WINGBEAT!

June 2006

    1  Expert-Guided Walks
    2  Bird Observatory Events
    3  Coyote Creek Field Station Update
    4  Birds of the Baylands Update
    5  News on the Fly
         

Science of Birds
New Walk Series Rotating into the Monthly Expert-Guided Walks

“Science of Birds” is a new walk series highlighting conservation science. Learn about current research and fieldwork from Bird Observatory biologists and do a little birding on the way! Each walk will focus on a specific Bird Observatory project in the salt ponds, parks, or open spaces of the Bay Area. Topics include: "Salt Ponds, Terns, and the Bay" in July and "Power Lines and Birds" in October. 


Biologist Ann Murphy collects salt pond samples
photo by Juliana Chow
See the calendar or the next issue of "The Stilt" for more details and how to sign up. The "Birding the Bay Trail" walk series will also continue.

Venture Out into the Urban Wilds

"Birding the Bay Trail" with Eric Feuss, June 11, 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Join Eric Feuss on the Bird Observatory's "Birding the Bay Trail" walk at Shollenberger Park. We are still taking RSVPs for this walk.

Volunteer: Vegetation Survey Training, June 15, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
The Bird Observatory collects vegetation data at CCFS in Milpitas in order to correlate bird use with revegetation. Attend this training in order to participate in the vegetation surveys! More info...

Volunteer: Avian Disease and Prevention, June 8 - 29, various times
Come walking, biking, or boating in and along the sloughs of the South Bay to rescue sick birds with the Bird Observatory! The majority of birds suffer from avian botulism, which is not transmissible to humans. Retrieved birds are taken to wildlife rehabilitation clinics, saving the lives of individual birds and also preventing outbreaks of avian botulism that have killed hundreds of birds in the past. More info...

NEW! "Science of Birds" Walk: Salt Ponds, Terns, and the Bay, July 9, 8 - 10 a.m. 
Join Biologist Ann Murphy and Field Assistant Eli French on a "Science of Birds" walk along the sloughs of the Alviso ponds. Learn how the Bird Observatory’s work contributes to the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project and to the study of how contaminants in the Bay affect terns.

Coyote Creek Field Station Update
Notes from Biologist Gina Barton


Lazuli Bunting
photo by Gina Barton

 After a very slow day of only four birds on May 20th, we tallied 58 birds by the end of the day on the 21st. Why would there be such a dramatic difference? 

May 20th was an average spring day weather-wise, while May 21st was threatened with rain and an impending breeze that continued all morning. This type of weather often causes many migrating birds to abandon migration for the safety of a resting point until the storm blows over, and 62% of the birds captured that day were migrants. Read more...
Birds of the Baylands Update
Notes from Biologist Cheryl Strong
As part of the Snowy Plover Recovery project, the Bird Observatory organizes and compiles Pacific Coast breeding season surveys for the Western Snowy Plover. These region-wide surveys are conducted twice a year to determine numbers of plovers from Oregon to Southern California. 


photo by David Cardinal

This year, volunteers and staff counted 102 plovers, which is down from last year's 124. However, our nest numbers have doubled since 2005 due to an increase in nesting habitat. We look forward to increasing plover numbers as salt ponds are turned into seasonal wetlands under the South Bay Restoration Plan.

News on the Fly
Big Sur Bird Bash, June 24, 3 p.m. - midnight, $10/children under 10 free

Come frolic in the redwoods at the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur to benefit Ventana Wildlife Society, a nonprofit that has been conserving native wildlife and their habitats with your help since 1977. The first two hours are dedicated to your little nestlings, with children’s storytelling, puppet-making, drawing, and face painting. Come for food, crafts, raffle prizes, live music and dance performances, and presentations by the Big Sur Ornithology Lab and California Condor Reintroduction Program. More info...

If this e-newsletter has piqued your interest in the SFBBO, consider taking the next step. If you are not already a member, please join us! Be a part of our bird conservation science and outreach programs in the Bay Area as a member and volunteer. To our current members, we greatly appreciate your continued support. Looking for other ways to support SFBBO? Check out our Wish List. 

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