Bay Nature Talk: Birds on the Edge—Seabirds of the Farallon Islands

* As of 9:30am Wednesday, Feb. 19 this event is now full and registration is closed *

Join Bay Nature Magazine and Point Blue’s Pete Warzybok for a virtual talk about the seabirds of the Farallon islands on February 19, from 12 - 1pm. Learn about the 500 thousand seabirds who call this island home and the threats they face living in an ever-changing environment where they grapple with warming temperatures, avian flu, and more. This event is based on this piece by Jesse Greenspan from our fall print issue. “Seabirds are long-lived, so they’ve always been able to withstand a few poor years,” says Pete Warzybok in the piece. “But when [the poor years] start to stack up … eventually you get to a tipping point where the wildlife can’t adapt anymore.” This talk is free for Bay Nature members, $5 for nonmembers.

About the speaker: Pete Warzybok is a Principal Scientist and Farallon Program Leader, with Point Blue Conservation Science. Point Blue is a research based, conservation science, non-profit whose mission is to advance the conservation of birds, other wildlife, and ecosystems through science, partnerships, and outreach. Pete’s work focuses on the ecology and conservation of marine ecosystems, overseeing research activities at Point Blue’s long-term research station on Southeast Farallon Island and maintaining our long-term monitoring data on the populations, breeding success, phenology, and diet of marine birds and mammals. Pete grew up in New York and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the State University of New York at Purchase. After graduating he worked for several seasons on a waterfowl management project in suburban New York, as well as seabird monitoring projects with USGS in Alaska and USFWS in Maine. Pete first joined the Farallon Program as a volunteer seabird research assistant in the spring of 2000 and was hired as a program biologist the following year. To date, Pete has spent over 2,500 days living and working on the Farallon Islands. When not on the Farallones, he works from his home in Mendota Heights, MN doing data management, analysis, report and manuscript preparation, fundraising, outreach, and logistical support for the Farallon staff. In his spare time, Pete enjoys birding, hiking, paddling, and exploring nature with his wife Amy and dog Sequoia.

Photo courtesy of Pete Warzybok