Point Blue Conservation Science

🌍🧪🇦🇲 We're so proud to be in Yerevan for @cop17arm.bsky.social, but if you're following along from home, this California Natural Resources Agency webinar is a great way to get exclusive, real-time updates from the conference! Tune in on Monday, October 26th at 9 AM PST. rb.gy/at5b8z

🌍🧪🇦🇲 More from #COP17! Point Blue Impact Strategist Debra Stein spoke at a California delegation breakfast packed with elected officials, California Natural Resources Agency leaders, and more, sharing about our work and participation at @cop17arm.bsky.social.

🦭🧪🦑🌎 After decades of recovery, Fur Seals on the Farallon Islands are facing a new challenge. Explore the images below (from left to right) to learn how the 2026 El Niño is affecting the colony. #FarallonIslandsNationalWildlifeRefuge

📖 🌎🧪 The Sierra Nevada Regional Report for California’s Fifth Climate Change Assessment is here! Point Blue's Cody Reed authored the riparian and aquatic ecosystems sections, while Brent Campos (Principal Ecologist) authored the sections on animal biodiversity. Explore: shorturl.at/Bpspo

🗞️ 🧪🌎 Curious about life on Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge? Petaluma Porches spoke with Point Blue’s Pete Warzybok, about day-to-day life on the island, decades of research and monitoring, and the effects of this year’s El Niño. Read the full story: shorturl.at/o2EI0

🌍🧪🤝 #COP17 kicks off Yerevan, Armenia! We’re proud to participate as an accredited Observer organization to the Convention on Biological Diversity and as a member of the @calgba.bsky.social steering committee. Stay tuned for conference updates! @unbiodiversity.bsky.social @cop17arm.bsky.social

🎉👀🦉🧪🌎 That’s a wrap on the 48th Annual Rich Stallcup Bird-A-Thon! Thanks to your efforts, $140,000 and counting has been raised to support our mission to conserve birds, wildlife, and ecosystems through science, partnerships, and outreach! Results + highlights 👉 www.pointblue.org/birdathon

🦉🧪🌎 You’ve heard of Bird-A-Thon, but what about the Farallonathon? Since 1992, our Farallon crew has put their own spin on Point Blue’s annual fundraiser by hosting a week-long Farallon bioblitz! Year 34 highlights: a rare Cocos Booby, 2 great white shark attacks, and tons of migrant birds!

🌎🦉🧪 Happy #WorldMigratoryBirdDay! We support migratory birds through habitat restoration, research, and collaborative conservation. You can help too! Get eBird or @inaturalist.bsky.social! #Citizenscience data helps track bird populations and inform conservation action.

🦭🧪🌎 #FarallonFriday update: After tagging 75 California sea lion pups, our crew moved to West End Island and tagged 200 northern fur seal pups in just 4 days! Fur seal pups are smaller but much feistier, and more similar in attitude to gremlins than sea lions! #FarallonIslandsNationalWildlifeRefuge

🦉🧪🌎 🎉 We’re in the final week of the 48th Annual Rich Stallcup Bird‑A‑Thon! Together, we’ve raised an incredible $121K toward our $125K goal! The Bird-A-Thon runs through October 15th, so there’s still time to join in on the fun! Learn more, sign up, and donate: www.pointblue.org/birdathon

🌎💧🧪 Sierra Nevada meadows may be small, but they are critical for wildlife, water storage, and water quality. Point Blue Senior Meadow Ecologist Cody Reed joined researchers and conservationists to discuss how we can better understand and protect these ecosystems. Read more: shorturl.at/KXXyP

🗞️🌎🧪 Incredible @pressdemo.bsky.social feature on our Roots program! The Point Blue Roots program delivers wildlife-friendly, community-based, and community-centered restoration projects on working lands across California, including in Petaluma. Read more: shorturl.at/O4n38

🦉🧪🌎 🎉 We’re halfway through the 48th Annual Rich Stallcup Bird‑A‑Thon! Together, we’ve raised an incredible $95K toward our $125K goal! The Bird-A-Thon runs through October 15th, so there’s still time to join in on the fun! Learn more, sign up, and donate: www.pointblue.org/birdathon

🌎🧪🏔️ Tahoe summit explores nature-based solutions! Point Blue's Cody Reed attended and shared how restoring mountain meadows can support biodiversity, water quality, wildfire resilience and carbon storage. Learn more: shorturl.at/HGsMd

🦉🧪🌎 The Palomarin spring banding summary is here! The season brought spring migrants, the return of summer residents, and a few exciting captures! Some highlights: Black-headed Grosbeaks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and juvenile Black Phoebes. Learn more: shorturl.at/X7ymm

🍂 Your fall birding lineup is here! From Golden-crowned Sparrows and Varied Thrushes to Ferruginous Hawks and Red-throated Loons, fall is a great time to #bird in the Bay. Ready to make your next adventure count? Join the Rich Stallcup Bird-A-Thon (now through Oct 15): www.pointblue.org/birdathon

🦉🧪🌎 A look back at #seabird season 2026. Since 1968, we’ve been working to protect seabirds on the Farallones. Thanks to our incredible staff, volunteers, and @deptfishwildlife.bsky.social partners for an amazing season in the field! Photo/video by Amanda Spears, Peter Tarrant, & Stella Solasz.

🦉🧪🌎 New from @baynature.org Are Vagrant Birds Lost, or Pioneers? Vagrants (birds that show up outside their normal geographic range) are notoriously difficult to study. The Farallon Islands are one of the few places that attract enough birds for scientists to even try. Learn more: shorturl.at/ADygA

🦉👀🧪🌎 🎉 Ready, set, bird! The 48th Annual Rich Stallcup Bird-A-Thon is here! From Sept 15th – Oct 15th, join America’s longest-running Bird-A-Thon and spot #birds while raising funds for #conservationscience. Register, donate, explore events + challenges, and more! 👉 www.pointblue.org/birdathon

🆕 🧪🌎 New Point Blue Roots program research explores equity in working lands conservation. Learn more: shorturl.at/hYvKL

🦉🧪🌎 Happy California Biodiversity Day! At Point Blue, preserving and promoting biodiversity is at the heart of everything we do. Today, we celebrate California’s incredible #biodiversity and recognize the role it plays in sustaining healthy, resilient ecosystems.

🌼🦉🦋🌿🦅 September in the San Francisco Bay Area is full of wildlife and wildflowers! From Golden-crowned Sparrows and Monarch Butterflies to American Avocets, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and Great White Sharks, there are plenty of seasonal highlights to spot this month. What are you most excited to see?

🚨🌚🦉🧪🌎 Happy #FarallonFriday! The crew has been busy banding Brandt’s Cormorants! Since these #seabirds are active after dark, banding is a nighttime affair! Using mist nets, researchers safely capture, band, and collect valuable data from these birds before releasing them.

🌎🧪🗳️ Good news: the Senate approved a provision temporarily blocking an OMB rule change that could destabilize science funding. Nearly 500,000 comments were submitted, including from Point Blue and many of you. We hope this delay will allow time for the policy to be reevaluated.

🦑 🌎🧪 Krill may be small, but they play a big role in the ocean ecosystem! Studying #krill helps Point Blue scientists better understand changing ocean conditions and ocean health. Happy #WorldKrillDay! 🦐💙

🦉🧪🌎 It's International Owl Awareness Day! From fluffy fledglings to watchful adults, Point Blue has been monitoring Northern Spotted Owls since 1997, collecting data on nesting activity, reproductive success, and population trends to better understand and protect this threatened species. 💙

🦈🧪🌎🦑 It’s #SharkWeek! We’re celebrating by taking a closer look at one of the Farallon Islands’ most iconic visitors: the #GreatWhiteShark! Learn more about these incredible predators, their role in the marine ecosystem, and how their annual trip to the Farallones helps us study them! ⬇️

🦉🌎🧪 Did you hear the good news? #SnowyPlover counts reached 3,000 for the first time in 20 years! We’re so proud to be a part of the collaborative #conservation work driving this species’ recovery! Read more from @kqednews.kqed.org ⬇️ shorturl.at/4qBZ7

👀🐦 Grab your binoculars…we’re going to the Novato Baylands! Conveniently located on the Bay Trail, the tidal wetlands of the Novato Baylands are an absolute hotspot for #birds, wildlife, and native plants. All photos by Dick Evans.