Page 19 - northlake_appeal_20180423

Figure 3. Burrowing owl densities Difference in density from spring
within 46 randomized sampling plots in 30~~~~~~~~~~~~~---.
0
the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area
shifted between seasons as a function of 20
density observed in spring, where green c 0
circles represent summer, red triangle 10 • 0
represent fall, and blue squares represent 1~ c c
winter (Smallwood, unpublished data). 0 ~ c 0
0 o 0 ~ to
c c Q)~ 0
..
-10
g t:. 0
c c
D
0 0
c
-20 0
D 0
•
-30
c
•
c
-40
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Burrowing owls detected
per km in spring
2
Further demonstrating lack of familiarity with burrowing owl surveys was Bon Terra
Psomas's (2015, Attachment F:5) reference to satellite burrows in the context of winter
surveys. Satellite burrows are meaningful only during the breeding season; there is no
such thing as a satellite burrow in winter.

BonTerra Psomas (2015, Attachment F:7) estimated 9 burrowing owls used the project
area during the winter of 2007. However, as I pointed out earlier, burrowing owls are
very difficult to detect during winter. In my experience, and given the survey methods
used, I would expect that BonTerra Psomas (2015, Attachment F7) grossly
underestimated the number of burrowing owls wintering on the project site.

BonTerra Psomas (2015, Attachment F:7) reported that wintering owls had left the
project area by 30 March 2007, leading to the SEIR (2017:5.2-39) conclusion, "The
burrowing owl winters on the Project site. This is an unusual wintering location for
this species, since it is located in thefoothills rather than on the valleyfioor." However,
there is nothing unusual about burrowing owls wintering in the foothills, nor would
there be anything unusual about them nesting there on the proposed project site. I have
documented one of the largest burrowing owl populations in California both wintering
and nesting in foothills (Smallwood et al. 2013, Smallwood 2016). Burrowing owls
migrating from British Columbia winter in the foothills of Santa Clara County at even
higher elevations than in the Altamont Pass or the proposed project site (Lynn Trulio,
personal communication, 2017).

Of greater significance, however, is BonTerra Psomas's (2015, Attachment F:7)
unfounded conclusion that the project site is used only by wintering burrowing owls.
According to BonTerra Psomas (2015, Attachment F:7), " ... there was no evidence of
breeding in the survey area during the 2007 breeding season." But the only survey
performed during the breeding season was on 28 April 2007. The 2007 survey effort

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