By DONNA BALANCIA — CARLSBAD – The number of Coastal California Gnatcatchers is on the rise and a local golf course is a major habitat, according to a newly released study.
The threatened songbird’s population has increased by 30 percent throughout the city, but has doubled at Crossings Golf Course, according to the City of Carlsbad 2013 Coastal California Gnatcatcher Survey.
Read the City of Carlsbad 2013 Coastal California Gnatcatcher Survey here.
Data supplied in the survey indicates, 23 nesting pairs of gnatcatchers were found in the golf course The Crossings, compared to 13 pairs that were counted there three years ago. Citywide, the gnatcatcher population has grown to 122 nesting pairs, or about 30 percent more than were spotted in 2010.
“At the Crossings we now have as many if not more gnatcatchers than we did before the course was constructed,” said City of Carlsbad Senior Planner Mike Grim. “The golf course is now a successful habitat for gnatcatchers. We think we have an area that will support gnatcatchers in perpetuity.”
Creating and preserving habitat, along with new nature trails and open space, was an important goal when the city built the golf course, Grim said.
For @NationalAudubon research on gnatcatchers click here
News By Donna 