In 2013, Madrone began a nesting support project for the rescue volunteers of Santa Rosa Bird Rescue and International Bird Rescue in Cordelia. Rice straw mats with flexible security fencing were placed in an oval 180’ long under the street trees. The mats helped cushion falling chicks and provide an enclosed area to facilitate quicker rescue. The City of Santa Rosa also installed caution signage for the nesting area in 2013 and helped with release locations along the Laguna de Santa Rosa (the nesting birds use nearby Santa Rosa Creek as a pathway to their feeding grounds at the Laguna).

Conduct when visiting the W. 9th Street nesting site

It is a wonderful experience seeing the egrets and herons build their nests and raise their young, all within easy access by car. Do please consider the following when visiting the nesting site. If possible, park at least one block away from the nests, and stay on the sidewalks on either side of the street to view the nests. Do not approach or stand in the median. Please be aware nests are also in tall trees on private property on either side of W. 9th Street in this immediate area. Use a quiet voice when talking with others. This will help to minimize any stress on the birds as they raise their young.

On W. 9th Street between Link Lane and Stony Point Road in a southwest Santa Rosa neighborhood, two large median eucalyptus street trees and nearby residential tall trees provide nesting habitat for hundreds of birds. Since the late 1990s, this established nesting site for colonial waterbirds has been productive. The site supports Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Cattle Egret and Black-Crowned Night Heron, with stopover visits by Great Blue Herons and others. In close proximity to Lincoln Elementary School on W. 9th St., Madrone Audubon’s annual Bird Festival in early May celebrates the nesting experience and environmental education.

Jay Holcomb of International Bird Rescue banded each bird that was rehabilitated and healthy enough for release. Over 125 birds were released at the Laguna in 2013. Audubon Canyon Ranch monitors and produces a census of nests and production for the North Bay Heron and Egret Project, headquartered at Cypress Grove on Tomales Bay.