GGBA joins suit to protect swallows

GGBA joins suit to protect swallows

ByGGBA

Golden Gate Bird Alliance has joined a lawsuit aimed at halting the death of migratory Cliff Swallows in netting installed by CalTrans at a highway bridge construction site in Petaluma.

Together with Native Songbird Care and Conservation, the Center for Biological Diversity and other conservation groups, GGBA filed suit on May 17 against the California Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration over the deadly netting.

Wildlife advocates had repeatedly been asking CalTrans and its construction contractor to remove the netting and replace it with less lethal alternatives, to no avail.

“These swallows migrate 6,000 miles each year, only to return to their nesting sites here in Northern California and face a  brutal death in the CalTrans nets,” said GGBA Executive Director Mike Lynes. “The worst part is that these deaths are completely unnecessary. There are other, non-lethal ways to keep birds from nesting on bridges at construction sites.”

GGBA first wrote about the deadly swallow netting in our blog on April 17th, encouraging members to write or call CalTrans. Since then, the swallow death toll has risen from the dozens to over 100.

Following is the press release about the lawsuit:

Lawsuit Against Highway Agencies Targets Deaths of Migratory Swallows

Deadly Netting in Petaluma Has Killed, Injured More than 100 Swallows

SAN FRANCISCO – Conservation and animal protection groups filed a lawsuit Friday against the California Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration for causing and allowing the deaths of migratory cliff swallows nesting under bridges at a highway widening project in Petaluma, Calif. The agencies refuse to remove deadly netting installed at bridge overpasses as part of a Caltrans highway widening project along Highway 101 in the Marin-Sonoma Narrows. The netting has killed and injured more than 100 swallows in a one-month period.

“Incompetence and indifference by Caltrans is killing swallows that have just travelled 6,000 miles to return to a traditional nesting site, which the agency should have known about,” said Jeff Miller, a conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity. “Caltrans continues to say the problem is fixed, but the netting is ineffective and deadly. There are better ways to discourage birds from nesting at a construction site.”

Swallows in netting / Photo by Scott Manchester, Santa Rosa Press Democrat

The entrapment and killing of swallows violates the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and National Environmental Policy Act.…

Birds & Words – Brian Kimberling reads for GGBA

Birds & Words – Brian Kimberling reads for GGBA

ByGGBA

We’re excited to host a reading on Sunday April 28 by Brian Kimberling, author of the new novel Snapper about a young bird researcher in the Midwest. Snapper is a sweet, funny coming of age story with guest appearances by Kentucky Warblers, Ovenbirds, Bald Eagles and more.

Brian will be reading from Snapper between 5 and 6 pm next Sunday at a private home in Rockridge (Oakland). Golden Gate Bird Alliance members and friends are warmly invited. Email Ilana at idebare@goldengatebirdalliance.org if you’d like to attend.

Meanwhile… check out Brian’s opinion piece on birding in this week’s Sunday New York Times! Or read about Snapper on Amazon.…

GGBA Board Election — Vote Online or Offline

GGBA Board Election — Vote Online or Offline

ByGGBA

We need your vote! If you’re a member of Golden Gate Bird Alliance, please vote in our 2013 election for our Board of Directors.

Click here to vote online.

You can also vote in person at the Birdathon dinner on May 19 or at our Speaker Series events on April 18, May 16 or June 20. Or vote at the GGBA office at 2530 San Pablo Avenue, Suite G,. Berkeley during our office hours.

You must be a member in good standing of GGBA in order to vote. Ballots must be received by June 30, 2013.…

Birds of Colombia – Thursday April 18 in SF

Birds of Colombia – Thursday April 18 in SF

ByGGBA

Join us this Thursday April 18th for a photographic tour of Colombia and its birdlife, along with information on the country’s geography, cuisine, culture, and people.

Our monthly Speaker Series will feature Colombian birding guide Christopher Calonje, sharing images and stories from the country with the world’s longest list of birds, now over 1,890 species (more than North America and Europe combined).

Much of this diversity is due to the country’s complex topography, which includes three Andean ranges and the valleys between these ranges, Atlantic and Pacific coasts, vast grasslands bordering Venezuela, and a large portion of the Amazon Basin. Chris will discuss Columbia’s improving security situation and how the government, at all levels, has made great strides in bringing peace and prosperity to the country. Birding in Colombia promotes responsible environmental and social ecotourism as well as providing an opportunity of a lifetime for birders.

Christopher Calonje was born and raised in Cali, Colombia, and earned a degree in natural resources planning from Humboldt State University. He has been conducting birding tours in his native country for many years and has traveled widely throughout the entire country photographing its amazing avian diversity.

Date: Thursday April 18

Time: 7 p.m. refreshments, 7:30 pm program

Location: First Unitarian Universalist Church & Center
1187 Franklin Street (at Geary), San Francisco

Cost: Free for GGBA members, $5 for non-members.

For more information, call us at (510) 843-2222.
…
Beginning Birding class starts on May 8

Beginning Birding class starts on May 8

ByGGBA

Ever wonder what those little tweeting yellow guys are in your backyard? Now’s your chance to find out — in our spring Beginning Birding class.

With four evening classroom sessions and four Saturday morning field trips, this class is a perfect way to start learning about birds or to improve your existing birding skills.

Anna's Hummingbird / Photo by Rick Lewis

Instructor Anne Hoff will familiarize you with the tools of the trade — binoculars, field guides, scopes, and more. She’ll show you places to watch birds in the Bay Area, and help you learn to identify the birds of the bay and uplands. Singing, breeding birds in their most colorful plumage make spring a particularly inviting season for birdwatching. Class includes:

Four Wednesday evenings — 7 to 8:30 p.m. — May 8, 15, 22, 29

Four Saturday field trips — 8 to 10:30 a.m. — May 11,18, 25, and June 1

Cost: $85 for Golden Gate Bird Alliance members, $105 for non-members

This class will take place at the Golden Gate Bird Alliance office at 2530 San Pablo Avenue, Suite G, in Berkeley (at Blake).

To register for Beginning Birding online, please click here. Class is limited to 15 participants; then there will be a waiting list in case any registrants drop out.

Questions? Email Ilana at idebare@goldengatebirdalliance.org.

 

Photo of Western Tanager on GGBA home page by Bob Lewis.…

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