Black Oystercatchers are excellent indicator species of the rocky shoreline habitat, and desgnated as a species of conservation concern. Black Oystercatchers nest on beaches and are very vulnerable to human encroachment, oil spills, and severe ocean conditions.
Since 2011, Monterey Audubon has been supporting and spearheading the California Central Coast BLOY Monitoring Project (BLOY MP) in the Monterey Bay region and beyond.
Volunteers are invited to join the monitoring team. To be part of the Black Oystercatcher Monitoring Program’s community science program, you are required to do the following:
1. Register as a Monterey Audubon volunteer at http://MontereyAudubon.org/volunteer.
2. Attend the lecture or view a monitoring training
3. Read the accompanying guide.
4. Complete the BLOY Volunteer Project Registration
5. Participate in the field training
Once you have completed all these steps, the Regional Coordinator will provide you with a mentor and assign the monitoring site, where you will check on the birds once per week for at least 30 minutes to document all behavior observed.
A commitment from May through September is required, with allowances for occasional missed monitoring assuming a suitable substitute monitor is available.
