a biologist for the Audubon California Starr Ranch Sanctuary. “Certain species have declined dramatically.”
Although no official numbers have been recorded, data shows the dwindling amounts of “Birds of Prey” could be caused by a variety of environmental concerns, Bloom said.
Fewer protected habitats because of fires and development, climate change caused by global warming, West Nile virus outbreaks and less prey are all factors in the shortened number of nests over the last few decades.
However, Navy biologist Bob Schallman said the problem is more of a regional issue.
“Open space at the Seal Beach refuge continues to provide suitable breeding and foraging areas for a wide variety of bird species, including raptors,” Schallman said. “The Navy and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service staff continue to work together to monitor the health of the station's bird population through regular surveys and studies.”
Schallman said this year has been a banner year for California least terns, small sand-dwelling birds that are currently on the endangered species list.
The count, about 207 nests, matched or exceeded the base’s all time high this year, he said. The increase in population is mainly due to more protection from volunteers and more small fish to feed off.
The nests are protected on an island formerly used as a testing sight for NASA projects.
Least terns are then expected to leave in August.
Prey also in danger
But, the Navy continues to have challenges with predators targeting these young birds, resulting in relatively low fledgling numbers compared to previous years, he said.
A number of potential predatory species on the base that feed on the terns likely include the great blue heron, northern harrier, common raven and American kestrel.
Volunteers from the Friends of Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge's "Eyes on the Colony" program have provided assistance to the Navy and the USFWS staff in monitoring the tern-breeding site for these predators, providing quick notification when predators target the site.
Some of these predators are sometimes displaced or treated in the hands of veterinarian Scott Weldy, who works for a wildlife hospital in Lake Forest.
While he admits Seal Beach is not a good representation of sampling, Weldy has seen a difference in both the kinds of predators that are brought into his hospital and the amount.
“I can tell you the numbers are a general anecdote,” he said. “Hopefully, it’s not a representation of them dying, but in general, numbers have significantly dropped down.”
Weldy works with federal and state wildlife officials on birds of prey where he treats each one in cages until they can be re-released or relocated.
He said a better representation of whether predator birds are declining would be to take a survey from all of the biologists over the state, look at the nest sightings and see how many babies fledge out of that site.
In general, however, birds during this time of year aren’t as abundant as in other months.
“Winter is the best time to see a lot of birds,” said John Fitch, a volunteer who has been monitoring birds since 1988 and helps protect least terns on the base.
The marshland provides food and a way of life for almost 200,000 shore birds on a day-to-day basis during those times.
Predators, he said, add up to about 4,000.
Marsh lands disappearing
“We have only 2 to 5 percent of marsh left in Southern California,” he said. “We got more and more red tails that will start hunting in here.”
In addition, the Seal Beach wildlife refuge is home to one of the last remaining burrowing owls in Orange County. With about eight to 12 owls, the Navy has set up protected artificial burrows on the north side of the base.
Kristen Bender, president of the Friends of the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge, said she considers the refuge a jewel for all types of wildlife in the midst of coastal development. She said without the shallow nutrient waters of the wetlands, local fish off the coast wouldn’t have a place to lay eggs.
“If the marshes go, then so goes the fish,” Bender said. “This is vastly more productive than a marina.”
To learn more about the Naval base wildlife tours log on to http://www.pelicanvan.org/ or call (562) 598-1024.