Many North American shorebird species are thought to be in decline and the influence that changing wetland habitats (specifically in the San Francisco Bay) have on these populations is not well understood. So in the winter of 2008, we participated in a comprehensive survey of the estuary San Francisco as part of the Pacific Flyway Project to replicate censuses conducted in the 1980s and 1990s. This survey provided data for assessment, management, and conservation of wintering shorebird populations. It was then used to establish an annual San Francisco Bay Shorebird Survey beginning in 2010. The survey is a coordinated, multi-partner monitoring program to assess annual shorebird population changes. Our biologists and community scientists survey sites across the South San Francisco Bay and provide data to the broader Bay Area region. 

Click on the links below to view our data and reports. For information about our Pacific Flyway Shorebird Survey or to discuss collaborations involving our data, please contact Science Director Nathan Van Schmidt at [email protected].

• Pacific Flyway Shorebird Survey Project Overview and Historical Data
• Migratory Shorebird Project Project Overview and Historical​
• Effects of Drought on the Abundance and Distribution of Non-breeding Shorebirds in Central Calfornia, USA
• The State of the Birds San Francisco Bay – 2011
• Abundance and Distribution of Wintering Shorebirds in San Francisco Bay, 1990-2008: Population Change and Informing Future Monitoring – 2010
• 2008 San Francisco Bay Shorebird Census – 2008​