The Palomarin Field Station: PRBO’s “Window to the World”
The Palomarin Field Station is the
only site PRBO has that is open to the public on a regular basis. It
receives approximately 10,000 visitors each year with school group
field trips almost daily in the spring and fall. It is the headquarters
for PRBO’s Terrestrial Program, and houses the PRBO Visitor Center.
Staff members work in the offices, and interns are housed in a separate
bunkhouse on-site.
The living quarters consist of two bunkrooms with five beds each, one
large communal kitchen, two bathrooms, and a laundry room. Interns must
all be willing to live communally in a fairly public location. Interns
share in chores and often cook dinners communally.
Palomarin is located in Bolinas CA, just north of San Francisco, in Marin County.
Bolinas is a small coastal town with two grocery stores and a few local
merchants. There is beach access and plenty of fabulous opportunities
for hikers, campers, and kayakers.
Nest Monitoring at Palomarin
This is a long-term study of the individual fitness and lifetime reproductive success of four coexisting non-migratory landbird species (Scrub Jay, Wrentit, Song Sparrow and White-crowned Sparrow) on a 36-ha (89-acre) coastal scrub study plot. The methodology of this research is long-term, detailed behavioral monitoring of color-banded individuals. The major objective is to determine the patterns of variation in lifetime reproductive success and survival among individuals within the local populations and between the four species occupying the same environment.
Four full-time interns (one per 9 ha grid) are needed to census grids during the breeding season (mid-March to end of July). The responsibilities include: determining individual identities and territorial boundaries of all nesting pairs through spot-mapping; locating and monitoring all nest attempts; assessing individual variation in behavior; and color-banding nestlings and unbanded individuals. In addition, all other breeding species are spot mapped in order to study long-term changes in the local avian community.
Data collected from this fieldwork is processed daily in order for the researcher to develop a dynamic understanding of each individual bird. Processing will be in the form of handwritten mapping and computer data entry. Each intern will prepare final write-ups summarizing the status of all color-marked individual birds on his/her grid. The work is both intellectually and physically demanding. Some exposure to poison oak is unavoidable. Early morning and long hours are required in the field and on analysis of the field data. The project provides a unique opportunity to come to know intimately some 60 individual birds. [top] Mist-netting at Palomarin
This study uses long-term standardized mist-netting and banding effort to gather and analyze data on the productivity, migration, and survivorship of landbirds; and to relate these data to environmental changes, particularly weather factors. The basic methodology of this study is the daily (May through November) or three times weekly (December through April) operation of an array of 20 mist-nests; each run for six hours per day beginning 15 minutes after local sunrise.
The nets are located along the upper edge of the Arroyo Honda, a riparian canyon clothed in evergreen oaks, bays, and Douglas firs. Over 200 species of landbirds have been seen or captured in the immediate environs of the Field Station. This project provides an index of the productivity and annual survival of locally breeding birds and an important database to compare with other banding stations and migrant landbird censuses on the Southeast Farallon Island (30 km offshore) as well as other MAPS stations from across the country. It also provides a means whereby the public can observe one of PRBO's research programs. Over 35 classes per year (ranging from elementary school to college and adult groups) and about 10 visitors per day come to the Palomarin Field Station to observe this program in operation.
Internships in this program are available throughout the year with spring and summer (mid-March - July) being the most active seasons. Interns accepted in the program will assist with the operation of the project, including interpretation, running of classes, and entering of banding data into the computer. [top]
Education at Palomarin
Education and Outreach (E&O) interns live communally and cooperatively with nest-monitoring and mist-netting interns at the field station. This affords a great opportunity to work directly with scientists in delivering and developing science education programs. Because the Palomarin field station is PRBO's "window to the world" there are many public-oriented displays and areas that the E&O intern is responsible for during his/her intership. These include greeting visitors, updating message white-boards on the building, keeping informational handouts stocked and up to date, and making sure the visitor center is welcoming, informative, and dynamic.
(Please note that not all PRBO Education Programs take place at the Palomarin Field Station. Many programs will also be off-site and "over the hill.") [top]
