Stewardship Task Force
Madrone Audubon members have teamed up with local northwest Sonoma County residents in an active coastal program of seabird and beach activities. The group's activities focus on the California Coastal National Monument: rocks, islands and pinnacles exposed above mean high tide.
Scroll to bottom of this page to view Black Oystercatcher blog
Seabird Monitoring Orientation with Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods.
Check Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods Seabird Monitoring page for upcoming dates and details.
Volunteers monitor seabirds in the following areas:
- Nesting in breeding season,
- Track during non-breeding season to see how species usage varies through the year,
- Search for the incredibly camouflaged nests of Black Oystercatchers,
- Track the reproductive success of the Black Oystercatchers,
- Help in restoration of a rare grass on a coastal island,
- Monitor beach debris,
- Help in a long-term intertidal survey,
- Offer quarterly nature walks to broaden public interest and background.
In this Citizen Science effort the data is analyzed and reported. NW studies started in 2007 and continue for a longer term data set. In 2013 a group started to record data on seabirds and marine mammals in the Jenner to Bodega Bay stretch. Your help is welcome; if you want to volunteer, please contact contact Diane Hichwa at dhichwa@earthlink.net, telephone: 707-785-1922 (Sea Ranch), 707-483-3130 (cell).
Black Oystercatchers and Golden Gate Audubon's blog
Click on the following link to go to Golden Gate Audubon's blog page, where there is a great article on their process observing nesting Black Oystercatchers just offshore at Seal Rocks in San Francisco Oystercatcher blog post.
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Carved Bird Pins
In the 1970s, member Tom Olds hand-carved bird pins and sold them to raise money for Madrone Audubon. More