San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory

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The Bird Observatory takes home the Cheesemans' Cup! Mary Wisnewski (L) and Stephanie Ellis (R) of the "Super Smews".
PHOTO BY JAMES NORMAN

Waterbird biologist Caitlin Robinson holds a 4 hour old newly-banded Snowy Plover chick.
PHOTO BY JOCELYN DAVIDSON

An adult Warbling Vireo was captured on May 28th at the Coyote Creek Field Station. This bird was our first Warbling Vireo capture for 2008.
PHOTO BY RITA COLWELL

June 2008: Wingbeat

Monthly enewsletter of the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory

Make Way for the 12th Annual California Fall Challenge!
We wanted to take a moment to remind our members that the 12th Annual California Fall Challenge is just around the corner! The California Fall Challenge is the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory's only fundraiser. It is a classic "birdathon" where participants gather pledges from friends, family and co-workers and then count the number of bird species they hear or see in a 24-hour period, within one California County any time between September 13th and October 12th. The Fall Challenge supports the programs that apply science to the mission of saving birds and their habitats.

Save the date! On Sunday, October 26th we will host our Annual California Fall Challenge Awards Ceremony and Membership Meeting. More details to follow...

The Bird Observatory Receives the Cheesemans' Cup

In May, Bird Observatory staff Stephanie Ellis and Mary Wisnewski (Santa Clara Valley Audubon and Bird Observatory volunteer) competed in the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society's Annual Birdathon fundraising event. Stephanie and Mary competed for the Cheesemans' Cup with their Bird Observatory team the “Super Smews”. The Cheesemans' Corporate Cup was awarded to the team that counted the most bird species within a 24 and 4 hour category period. The Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society named the cup after their longtime supporters Doug, Gail and Ted Cheeseman of Cheesmans’ Ecology Safaris. We are delighted to share that the Bird Observatory “Super Smews” took home the cup for the 4-hour category with a total of 102 species in Santa Clara County! Thank you Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society.

Report Banded Snowy Plover Sightings!

This spring the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory teamed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to band Western Snowy Plover chicks in the South San Francisco Bay salt ponds. The goal of this study is to track plover movements within the salt ponds. We also hope to gain valuable information on chick survival rates in our four study areas in the south bay. The chicks received two bands on each leg, giving them their own individual four color combination. As of June 5th, we have banded over 40 chicks. If you see any banded Snowy Plovers in the south bay please let us know. Please record the location, date, and the four-color band combination and email your sightings to Caitlin Robinson, Waterbird Program Supervisor at crobinson@sfbbo.org. This program is funded by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and the Coastal Program.

Thank You For Your Support

You've probably received a letter recently from our board president Jennifer Krauel asking for your financial support. Because we rely on support from people who care about our work, we hope you will make a gift at this important time. You can also make a gift online by clicking on to our "Support" page.

Staff Migrations

The Bird Observatory recently said farewell to Danielle Le Fer. Danielle was the Waterbird Program Director since January 2007. As Waterbird Director, Danielle focused on endangered species, contaminants, reproductive success, and the ecology of waterbirds in the San Francisco Bay Area. Danielle's extensive experience with waterbirds (and her contagious laughter) will be greatly missed. Good luck Danielle!

Employment Opportunities

The San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory is seeking an Executive Director and a Science Programs Director to lead our growing organization. Please click here to view the job description and qualifications and other employment opportunities.

We have an exciting schedule of upcoming walks and activities. Please join us for an exploration of the Bay's most beautiful locations.

A Bird In The Hand July 12, 8:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Birding Bear Creek Redwoods July 19, 8:15 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Snowy Plovers of the East Bay August 23, 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Summer Lecture Series

The Bird Observatory is sponsoring a special lecture series featuring avian biology and conservation science.
Recovery of the Western Snowy Plover August 7, 7:00 p.m.- 8:30 p.m.

Workshops with Alvaro Jaramillo

These workshops incorporate ecology, evolutionary biology, behavioral ecology, and natural history to complement bird identification information taught in class. There are two evenings of instruction and a weekend all-day fieldtrip.
Shorebird and Migration Workshop August 6 & 8 (Class instruction) August 9 (field trip)

Coyote Creek Field Station: Monthly Banding Report

In May, we netted many juvenile Song Sparrows. We captured 283 birds of 25 species, with 38 birds per 100/net hours. See what other birds have recently dropped in for a visit to our bird banding field station by viewing our monthly banding report .

News on The Fly

Attention Volunteers: Join the "Beach Pickup for Plovers" on July 26th at Ocean Beach in San Francisco
This year, to celebrate the return of the Western Snowy Plovers, Golden Gate Audubon is partnering with the National Park Service, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the San Francisco Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, and other groups for a beach cleanup and outreach day at Ocean Beach on Saturday, July 26. Please join us at Stairwell 17 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. to improve plover habitat and to learn about how you can help protect this threatened species. Please contact the Conservation Director of the Golden Gate Audubon Society, Eli Saddler at esaddler@goldengateaudubon.org to learn more.