The Farallon Islands is a National Wildlife Refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and inhabited year-round by scientists from PRBO. In cooperation with USFWS, PRBO established a permanent research station on the Farallon Islands in 1968. For over four decades PRBO biologists have been protecting and studying Farallon wildlife. Located 27 miles west of San Francisco, this group of islands constitutes the largest seabird breeding colony in the U.S., south of Alaska, with over 300,000 nesting seabirds belonging to thirteen different species. This unique, long-term dataset gives us a unique ability to examine trends over multiple time scales and look at variability in the context of long-term patterns and trends. |
Live Farallon Webcam!
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View the 2011 Farallon Seabird Report (pdf) here.
For more information, download these technical briefs:
Record seabird breeding on Farallon Islands in 2010
Cassin's Auklet will decline with climate change
New assessment of Ashy Storm-Petrels on Farallon Islands
Contact: Russ Bradley
Pete Warzybok
PROJECT GOALS
Our goals are to study the breeding biology, feeding ecology, and population dynamics of the seabird community in relation to naturally occurring and human-induced climate change in order to advance both scientific discovery and conservation efforts.
Science Goals:
- Monitor long-term trends in seabird populations
- Examine seabird responses and their prey to changing climate and ocean conditions
- Integrate individual level data from long-term studies to assess responses to climate change
- Develop indicators of environmental change
Management Goals:
- Inform direct management of actions on the islands
- Help guide management of waters surrounding the island
- Contribute to management actions in a wide range of species
- Contribute to ecosystem-based management by developing ecosystem indicators
FOCAL SPECIES
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Pigeon Guillemot
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Tufted Puffin
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Rhinoceros Auklet
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Cassin's Auklet
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Common Murre
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Brandt's Cormorant
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Double-crested Cormorant
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Pelagic Cormorant
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Black Oystercatcher
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Western Gull
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California Gull
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Ashy Storm-Petrel
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NEW & OF INTEREST
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Farallon Blog - Los Farallones!
Learn about life, birds, and marine mammals on the Farallon Islands, directly from the resident biologists' point of view!
It's Seabird season on the Farallones!
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MEDIA & OUTREACH
"No Normal for Coastal Waters"
Bay Nature magazine article featuring PRBO marine ecologists Sara Acosta and Russ Bradley. (Oct. - Dec. 2009)
Farallon National Wildlife Refuge Management Plan Update
PRBO's public comment on the current update on the Farallon Comprehensive Conservation Plan (Feb. 2009)
Salmon, Seabirds, and the State of the Ocean
The link between salmon and seabirds (Mar. 2008)
MORE SCIENCE
Technical Briefs:
Record seabird breeding on Farallon Islands in 2010
Cassin's Auklet will decline with climate change
New assessment of Ashy Storm-Petrels on Farallon Islands
INTERNSHIPS
Seabird season internships are offered on Southeast Farallon Island during the spring/summer season (March - August). All internships on Southeast Farallon Island are volunteer positions, though excellent food and housing are provided. The minimum duration of internships is 8 weeks. All interns are required to conduct rigorous fieldwork, often in poor weather. All interns will assist in maintenance of field camp and data entry and proofing.
Click here to find current internships.
PRODCUTS
Rhinoceros Auklet Diet Indicates Forage Fish Dynamics
Climate change, reproductive performance and diet composition of marine birds in the southern California Current system, 1969–1997
Effects of age, breeding experience, mate fidelity and site fidelity on breeding performance in a declining population of Cassin’s Auklets
Status and Trends of the Ashy Storm-Petrel on Southeast Farallon Island, California
Trace Metals in Seabirds, Steller Sea Lion, and Forage Fish and Zooplankton from Central California
Trophic Relationships Among Seabirds in Central California
PARTNERS
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The California Academy of Sciences