San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory

THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY BIRD OBSERVATORY USES SCIENCE TO CONSERVE BIRDS AND HABITATS. OUR AVIAN MONITORING AND HABITAT RESTORATION ACTIVITIES PROVIDE CRITICAL DATA THAT WE USE TO EDUCATE LAND MANAGERS AND THE PUBLIC, AND CONTRIBUTE TO INFORMED CONSERVATION DECISIONS.

OUR SCIENCE PROGRAMS ARE THE SNOWY PLOVER AND LEAST TERN PROGRAM, LANDSCAPE SUSTAINABILITY AND WATERBIRD PROGRAM, AND LANDBIRD PROGRAM. THE SNOWY PLOVER AND LEAST TERN RECOVERY PROGRAM WORKS TOWARD THE RECOVERY OF THE FEDERALLY THREATENED WESTERN SNOWY PLOVER AND ENDANGERED CALIFORNIA LEAST TERN. BIOLOGISTS MONITOR BREEDING SNOWY PLOVERS AND LEAST TERNS BY SURVEYING FORMER SALT PONDS, STORMWATER RETENTION PONDS, AND OTHER SUITABLE HABITAT OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY WHERE THE BIRDS BREED. PROGRAM BIOLOGISTS WORK CLOSELY WITH LOCAL LAND MANAGERS AND RESTORATION PROJECTS TO IMPLEMENT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES TO HELP INCREASE THE SNOWY PLOVER AND LEAST TERN POPULATION IN THE BAY. THE LANDSCAPE SUSTAINABILITY AND WATERBIRDS PROGRAMS COLLECTS CRUCIAL DATA ON THE ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT ECOSYSTEMS AT A LANDSCAPE-SCALE ACROSS CALIFORNIA. PROGRAM BIOLOGISTS, ALONG WITH APPROXIMATELY 70 VOLUNTEERS, COLLECT AND ANALYZE LARGE-SCALE DATA ON WATERBIRD ABUNDANCE AND DISTRIBUTION FROM ACROSS THE CENTRAL COAST, INCLUDING NONBREEDING SURVEYS, MONITORING BREEDING WATERBIRD COLONIES, AND DOCUMENTING DISEASE OUTBREAKS. THESE DATA ARE ESPECIALLY EFFECTIVE IN TRACKING TRENDS IN OUR LOCAL BIRD POPULATIONS AND INFORMING MANAGEMENT OF THE SOUTH BAY SALT POND RESTORATION PROGRAM, THE LARGEST TIDAL MARSH RESTORATION ON THE PACIFIC COAST OF NORTH AMERICA. THIS PROGRAM ALSO CONDUCTS INTERDISCIPLINARY LANDSCAPE SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENTS ACROSS THE CENTRAL COAST OF CALIFORNIA, AND IS LEAD AUTHORING THE CENTRAL COAST REGIONAL REPORT FOR CALIFORNIAS FIFTH CLIMATE CHANGE ASSESSMENT. THE LANDBIRD PROGRAM USES BIRD SURVEYS, COMMUNITY SCIENCE INVOLVING APPROXIMATELY 45 VOLUNTEERS, BIRD BANDING, AND COLLABORATIONS WITH OTHER RESEARCHERS TO UNDERSTAND AVIAN RESPONSES TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND HABITAT RESTORATION, RESEARCH AVIAN BEHAVIOR, AND IMPROVE CONSERVATION RESEARCH METHODS. AT OUR RESEARCH STATION, THE COYOTE CREEK FIELD STATION, OUR LANDBIRD PROGRAM STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS CONTINUE A MULTI-DECADE BIRD BANDING EFFORT, ADDING TO A CRUCIAL LONG-TERM DATASET USED BOTH BY US AND BY COLLABORATORS TO DOCUMENT CHANGES IN BIRD POPULATIONS DUE TO HABITAT CHANGES, WILDFIRES, AND OTHER ASPECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.

THE HABITATS PROGRAM IS A SCIENCE-BASED RESTORATION PROGRAM FOCUSED ON SUSTAINABLE RESTORATION OF TIDAL MARSH-UPLAND TRANSITION ZONE HABITATS. IN 2023, WE CONTINUED RESTORING 6 ACRES OF TRANSITION ZONE HABITAT AT EDEN LANDING ECOLOGICAL RESERVE AND ALVISO MARINA COUNTY PARK WHILE MANAGING 22 ACRES. THE PROGRAM APPLIED FOR FUNDING TO RESTORE AN ADDITIONAL 10 ACRES OF HABITAT AT EDEN LANDING STARTING IN 2024. HABITAT RESTORATION BENEFITS ENDANGERED TIDAL MARSH BIRDS AND MAMMALS THAT RELY ON THESE HABITATS FOR HIGH-TIDE REFUGIA. HEALTHY MARSH VEGETATION ALSO PROTECTS BAYSIDE COMMUNITIES FROM FLOODING BY ABSORBING ENERGY FROM INCOMING STORM SURGES AND ACCUMULATING SEDIMENT OVER TIME. ECOLOGISTS USE APPLIED RESEARCH TO FIND INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR RESTORATION, AND WORK WITH LAND MANAGERS TO INTEGRATE TRANSITION ZONE HABITAT INTO LARGER RESTORATION PROJECTS.THE PROJECT AT ALVISO MARINA INCLUDES A PARTNERSHIP WITH EDUCATIONAL NONPROFIT MARSHMALLOW MIND WHICH TEACHES 5TH GRADERS FROM TITLE I SCHOOLS ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO BAY ECOLOGY BEFORE SFBBO HOSTS THEM FOR ON-SITE RESTORATION WORK AND A SHORT HIKE AT ALONG THE LEVEES.

OUR OUTREACH PROGRAM CONNECTS PEOPLE WITH OUR MISSION TO ACHIEVE A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF AVIAN CONSERVATION AND SCIENCE IN THEIR COMMUNITY. WE ALSO PARTICIPATE IN REGION WIDE EFFORTS TO COMPILE LONG TERM DATASETS TO GUIDE RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION PLANNING EFFORTS. WE CONTINUED OFFERING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO BE INVOLVED IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH BY PARTICIPATING AS VOLUNTEER COMMUNITY SCIENTISTS IN OUR SCIENTIFIC AND HABITAT PROGRAMS.