Nest Counts throughout South San Francisco Bay

USGS has been monitoring waterbird nesting populations in South San Francisco Bay for 15 years. During that time the number of American avocet, black-necked stilt, and Forster’s tern nests have all declined.
In May 2019, USGS, along with partners, conducted a comprehensive census of American avocets, black-necked stilts, and Forster’s terns throughout South San Francisco Bay. Results were compared to a similar study conducted in May 2001 (Rintoul et al. 2003) to assess population changes.