One of the amazing things I learned this past winter when taking the Bay Area Birding Class was that a large percentage of the west coast shorebird population can be found in San Francisco Bay. Over 50 percent of the total Pacific Coast population of eleven different shorebirds spend at least part of the year here. Look at the table below from the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network
The table below shows the percentage contribution of shorebirds counted in San Francisco Bay to the total recorded in wetlands for the entire Pacific coast of the contiguous United States (from Page et al. 1999), emphasizing the critical importance of the SF Bay for these species.
| SEASON | |||
| Species | Fall | Winter | Spring |
| Black-bellied Plover | 62 | 59 | 55 |
| Semipalmated Plover | 52 | 40 | 47 |
| Black-necked Stilt | 78 | 90 | 58 |
| American Avocet | 96 | 88 | 86 |
| Greater Yellowlegs | 41 | 41 | 26 |
| Willet | 69 | 58 | 57 |
| Long-billed Curlew | 66 | 49 | 46 |
| Marbled Godwit | 62 | 46 | 68 |
| Red Knot | 76 | 43 | 39 |
| Western Sandpiper | 59 | 68 | 54 |
| Least Sandpiper | 67 | 39 | 73 |
| Dunlin | – | 38 | 24 |
| Dowitcher, spp. | 72 | 65 | 49 |
Also bird and fish populations and habitats are improving as a result of the reconstruction of salt ponds around S.F. Bay
A recent article ‘So far, so good’ for salt pond restoration effort in Mercury News reports that at a conference of scientists at the USGS evaluated the salt pond restoration work on S.F. Bay. They found that:
“Five years into the first significant construction to restore thousands of acres of former industrial salt ponds around San Francisco Bay back to wetlands, dozens of species of fish and birds — from herring and anchovies to pintail ducks — are expanding their range across the bay, with some clearly growing in population.”
Natural History Wanderings 
[…] Today I was back on the Bay Trail from Point Isabel Regional Park out about three miles or so to the Marina and back. This area continues to be a fun place to bird as it is only ten minutes from home (by car) and the number of birds continues to increase as migration proceeds and birds are coming to winter on San Francisco Bay. A large percentage of the west coast shorebird population are found in San Francisco Bay. Over 50 percent of the total Pacific Coast population of eleven different shorebirds spend at least part of the year here. Read more about this in an earlier post Shorebird Heaven: San Francisco Bay. […]
LikeLike
By: Birding The Bay Trail 11/22/12 « Natural History Wanderings on November 22, 2012
at 9:57 PM
[…] The number of birds continues to increase as migration proceeds and birds are coming to winter on San Francisco Bay. A large percentage of the west coast shorebird population are found in San Francisco Bay. Over 50 percent of the total Pacific Coast population of eleven different shorebirds spend at least part of the year here. Read more about this in an earlier post Shorebird Heaven: San Francisco Bay. […]
LikeLike
By: Birding The Bay Trail: Pt. Isabel to Shimada Park 11/5/12 « Natural History Wanderings on November 5, 2012
at 5:22 PM