Alcatraz Waterbird Docents Assist with Island-wide Winter Bird Counts

A pair of peregrine falcons took up residence on Alcatraz last year. They continue to actively hunt, chasing off the occasional red-tailed hawk, disturbing the western gulls, and sending the small resident population of rock pigeons into temporary hiding.

© Sonja Raub

January 2020 - During the waterbird nesting season on Alcatraz Island (~March-September), docents are stationed near the colonial waterbird colonies. Their goal is to show park visitors the natural side of Alcatraz. Using spotting scopes and binoculars to view waterbirds incubating eggs or feeding chicks, docents teach visitors about the nesting ecology of Island birds. The visitors leave with a new appreciation for bird species like gulls, cormorants, herons, and egrets. However, waterbirds are not Alcatraz’s only avian inhabitants. In the winter months, these same waterbird docents assist Alcatraz biologist Tori Seher with Island-wide bird counts. Twice a month, docents travel 1.5 miles over 3-hours to count all birds on Alcatraz and in the nearshore waters around the Island. The last count of the season will take place on January 31.

Black oystercatchers may be spotted on Alcatraz Island's shores during winter Island-wide bird surveys.

© Sonja Raub

So far, Tori and the docents haven’t seen any significant changes in species numbers or abundance from previous years. A few rare sightings this season included a golden-crowned kinglet, Bewick’s wren, Wilson’s warbler, and Say’s phoebe. The Island’s peregrine falcon pair, which took up residence on Alcatraz last year, continue to actively hunt, chasing off the occasional red-tailed hawk, disturbing the western gulls, and sending the small resident population of rock pigeons into temporary hiding. The Island’s most abundant species in winter, the song sparrow and Anna’s hummingbird, do not seem phased by the Island predators and continue to show up in large numbers. Results from bird counts are entered into eBird.

To learn more, or if interested in becoming an Alcatraz Waterbird Docent, please email Tori Seher at [e-mail].

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