SFBBO's 2021 California Fall Challenge T-Shirt Design Celebrates 40 Birds for 40 Years!

By Environmental Education and Outreach Specialist Sirena Lao

Each year for SFBBO’s California Fall Challenge (CFC) fundraiser, we unveil new CFC T-Shirt design as part of our efforts to raise money to support our science and outreach work.

With this year being SFBBO’s 40th anniversary, we knew we had to do a special shirt to celebrate 40 years of conserving birds and their habitats and educating the community.

What better way to do that than by featuring 40 bird species? Science illustrator and graphic designer Julie Ho Sung was up for the challenge.

​With so many Bay Area bird species to choose from, we ultimately decided to include these 40, read below to learn about these birds and their connection to our work!

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1. Ridgway’s Rail (Rallus obsoletus): The Ridgway’s Rail, formerly known as the California Clapper Rail, is an endangered species. Our tidal marsh habitat restoration work is an important part of helping this species recover.
2. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica): Barn Swallows are abundant around the levees where we monitor salt ponds. Our ecologists also see them nesting in the native plant nursery at the Environmental Education Center at the Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
3. California Least Tern (Sterna antillarum browni): The California Least Tern is an endangered subspecies we work with as part of our plover and tern recovery program. We monitor their nests and enhance habitat at Eden Landing Ecological Reserve in an effort to improve their breeding success.
4. California Gull (Larus californicus): California Gulls are the most abundant nesting waterbird in the South San Francisco Bay. We’ve been monitoring their breeding population size since 1980 by conducting nesting surveys each year and have documented a dramatic increase in their populations.
5. Wilson’s Warbler (Cardellina pusilla): These handsome little warblers are one of the species we frequently band at Coyote Creek Field Station (CCFS). They are one of several migratory warbler species whose captures have been declining recently.
6. Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus): The Western Snowy Plover is a threatened subspecies we work with as part of our plover and tern recovery program. We monitor their breeding success, color band adults and chicks, and enhance habitat in an effort to help populations meet recovery goals.
7. Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas): We often band Common Yellowthroats at CCFS. The salt marsh subspecies (G. t. sinuosa) is endemic to the Bay and is a CA Species of Special Concern that inhabits tidal marsh transition zones.
8. Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus): These distinctive birds are often seen and counted as part of our salt pond surveys and annual shorebird surveys.
9. Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis): The South Bay supports the most Ruddy Ducks within the San Francisco Bay. These ducks are a focal species for our salt pond work.
10. American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana): American Avocets are one of the species that we and our volunteers monitor as part of our Colonial Waterbird Program, and we see them often during Snowy Plover, salt pond and shorebird surveys.
11. California Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica): These raucous, curious birds are one of the main corvids we see at CCFS, and many banders have learned to respect their sharp claws.
12. Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata): These ducks are one of the most common waterfowl we count in salt ponds surveys.
13. Common Poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii): We occasionally catch these enigmatic nocturnal birds during fall migration at CCFS.
14. California Towhee (Melozone crissalis): CCFS biologists recently participated in a collaborative study on the spatial genetics of California Towhees to inform conservation strategies.
15. Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa): We commonly see Marbled Godwits as part of our annual shorebird surveys and salt pond surveys. They (and curlews) are some of the more striking shorebirds we see.
16. Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus): We band these adorable little owls at CCFS in the fall.
17. Nuttall’s Woodpecker (Dryobates nuttallii): This species is the most common woodpecker we see and catch at CCFS.
18. Great Egret (Ardea alba): One of the primary species we monitor for the Colonial Waterbird Program. Great Egrets are emblematic of the start of avian conservation; they were nearly hunted to extinction for their feathers, precipitating some of the first laws to protect birds.
19. Bonaparte’s Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia): Although Bonaparte’s Gulls are not especially abundant in the Bay, they are a species of interest for salt pond surveys.
20. Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia): The most common bird we band at CCFS! We have done research on their wintering survival rates and social behavior, and they are an important indicator species for tidal marsh transition zone restoration.
21. Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus): Our logo bird! They are one of the species we monitor for the Colonial Waterbird Program and we see them often during Snowy Plover, salt pond and shorebird surveys.
22. Western Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea): These unique owls are a CA Species of Special Concern. We have conducted breeding and wintering surveys for them at several sites and worked with partners to monitor and restore habitat for them.
23. Tricolored Blackbird (Agelaius tricolor): A CA Species of Special Concern and listed as endangered on the IUCN red list, these birds have been caught at CCFS on rare occasions.
24. Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri): We count Western Sandpipers for salt pond surveys and they are a focal species for shorebird surveys.
25. Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis): These waterbirds are a species of interest for salt pond surveys, as they rely on salty ponds for foraging.
26. White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys): We commonly catch two subspecies of White-crowned Sparrows at CCFS and have published peer-reviewed studies on them.
27. Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus): With so little known about the status of phalarope populations, we recently started a community science project to survey their presence in the Bay during fall migration.
28. Forster’s Tern (Sterna forsteri): One of the primary species we monitor for the Colonial Waterbird Program. We also count them during salt pond surveys and worked with the US Geological Survey to conduct a social attraction study to help reestablish breeding colonies on islands in managed ponds.
29. Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias): One of the primary species we monitor for the Colonial Waterbird Program.
30. Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus): One of the primary species we monitor for the Colonial Waterbird Program. We have published a study on their populations in the San Francisco Bay.
31. Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata): The Wrentit represents the expansion of our banding program: while we do not catch Wrentits at CCFS, we do band them at our two new satellite locations at Los Trancos and Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve.
32. Bewick’s Wren (Thryomanes bewickii): Bewick’s Wrens are common at CCFS, and captures of them have increased over the past few decades.
33. Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans): These attractive flycatchers are common in tidal marsh transition zones and like to perch on the mist net poles at CCFS. They have also begun nesting in the native plant nursery this year.
34. Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus): These are the smallest birds we regularly band at CCFS, but they make a big impression with their variously-colored eyes and tendency to be captured in large flocks. We have studied their social behavior.
35. Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus): Researchers banded Hermit Thrushes at CCFS and affixed geolocators on them as part of a study on the migration patterns of different populations in the San Francisco Bay.
36. Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor): Wilson’s Phalaropes are vulnerable to climate change due to their habitat preferences, and their population status is unknown. They are therefore included in our community science project to survey phalarope presence in the Bay.
37. Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus): Short-eared Owls are historically a tidal marsh transition zone species. We frequently see them in the spring months during Snowy Plover surveys and occasionally see them on the levees where we do our habitat restoration work.
38. Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger): These striking birds are one of the species we monitor for the Colonial Waterbird Program. Breeding activity has been observed at Alviso and Ravenswood in recent years.
39. Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis): We often see these sparrows while restoring tidal marsh habitat, and they occasionally show up at CCFS.
40. Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca): We often catch the Sooty variety of Fox Sparrows at CCFS during the winter months 

As a bonus, we also included a salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris) on the shirt. Like the Ridgway’s Rail, these rodents are endangered and stand to benefit greatly from restoring tidal marshes. Julie is also creating and will sell items decorated with her 2021 CFC T-Shirt artwork, including posters, stickers, canvas tote bags, and more, to help our community commemorate our anniversary and she will donate part of the proceeds to SFBBO. Visit our CFC website section to learn more. 
 
Donations of $75 or more to our 2021 California Fall Challenge (CFC) are eligible to receive our 2021 SFBBO 40th Anniversary California Fall Challenge T-Shirt. Check out our CFC events for fun ways to get involved while supporting our science and outreach work!