ITEM 23 ATTACHMENT 6 - Project Plans

27 Northern harrier (Circus hudsonius). California Species of Special Concern. Northern harriers require open annual grassland habitats and prefer dense ground vegetation or grasses in which to build nests. They are distinguished from other similar species by their prominent white rump patch. Males are pale gray in color, while females are brown with dark streaking on the breast. These birds are ground nesters and utilize habitats ranging from annual grassland to seasonal wetland for this purpose. This species breeds once per season, with primary females breeding from April to July, and secondary females breeding from May through September. Northern harriers’ nest on the ground usually preferring dense vegetation clumps for cover such as willows, grasses, sedges, reeds, bulrushes, and cattails. An average of four eggs per clutch will take 28 to 36 days to hatch with the young fledging 30 to 35 days after hatching. There are no CNDDB occurrences of this species within five miles of the Property. The nearest occurrence (#27) is located approximately 6.5 miles north of the Property in the Tassajara Valley. The occurrence is from 1992 when a mating pair was observed nesting. The occurrence is presumed extant. Given the information above, it was determined that there is a low potential for the northern harrier to forage or nest among annual grassland habitat on the Property. White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus). Federal Species of Concern, CDFW: Fully Protected. The white-tailed kite is falcon-shaped with a long white tail. This raptor has black patches on the shoulders that are highly visible while the bird is flying or perching. White-tailed kites forage in annual grasslands, farmlands, orchards, chaparral, and at the edges of marshes and meadows. They are found nesting in trees and shrubs such as willows (Salix sp.), California sycamore (Platanus racemosa), and coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) often near marshes, lakes, rivers, or ponds. This raptor often hovers while inspecting the ground below for prey. The White-tailed Kite eats mainly small mammals, as well as some birds, lizards, and insects. Annual grasslands are considered good foraging habitat for white-tailed kites, which will forage in human-impacted areas. There is one CNDDB occurrence of white-tailed kite within five miles of the Property. Occurrence #158 is located approximately 3.6 miles north of the Property in the City of Dublin. In 2009, two adults and two recently fledged young were observed at their nest tree. This occurrence is presumed extant. Given the information above, it was determined that the white- tailed kite may forage on the Property. Due to the lack of any marshes, lakes, rivers, or ponds in the immediate vicinity, it is unlikely that this species would nest on the Property.