The San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory presents:
Shorebirds Who Avoid the Shore: Phalaropes in San Francisco Bay
Thursday, May 7, 2020 at 5pm Pacific
Free virtual talk
Register here
Phalaropes are medium-sized shorebirds that pass through San Francisco Bay during spring and fall migration. Unlike other shorebirds that find food on the ground at the water’s edge, phalaropes eat small items at the surface of open water and often swim. Due to their use of open water, it is difficult to find and count phalaropes to understand population trends. This means that there’s a lack of information about their populations, which is concerning because phalaropes are considered to be highly vulnerable to climate change. To better track phalarope populations that migrate through San Francisco Bay, researchers at the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory used citizen scientist observations on eBird to decide where and when to look for phalaropes. SFBBO is using that information to conduct surveys this summer and fall that will help researchers to track the response of phalarope populations to future habitat loss.
Dr. Max Tarjan is the Waterbird Program Director at the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory. Dr. Tarjan has over a decade of experience tracking the spatial movements and populations of birds and mammals in central California.
This talk is family-friendly and will be ~30 minutes with additional time for questions & answers. Please register - the meeting link will be sent in the confirmation. If you have trouble registering or have any questions, please contact Sirena Lao, Environmental Education and Outreach Specialist, at [email protected].
This event is made possible by a grant from the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.