On the Wing Now – Advanced Beginning Birding

On the Wing Now – Advanced Beginning Birding

You’ve fledged, you’ve taken Beginning Birding or have recently started to bird and know the basics, and are now ready to soar. You know how to use your binoculars, can comfortably identify a few species, perhaps even one or two by ear, but would like to recognize even more, and learn how to go about solving the ones that just stump you.

In this class, we’ll reinforce important aspects of birding such as fieldcraft and strategies of identification, including how to separate some confusingly similar species, with a deeper dive into bird physiology, vocalizations, appearance, and behavior. Our aim is to deepen our appreciation of the amazing creatures that are birds. This class includes five Zoom lectures and five field trips. The spring is a fun time to bird: local breeders are out looking for a mate, late departures are already in their fancy alternate plumage, and there’s always the possibility of a chance encounter with an uncommon or rare bird just passing through. On our field trips we’ll visit locations in the area that will provide us opportunities for observing all of these things.

There is a break between the first 3 weeks and the last 2 weeks to accommodate the instructor’s schedule. Suggestions for good places to bird on your own or with others from the class during the break will be provided. Recordings of the lecture presentations will be available to class participants for a limited period of time.

Instructor: Steve Hunter

Five Thursday evening classes by Zoom: April 14, 21, 28; May 26 and June 2, 7:00 to 8:30 pm
Five three-hour Saturday field trips: April 16, 23, 30; May 28 and June 4: 8 to 11 am

Lectures are via Zoom; Field trip locations will be announced in class and by email.
Limited to 20 participants.
$125 for GGBA members, $150 for non-members.

Instructor’s email for questions: slh777@gmail.com…

Beginning Birding in Nesting Season

Nurture your wonder of breeding birds in the East Bay. We will spend quality time observing and discussing the birds, their nests and their babies, so you can get a grasp on the sights, sounds, behaviors, and natural history of a selection of our (mostly Berkeley & Oakland) feathered friends. The Zoom class will be an opportunity for everyone to get up to speed on the structure and equipment for the class and the history of the area. Then everyone will pool their knowledge and observations in field trips, with some optional homework in between to provide more learning opportunities. Please come prepared to participate in a diverse learning
community, and have room on your device to install free apps. Binoculars are encouraged but we can start you with a loaner pair, and you should definitely have a notebook. Carpooling will be encouraged, especially when the trips are not bike/transit-friendly.
Recording of the first session via Zoom will be available to class participants for a limited period of time.

Instructor: Rachel Katz

introductory Zoom session Tuesday, April 19, 7:00 to 9:00 pm
five Saturday morning field trips: April 23, 30; May 7, 14, 21, 9:00 am to 12 noon.

Limited to 16 participants.

$90 for GGBA members, $100 for non-members.

Instructor’s email for questions: NatureRachel@katco.com…

Birds of the Sierra

Birds of the Sierra

After a break of two years due to COVID, we are thrilled to offer this popular class again in 2022. The class includes six half-day field trips to different habitats in and around Sierra Valley (Sierra and Plumas Counties), as well as a group dinner at SFSU’s Sierra Nevada Field Campus near Bassetts Station.

Birds we may see include many Sierra specialties: Swainson’s Hawk, Sandhill Crane, White-headed and Lewis’s Woodpeckers, Calliope Hummingbird, Empidonax flycatchers, Mountain Chickadee, Mountain Bluebird, Sage Thrasher, Cassin’s Finch, MacGillivray’s and Hermit
Warblers, Western Tanager, Evening Grosbeak, Green-tailed Towhee and Brewer’s Sparrows.

Because carpooling is necessary for trips in Sierra Valley, participants must be fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19. The GGBA Office will collect proof of vaccination before the trip.

The class fee includes one dinner. Lodging and other meals are not included in the fee. We will send a more detailed itinerary and information about where to look for lodging to those who register.

 

Instructors: Eddie Bartley, Noreen Weeden, Steve Hunter, and Viviana Wolinsky

There will be an introductory lecture by Zoom on Thursday evening June 2 at 7 pm, which will be recorded.

The class meets for six field trips in Sierra Valley from 3 p.m. Thursday June 9th to noon on Sunday June 12th.

Limited to 20 participants.

$225 GGBA members, $275 for non-members.

For more information, please contact Maureen Lahiff MLahiff@aol.com

Registration will open on March 14.…

Master Birder Program 2022

Golden Gate Bird Alliance and California Academy of Sciences are very excited to offer our Master Birding course. The objective of the course is to help ambitious students enhance their birding and environmental leadership skills, and develop new active conservation community members for GGBA, The Academy, and other Bay Area institutions. Students will develop a field notebook documenting sightings of over 200 bird species, learn how to identify the more difficult bird species, learn about avian physiology, behavior and taxonomy, and develop an understanding of avian habitats and bird communities. Students will participate in over 20 organized field trips, develop a backyard (local patch) list, and make  a 10-minute presentation to the class on an avian topic of their choosing. Other details of the course will be presented to interested candidates. To successfully complete the program, students must commit to volunteer at least 100 hours with an approved conservation organization over a two-year period, and participate in at least 70% of the classes and field trips.

Classroom meetings will take place at The California Academy of Sciences with a remote Zoom option for folks who need to attend virtually.

Prior to taking the course, prospective students are expected to be able to identify California birds at an “intermediate level” (100+ species by sight, and 25+ species by sound). If you are interested please complete the Enrollment Questionnaire via the link below. Instructor will send the registration link to applicants who meet the prerequisites. 

  • Eleven Wednesday evening classes at California Academy of Sciences and Zoom starting February 9: 6:30 pm – 9 pm. Generally, 1st Wednesday of each month.

  • Eleven Saturday morning field trips to a different site each month starting February 12.  Field trip locations and times will be announced in class and by email. Field trips meet at the field trip site.

  • $650 for Golden Gate Bird Alliance members and California Academy of Sciences members, $750 for non-members.

Once this class is full, you may sign up to be on a waiting list.

A minimum of 10 students will need to register in order for this program to take place. …

Advanced Beginning Birdwatching

Has the COVID lockdown led to a greater (or renewed) interest in birds? Want to move beyond being able to tell a robin from a jay and be able to sort out the sparrows? Moved across the country and finding new birds? Or maybe you’re finally retired and have time to do what you love? Outdoors person who wants to enhance the experience? Or maybe you took a beginning birding class and want more? The Advanced Beginning class is geared to people who meet all those descriptions and more. Participants must have and use binoculars confidently. Field trips will be to East Bay shoreline, woodland, riparian, and grassland locations. This class will help you understand the various bird families and work on tricky IDs. It will also introduce you to community science (bird counting/ monitoring) activities and current bird conservation issues.

 Recordings of the lecture presentations will be available to class participants  for a limited period of time.

  • Four Tuesday evening classes by Zoom, February 15, 22; March 1, 8: 7:00 to 8:30 pm.

  • Four three-hour field Sunday trips to a different site each week: February 20, 27; March 6, 13: 9:00 am to 12 noon. Field trip locations will be announced in class and be email. Field trips meet at the field trip site.

  • Carpooling is encouraged if you are comfortable sharing a ride.

  • $100 for GGBA members, $125 for non-members.

Once this class is full, you may sign up to be on a waiting list.…