Download data enry volunteers needed: gulls and landfills project

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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES (Pages 1-4)
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AVIAN DISEASE PREVENTION PROGRAM (ADPP) FIELD ASSISTANTS
(Updated 11/12/08)
Season: June – November 2009
Time Commitment: 1 times/week; 4-5 hrs each time. (Timing is dependent on high tides within
the slough channels.) A commitment to at least 1survey per month over the season is required.
The Avian Disease Prevention Program (ADPP) surveys began in June 2009. Please contact the
Waterbird Program Supervisor, Caitlin Robinson at [email protected] to find out more about
this volunteer opportunity.
Description: The San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory monitors Alviso, Mallard (Artesian) and
Guadalupe Sloughs for the cities of San Jose and Sunnyvale. The municipalities are required to
monitor for botulism as part of their permit requirements to release treated fresh water from their
water treatment facilities into the sloughs. Under contract, we monitor the sloughs by boat on a
weekly basis during periods of warm weather, generally June to mid-November to collect all
dead, sick and injured birds in the sloughs. We also collect any dead fish or mammals in order to
prevent the spread of botulism.
Experience required: No previous experience required.
Other Qualifications: Ability to drive a truck and trailer and/or outboard motor is helpful. Must
not be afraid to get muddy and/or wet! Must be willing to handle (with proper protection) sick,
injured and dead wildlife.
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO CONDUCT BANDED CALIFORNIA GULL SURVEYS
Needed: Gull re-sighting volunteers beginning in April of 2009
Needed: Volunteers to assist with gull banding from May – June of 2009
This summer of 2008, the Bird Observatory banded California Gulls at a large breeding colony
in Alviso as part of an effort to study the impact that will be made when the salt pond levees are
breached and the marsh is restored as part of the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project. Since
May, we have banded over 275 adults. Now that the breeding season is over, the goal is to find
out where these gulls are spending their time. To that end, we are have been conducting weekly
gull surveys in Alviso, as well as in other known California Gull colonies and the local landfills.
We are looking for volunteers who would like to help out with our gull surveys. Surveys involve
checking the area for California Gulls, and getting as good a look as you can at the legs of any
California gulls you find to see if they are banded. The gulls we banded this year will have a
large black plastic band on the left foot with 3 white numbers that should be readable through a
scope.
The gull survey areas that we search for banding gulls are:
The Alviso salt ponds (especially A6)
Alviso Marina County Park (Walking/biking survey access only)
Eden Landing
Mowry salt ponds
Coyote Hills
Ravenswood
Newby Island landfill
And possibly the Palo Alto landfill
It is ideal to have two volunteers for each of the above locations, so that people can go out in
pairs, or can alternate so that no one has to go out too frequently. All areas aside from the Alviso
Marina County Park can be accessed by vehicle. Depending on the area and how many gulls are
present, surveys take approximately 30 minutes to over 2 hours. Volunteers are required to
survey sites once per week (until the end of August, and once per month for the rest of the fall).
Please contact Carley Schacter, Colonial Waterbird Program Volunteer Coordinator at
[email protected] or 408-946-6548 x 15 for more information.
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DATA ENRY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: GULLS AND LANDFILLS PROJECT
(Updated 11/12/08)
We are seeking a volunteer to enter data for our Gulls and Landfills Project. The Gulls and
Landfills Project examines the breeding and foraging distributions of California Gulls throughout
the South Bay salt ponds and nearby landfills to determine the gulls' impact on Forster's Terns,
Caspian Terns, American Avocets, and Black-necked Stilts, and to guide support of listed
species such as the Western Snowy Plover and California Least Terns. Since 2007, Bird
Observatory biologists have visited landfills around the South San Francisco Bay weekly to
count gulls and quantify their behavior. Concurrently, select landfills practiced gull abatement to
keep gulls from landing there – abatement occurs in the form of pyrotechnics including canons,
pistols, and whistles, as well as the use of dogs and falcons. Our biologists are studying the shortand long-term effects of these abatement practices on gull numbers at the landfills and
subsequently on how this may affect gull movement and breeding success in the South Bay.
Volunteers are needed to enter data collected from this project including count survey data,
flyover and behavior data.
Commitment: Once per week
Database used: Access. (Previous experience with this database is not required.)
For more information about this volunteer opportunity, please contact Carley Schacter, Colonial
Waterbird Program Volunteer Coordinator at [email protected] or 408-946-6548 x 15.
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SNOWY PLOVER RECOVERY SURVEYOR
Season: Spring and Summer or Year-round
Orientation/Training Date Range: February/March 2009 (We are recruiting volunteers now!)
Time Commitment: Surveys occur once a month, preferably on a high tide. Volunteers choose
their own survey dates within a three-day window (usually a Friday-Sunday or SaturdayMonday). Survey duration depends on the site, but plan for about a half-day. Due to bright sun
and afternoon winds, surveys are generally best done in the early morning hours.
Needed? February 2009
Description: The primary objective of this program is to monitor distribution, abundance and
nesting success of the local Western Snowy Plover and impacts to this species from avian and
mammalian predators. Data from the monthly surveys, as well as two annual "window surveys,"
becomes part of a Pacific Coast Region-wide population database. Volunteers can continue to
survey plovers over the winter months to obtain information on numbers of wintering and
migrating plovers.
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Experience Required: A one-day training is required for everyone who is going to be surveying
for plovers during the breeding season. This includes a presentation by the Fish and Wildlife
Service biologist as well as a field trip to see plovers in their habitat.
Other Qualifications: Previous experience identifying plovers (such as during normal birding
days) is preferred but not required; Ability to drive on dirt roads and possibly walk on uneven
surfaces required, depending on the site; Ability to look through a spotting scope for extended
periods of time required!
Please contact the Waterbird Program Supervisor to learn more about this volunteer opportunity.
Caitlin Robinson at [email protected], 408-946-6548 x13.
COLONIAL WATERBIRD MONITOR
Season: Spring and Summer
Orientation/Training Date Range: February – March 2009 (We are recruiting volunteers now!)
Time Commitment: Surveys occur once a month for 8 months (twice per month during May).
Volunteers choose their own survey dates within a three-day window (usually a Friday-Sunday
or Saturday-Monday). How long the survey takes depends on the site, but plan for up to half a
day. Due to bright sun and afternoon winds, surveys are generally best done in the early morning
hours especially for gull and tern surveys in open areas along the Bay.
Description: SFBBO has monitored colonial waterbirds since 1981. Beginning in early March
and continuing through early August we track numbers of breeding herons, egrets, terns, gulls
and other birds that nest in groups, or "colonies" around the Bay Area. These numbers add to a
database that extends more than two decades, allowing us to document population trends. We
also monitor the timing of nesting and evidence of disturbance and predation.
Experience Required: An orientation given by SFBBO is recommended for everyone who is
going to be surveying for the first time. In addition, a field trip to the site can often be arranged
with an SFBBO biologist or a volunteer with previous experience at the site.
Other Qualifications: Previous experience identifying the given species (such as during normal
birding days) is preferred but not required; Ability to drive on dirt roads and possibly walk on
uneven surfaces required, depending on the site; Ability to look through a spotting scope for
extended periods of time required!
Please contact the Colonial Waterbird Volunteer Coordinator, Carley Schacter for more
information about this volunteer opportunity at [email protected] or 408-946-6548 x 15
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