🧪🌏🦑🦉 Meet the Cassin’s Auklet! These #seabirds spend most of their lives at sea but return to the #FarallonIslands to breed. We spotted the first Cassin’s eggs on 3/29, and peak lay has occurred over the last 10 days–a surprise given concerns about marine heatwaves and El Niño conditions!
🧪🌏🦑🦉 New #seabird research sheds light on how #RhinocerosAuklets respond to changing ocean conditions! Findings highlight the complexity of marine predator foraging ecology and the role climate change may play in shaping these behaviors in the future. Read the full study: shorturl.at/BpFps
🐄🌱📊🧪🌏 Since 2014, our #RangelandMonitoringNetwork has partnered with land stewards to understand and support #CaliforniaRangelands through data, planning, & on-the-ground action for people, wildlife, and #workinglands. Explore our StoryMap to dive into 10+ years of RMN data 👉 shorturl.at/GuyqP
🌱💻🛠️🧪🌏 A collaboration between scientists, land managers, and regional partners, the COMMONS Compost Planner Tool helps guide compost application to maximize soil water & #carbonstorage benefits. Learn more: shorturl.at/MvFNA + help us test the Marin and Sonoma beta version: commons-planner.com
🧪🌏🦉🦑 Proud to have contributed to this landmark report! California's 2026 Coast and Ocean Assessment is the state's first-ever holistic, science-based evaluation of coast and ocean health. The #seabirds & #shorebirds section uses our long-term monitoring data! Check it out: opc.ca.gov/report
🐣🧪🌏🦉 #SnowyPlovers are off to an early start! We've documented 70 nests + the first chicks of the season! In decades of monitoring (we’ve collected plover data since the 1980s), we've only had one nest hatch before April. This year, we had numerous nests with chicks by March 25th–a new record!
Authors: @rosetazetta.bsky.social, David Iles, Leo Salas (Point Blue), David G. Ainley, Birgitte McDonald, Sharon Stammerjohn, Lise Viollat, David Ortega, Annie E. Schmidt (Point Blue), Grant Ballard (Point Blue), Carolynne Hultquist, @jdtonkin.bsky.social, & @drmichellelarue.bsky.social
🐧❄️🧪🌏🦑🦉 New publication! Led by @rosetazetta.bsky.social, we used satellite imagery to study Ross Sea #emperorpenguin populations over 20+ years & found that spring colony attendance is closely linked to sea ice conditions. Learn more: shorturl.at/joLZA
🌎🦉🧪 Next up in our bird vocalization series: the Dark-Eyed Junco. The Oregon Junco subspecies are year-round Bay Area residents and typically begin nesting in March. Their call is compared to a kissing sound while their longer song sounds like a telephone ringing! Listen for both! 👂🎶🐦💋☎️
🐧🌎🦉🧪💻 Tune in on Thursday, April 9th! Point Blue’s Chief Science Officer, Grant Ballard will be giving a virtual presentation on Adélie #Penguins: Their Past, Present and Future in a Changing #Antarctica. Learn more: shorturl.at/q7YkT
Happy first day of spring from Point Blue to you! Today’s #springequinox marks the official start of the season and signals a vibrant ecological shift. Longer days return, plants start to bloom, wildlife activity increases, and birds begin nesting. Across the landscape, nature is waking up. 🌎🌱🦉 🦋🐦🪺🌼
🎉🌎🦉 🧪 Today is our birthday! On March 18th, 1965 we were incorporated as a non-profit #conservation organization and embarked on our journey to conserve #birds, wildlife, and ecosystems through science, partnerships, and outreach. Join us in celebrating 61 years of impact—and counting!
🌎🦉🧪 Next up in our bird vocalization series: the Brown Creeper. These tiny tree-climbing #birds are year-round Bay Area residents and begin nesting in March, building hammock-shaped nests behind loose bark. Their song is often remembered with the mnemonic: “trees, trees, beautiful trees.”
🌎🦉🧪 Meet one of the Bay Area’s most reliable voices of spring: the #SongSparrow. At Palomarin, these resident #birds can be heard year-round, but during nesting season, males sing to attract mates, maintain pair bonds, and defend territory. In the Bay Area, nesting can begin as early as February!
👩🔬🧪🌎 “Every girl who dreams of saving the planet deserves a clear path to do it. At #PointBlue, we help make sure that path exists—for women, for girls, and for everyone who's ready to enjoy careers in conservation science!” — Melissa Pitkin, CEO, Point Blue. #InternationalWomensDay #WomenInSTEM
🌎🦉🧪 From Chile to Canadá! Black-Bellied Plovers occur across the Americas, but winter on the Pacific coast—and they’re not alone. Many #birds follow this route. That's why, for 10+ years, #MSP partners have surveyed #shorebirds along the Pacific Americas Flyway. migratoryshorebirdproject.org
🐧🪶🦉🌎🧪 Adélie #penguins rely on their feathers to survive Antarctic cold, molting yearly during an intense ~19-day fast. New research shows they can shift molt timing, but duration is largely fixed. Limited flexibility may affect their resilience to shifting sea ice conditions. shorturl.at/RuHnW
🦉🌎🧪 Tracking #shorebirds across 10 countries & 63 wetlands sites takes strong partnerships. For 10+ years, #MigratoryShorebirdProject partners from Canada to Chile have worked together to survey birds along the Pacific Americas Flyway. New #research reflects years of collaboration: shorturl.at/cb0Ma
🦎 Our Farallon crew monitors the one-of-a-kind Farallon Arboreal Salamander population twice monthly during the rainy season, when the #salamanders are most active at the surface. February is peak salamander science season! 🔬🧪🌎🌧️
🦎 #FunFact: like many Arboreal #salamanders, Farallon Arboreal Salamanders have large toes and prehensile tails. These features make them expert climbers. Arboreal subspecies are often found in trees, but since there are so few trees on the island, Farallon Salamanders favor rocky crevices. 🪨🧪🌎
🦎 Meet the Farallon Arboreal Salamander! A genetically distinct subspecies of the California Arboreal #Salamander, this island-dweller crossed a land bridge ~20,000 years ago and has called the island home ever since. Check back in tomorrow for more fun facts! 🔬🧪🌎🌧️ #addHerper
🦉🌎🧪 Wednesday 3/4! Join @baynature.org and Point Blue's Julian Wood for a virtual talk about the status of #BayAreaBirds. Wood’s and others’ research formed the basis for the 2025 #SFBayStateOfTheBirds report. Get tickets: shorturl.at/eVEqX
🦉🌎🧪 New #MigratoryShorebirdProject research show that while many #shorebirds are in decline, trends vary across species & regions. Equipped with fresh data and strong partnerships, the MSP network is ready to take collaborative conservation action across the flyway. Learn more: shorturl.at/6slxg
Superstar mom Radish has weaned our first #elephantseal pup of the season! Affectionately nicknamed “Pozole” by our research crew, she was weaned after a month of nursing with her mother. From now on she'll spend her time molting on the colony’s edge & preparing for her first ocean adventure! 🌎🧪🦭💖🦑🍼
🦉🌎🧪 TY @sfgate.com for highlighting the latest #MigratoryShorebirdProject research! Though the results are troubling, the story behind them is full of hope and an example of the power of partnership. Learn more about MSP: www.migratoryshorebirdproject.org/ + read the article: shorturl.at/BFDAY
🦉🌎🧪 New #MigratoryShorebirdProject study confirms #shorebirds are in trouble across the entire Western Hemisphere. These findings fill a critical data gap, strengthen support for current programs, and help guide future conservation action. Learn more: shorturl.at/6slxg
🌊🌎📊💻🧪 Our Coast, Our Future flood hazard maps are now available statewide! This predictive monitoring tool (created by Point Blue in collaboration with #USGS) models future flooding levels due to storm surges and sea level rise across coastal #California. Check it out: shorturl.at/RbXLi
The first #elephantseal pup of the season has arrived! This pup was born to a e-seal mom named “Radish.” Radish first appeared on the #FarallonIslands in 2014, had her first pup in 2016, and has been returning each year. For the past four years, she’s been the first to pup on the island! 🌊🌎🧪🦑
🌊🦐🧪🌎 🦑 Join the Point Blue Marine Lab and @exploratorium.bsky.social on Friday, 1/23/26 to explore the world of #krill! They may be small, but these tiny #zooplankton are important prey, vital to the marine ecosystem, and help us understand #oceanhealth. shorturl.at/c4Dsm
