April 2020

Your Monthly News & updates

Welcome to the second edition of our monthly volunteer newsletter!

The Fierce Little Songbird that Could As I was preparing for an educational program down at the tidepool kiosk, a fluttering bird caught my eye. At first glance I thought it was a Black Phoebe ( Sayornis nigricans ) because of its flight pattern. It was swooping down, preying on insects mid-air, and then lighting on a perch that allowed an overview of the blooming plants. But this bird was larger than our Black Phoebes. The black eye band along with the black and white stripe on the wings were defining markings that helped in its identification. Being a peninsula on the Pacific Flyway, a major migration route, we see a large number of migratory birds at Cabrillo National Monument which can be challenging for field identification. However, after the picture was passed around the office a bit, this bird was identified as a Loggerhead Shrike ( Lanius ludovicianus ). Loggerhead Shrikes are songbirds that act like raptors – they’re predatory and will eat a wide variety of animal species like small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, arthropods (such as insects), and even other birds. Unlike raptors, however, they are unequipped to kill their prey. Lacking sharp talons, they have to be inventive - they impale their prey upon sharp objects! If you’ve ever been out for a hike and noticed a lizard impaled upon a barbed-wire fence or a mouse skewered on a cactus spine, that is most likely the kill of a shrike. Though I didn’t notice any shrike-kills, I did see that this bird was staying down by the tidepool kiosk area of Parking Lot 1 for the next few days. It was lighting on the barbed-wire fencing, a signpost, or a place to give the advantage of height to get an overview of its surroundings. This picture was taken while down at the tidepools, when I noticed the bird feeding. After a quick swoop, this individual was up on the post-and-rope with a bright green caterpillar. I also noted the four bands around the shrike’s legs. Stephanie Taylor, former biologist at CNM, guided me to the USGS site set up for reporting birds with a federal band or color marker. This individual was loaded into the site with the hope this may inform scientists that work with this species. There is a large population of a subspecies of Loggerhead Shrikes on San Clemente Island. This individual may have been blown over during our last big storm event. Or, perhaps it is an individual from the mainland population. Hopefully the bands will help researchers identify this bird, which will add clarity. Information like this is important in helping scientists understand migration and species distribution. You never know what you will see out in the field, so keep observing, friends, and keep us posted on what you come across! Photo: Andrew Rosales Story: Andrew Rosales and Samantha Wynns For more on the Loggerhead Shrike

Covid 19 Update The park is likely to remain closed until at least the end of April. Management is working daily with regional and DC offices to ensure that the best choices are being made for the park, the public, staff, and volunteers. As you know, the situation is constantly changing, and the April date, could be moved up or back, depending. In the meantime, continue to utilize the best practices for staying healthy as put out by the CDC. In addition, here is a video of a pulmonologist in New York explaining Covid-19, how to stay healthy, and answering questions. It is very informative.

Cabrillo Quarantine Cookbook! Introducing the Cabrillo Quarantine Cookbook! What better memento from this time spent inside, than a cookbook comprised of recipes that you, our volunteers and staff, have been perfecting! You can contribute to this collection of culinary delights by sending a recipe to cabr_volunteers@nps.gov. Please include "cookbook" in the subject. Submission parameters: Title of Recipe Ingredients: List them in order of when they will be used in the recipe. Include specific measurements. List ingredients in the form they are called for (i.e. chopped onions vs just onions). Steps: Be as descriptive as possible (don't forget about preheating the oven if that is a necessary step). Prep and Cook Time: Optional but helpful! Picture: Optional. If you choose to include a photo, please make sure it is an original taken by you, the chef! Ensure good lighting and that the food is the only subject in the image.

Dead Trails Tell No Tales Cabrillo National Monument has been warded a grant to help fund a team of CCC corps members. Service Corps members will restore a total of three miles of trails in four high priority project areas. The areas include: rehabilitating the Coastal Trail at the Cabrillo tidepools, rehabilitating washed out areas of the Bayside Trail overlooking San Diego Bay, repairing trail surface and stairs on the Military History Trail, and restoring habitat by re-vegetating “social trails” throughout the park created by visitors walking off-trail into sensitive habitat.

Visitor Center Restroom Update Roses are red Porta potties are blue VC restrooms are almost done How happy are you?! That's right, folks! Within two weeks, the bathrooms by the visitor center will be complete and the porta potties will be hauled away! The public will have shiny new restrooms when the park re-opens. This project was funded by the very fee dollars that come from visitors entering the park. A big thank you to Jay and the maintenance staff for seeing this project through!

Scientists on the Move! Quarantine is for the birds! While we are hunkered down in our houses, the plants and animals of Cabrillo National Monument continue to thrive. Monitoring is ongoing with a little help from some of our government and non government partner organizations. Here is a list of the monitoring occurring in the park this week: Herp (reptile) survey with United States Geological Survey Shorebird survey with park staff Terrestrial bird survey with park staff Bat survey with the Natural History Museum

Continuing Education The Institute for Parks and Public Lands at Indiana University has been a partner of the NPS for quite some time. They offer many engaging courses, some of which are free! Below is a list of some of the courses that are currently free to take . Introduction to the National Park Service: A History of the NPS Foundations of Interpretation How to Prepare an Interpretive Program

MPA Art Challenge! The Marine Protected Area Collaborative Network is asking YOU to get creative while in quarantine! Did you know that Cabrillo National Monument has a Marine Protected Area? Find out more about marine protected areas and how to join in the fun by visiting their website.

Call us on the Party Line! The staff at Cabrillo National Monument misses you so much! We have set aside the park conference line this Friday to chat with you! Most of the staff will be on the call to answer any questions you might have, and to remind you how much you are missed. When: 4/3/2020 Phone: 866-893-6272 Participant code: 7940894# Please remember to mute your phones by pressing the mute button on your IOS or Android device or by pressing *6. You can unmute at any time to speak. We can't wait to hear from you all!

Don't Forget to Log Your Hours!