The San Francisco Bay Estuary Field Station conducts research on the habitats of the estuary and on the migration and winter ecology of migratory waterbirds. Projects on migratory waterbirds focus on populations that spend the winter in California or the western states, but include international studies in Canada, Japan, Mexico, and Russia. The field station also specializes in radio telemetry studies of wildlife, including development of satellite telemetry research methods.

Examples of ongoing research studies include: foraging ecology and environmental contaminants in migratory birds and their benthic prey in the San Francisco Bay ecosystem; ecology of salt marsh ecosystems of the San Francisco Bay estuary and restoration of tidal wetlands; evaluating baseline conditions and restoration potential of salt ponds in San Francisco Bay; at-sea distributions of sea birds and marine mammals in the southern California bight.

LIST OF PRODUCTS

PROJECTS

• Migration of Surf Scoters Along the Pacific Coast - Spring Migration 2006
• Nisqually Delta Restoration
• Population viability model for the San Pablo Song Sparrow
• Restoration of the Cullinan Ranch to tidal salt marsh on San Pablo Bay
• Restoration of the Knapp Unit to tidal salt marsh in the South San Francisco Bay
• Satellite Tracking Project: Migration Patterns of Wild Birds Susceptible to H5N1
• Tracking the spring migration of lesser snow geese from desert to tundra