{"id":33,"date":"1970-01-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"1970-01-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/weebly-import-page-24"},"modified":"2026-07-04T02:31:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T02:31:34","slug":"colonial-waterbird-monitoring","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sfbbo-test.twomoons.systems\/staging\/1924\/colonial-waterbird-monitoring\/","title":{"rendered":"Colonial Waterbird Monitoring – San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u200bColonial Waterbird Nest Monitoring Research<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Quick Links:<\/strong>
How to Become a Volunteer  <\/a>\u2022 Visit the Colonial Waterbird Volunteer Website<\/a> \u2022 2023-2026 Strategic Plan<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u200b\u200bSince 1982, our biologists and volunteer community scientists have monitored colonial waterbirds in the Bay Area. Beginning in early February and continuing through early August, we track numbers of breeding herons, egrets, terns, gulls and other birds that nest in colonies around the Bay Area.

\u200bThese numbers are added to a database that extends for nearly 40 years, allowing us to document colony location population trends. We also monitor the timing of nesting and evidence of disturbance and predation. These colonies are found on preserves as well as urban landscapes, including the Google Complex campus<\/a>!

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Through our new Strategic Plan<\/a>, we aim to expand the use of our data and research, and engage with other scientific communities and resource-management agencies, to address climate change, habitat loss, and other environmental issues. We hope you will join our community of scientists, resource managers, and environmental organizations by using our data and analysis to better understand how birds are doing and find ways to promote sustainability in your community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jump to the following sections below: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Impact of Our Work<\/a>, View Our Data<\/a>,<\/strong> Colonial Waterbirds in the Media<\/a><\/strong>, Get Involved<\/a><\/strong>, and Thanks to Our Supporters<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u200bThe Impact of Our Work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Share Data Nationally<\/strong><\/em> – <\/span>We share our long-term data set with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through our partnership with the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. <\/span>

Collaborate With Other Projects<\/strong><\/em> – We contribute our research findings to other projects, including the “Annotated Atlas and Implications for the Conservation of Heron and Egret Nesting Colonies in the San Francisco Bay Area<\/a>,” a collaboration between SFBBO and Audubon Canyon Ranch. In addition, one of our long-term volunteers founded a nonprofit in San Francisco, San Francisco Nature Education<\/a>, in 2000 as a result of volunteering in our Colonial Waterbird project and monitoring Great Blue Herons in Golden Gate Park for SFBBO since 1993. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Jacqueline Deely<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Inform Conservation Efforts<\/strong><\/em> – We share research with Bay Area land managers and organizations such as the Audubon Society to help the public make resource management decisions that protect birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serve Local Universities And Organizations<\/strong><\/em> – We share our data with universities and other groups that are doing region-wide research projects to help them understand localized bird population trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u200b\u200bView Our Protocols, Data, and Findings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Click on the links below to view our data and reports. Mini Reports of specific colonies are available upon request, please contact Science Director Nathan Van Schmidt at nvanschmidt@sfbbo.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Videos<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n