What Birds Can Tell Us About the Health of San Francisco Bay | KQED

"A new website, the San Francisco Bay State of the Birds, created by the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture and Point Blue Conservation Science, provides scientists, policymakers, and the public with an up-to-date look at which Bay Area bird populations are thriving and which are declining, and what that says about the health of San Francisco Bay's wetlands and waters."

"Because birds react quickly to habitat changes, shifts in their populations can reveal whether the Bay's wetlands, tidal flats, and open waters are under stress. But other groups aren't doing as well. Diving ducks such as surf scoters and common goldeneyes have dropped in number across open waters in the North Bay and Central Bay. At the same time, the populations of shorebirds like sandpipers and curlews have declined baywide, signaling that tidal flats and shallow-water habitats need more protection and restoration."

San Francisco Bay State of the Birds provides up-to-date assessments of Bay Area bird populations and links trends to ecosystem health. Birds act as visual indicators because they respond quickly to habitat change, so population shifts expose stress in wetlands, tidal flats, and open waters. Diving ducks such as surf scoters and common goldeneyes have declined across open waters in the North and Central Bay. Shorebirds including sandpipers and curlews have fallen baywide, highlighting the need for greater protection and restoration of tidal flats and shallow-water habitats. Local restorations like Hamilton Wetlands and others demonstrate recovery potential, aided by Measure AA restoration funding.

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