Amanda Spears

Farallon Biologist

As a Farallon Island program biologist for Point Blue, my work involves supervising the long-term seabird ecological research performed on Southeast Farallon Island during the spring and summer months. Our continued monitoring of seabird breeding phenology, demographics, and productivity informs smart management of local marine ecosystems in the face of climate change, and provides a valuable experience to early career professionals interested in the ecological and conservation field.

I grew up on the eastern shore of Maryland and spent the earliest years of my life exploring the beautiful estuary that is the Chesapeake Bay. This is where I discovered my passion for ecology, conservation, and birds. Longing for the mountains, I pursued my B.S. at the University of Vermont where I studied Wildlife and Fisheries Biology.

Since graduating I have participated in and led various avian research projects across the country, studying Black-throated Blue Warblers in White Mountains of New Hampshire, spring songbird migration in the bayous of Louisiana, and MAPS songbird banding the Sierra Nevada montane meadows of Yosemite National Park. I first joined Point Blue in 2018 as a summer seabird intern, where I fell in love with seabirds and the California coast. In 2020, I was welcomed back to Point Blue as a Farallon Program Biologist for the seabird season. If I’m not at home on the Farallones, you can find me working and enjoying life in Denver, birding in the foothills, hiking in the Rockies, or having fun in the city.

---