Blog Posts Archive - Page 14 of 137 - Golden Gate Bird Alliance

The Audubon Name Issue Heats Up

By Ilana DeBare

Over the past several years, Audubon members and leaders throughout the country have been taking a hard look at the name of our organization—in specific, our identification with John James Audubon.

American Avocet painting by John James Audubon in “Birds of America”

Audubon was a leading naturalist of the early 1800s. His artwork in Birds of North America introduced Europeans to the wildlife of this continent and helped generations of Americans learn about the birds around them.

But Audubon also owned and sold enslaved people. In fact, he financed some of his birding expeditions through the sale of Black people. He opposed the abolition of slavery at a time when there was a growing abolition movement. He robbed Native American graves to collect skulls for himself and his friends.

So a growing number of Audubon chapters are deciding to change their names—feeling that the figurehead of John James Audubon doesn’t represent their values or their aspiration to be a welcoming home for all birders.

Seattle Audubon led the way in July 2022, launching an ambitious name-change process that included months of surveys, focus groups, branding consultation, and pro bono legal help. They plan to announce their new name in June.

Temporary logo Seattle chapter is using during its name changing process.

Madison Audubon (Wisconsin) followed in Seattle’s steps with a unanimous board vote in December 2022 to drop the Audubon name and start a process to find a new name.

In mid-February, Chicago Audubon announced it would choose a new name within the year if National Audubon doesn’t do so first. And most recently, Portland Audubon (Oregon) announced on February 27 that it too is dropping the Audubon name.

“John James Audubon’s name may mean ‘birds’ to some, but to others it means ignoring a legacy of systemic racism,” said Portland’s Executive Director Stuart Wells. “By changing our name, we get to more fully live our values as an organization committed to racial equity, and create a place where people from all communities can come together for nature.”

Chapters such as Portland hope their decisions will push National Audubon to take action. National Audubon announced in 2022 that it would consider the name issue, and it was expected to issue a decision soon, but as of March 1st, the National board had not yet announced a decision.

The spreading reevaluation of the Audubon name has several roots.…

One Step Closer to Bird Safe Buildings in Berkeley

By Executive Director Glenn Phillips

On the evening of Wednesday March 1, after nearly three hours of testimony and lively discussion, the City of Berkeley’s Planning Commission unanimously referred the Bird Safe Berkeley Requirements ordinance to the City Council for their approval. Thank you to the 30+ members and friends who turned out to support the stronger version provided by Golden Gate Bird Alliance. The final ordinance, substantially based on that version, will be among the most effective bird-safe building ordinances in the country if approved in its current form by the City Council.

The referred ordinance calls ultimately for all buildings, including residential, to use 100% bird-safe glass for new and replacement glass occupying the first 100 feet of the building from the ground. A phase-in period over the coming three to five years, depending on the project type, will allow time for local suppliers to meet the demand for smaller projects and renovations in buildings with less than 30% glass coverage across every facade. After January 1, 2028, every piece of glass installed below 100 feet on all buildings must be bird-safe.

The ordinance defines “bird-safe” in three ways. Material tested for bird-collision reduction and given a bird-threat factor below 30 in the American Bird Conservancy’s database of bird-safe materials qualifies, as well as any material with prescriptive standard markings spaced two inches apart so that the glass is made visible to birds (such materials are assumed to have a threat factor of 20 though many will be significantly lower.). By defining “bird-safe” by threat factors, new materials will automatically be acceptable as long as they meet the threat factor threshold. A final pathway to bird safety is to provide an exterior barrier such as screens or louvers.

We are grateful for the support and thoughtful comments from all members of the Planning Commission, and especially from commissioners Twu and Oatfield who served on the Bird Safe Berkeley Subcommittee. None of this would have happened without the ongoing persistence of Berkeley residents Erin Diehm and Kelly Hammargren, who have consistently shown up at Planning Commission meetings for more than five years to advocate for birds. Noreen Weeden’s leadership helped the Environment and Climate Action Commission draft the original request. A huge thank you to the entire Environment and Climate Action Commission who so eloquently made the case that Berkeley needed to address the issue.

This ordinance meets the American Bird Conservancy’s model ordinance standard.…

San Francisco Christmas Bird Count 2022

By David Assmann

While conducting a Christmas Bird Count as an atmospheric river moves through is not ideal, the 2022 San Francisco Christmas Bird Count exceeded expectations. One hundred twenty participants braved the elements for the count. Due to the weather, our boat survey had to be moved to the next day.

Counters at the San Francisco Zoo (Area 7) during the SF CBC by Megan Jankowski

By the time Count Week (CW) was over, the species tally was at 188, exactly the same as last year. For the official Count Day, our species total was 178, three fewer than last year’s 181. Our total count of birds for the Count Day was 58,183 – about 6,000 fewer than last year’s 64,176. However, if you add the 9,221 birds counted on the boat the day after, our numbers are actually up.

There were 29 rare or uncommon birds found on this year’s count, 21 of which were found on Count Day. Twelve of the 18 count areas had a rare species. The best bird on Count Day was a Winter Wren found by Jonah Benningfield in the Presidio. Not only was this a new species for the San Francisco Christmas Bird Count, but it was also the first San Francisco eBird record for Winter Wren.

The other new species for Count Day was a Sage Thrasher found by Malia DeFelice and Chris Hayward at Sierra Point. A new Count Week bird was a Black Skimmer. It was by far the most challenging species to locate. Acting on a tip from a co-worker of SF CBC co-compiler Siobhan Ruck’s who saw a Tern skimming the water in the dark from a ferry in San Francisco, Keith Maley braved the rain and wind after sunset on December 29th to finally spot a Skimmer just offshore from Pier 14 at 7pm.

Overall duck numbers were about the same this year, although we missed some of the uncommon species seen last year (Harlequin Duck, Long-tailed Duck, Cinnamon Teal and Redhead). American Wigeon, Bufflehead, and Greater Scaup numbers were up significantly, whereas Surf Scoter numbers continue their long and steep decline. There were 530 Surf Scoters seen, down from 1,144 last year. In 1985 the count for Surf Scoters was 13,600 and as recently as 2015, the count totaled more than 3,000.

Although the numbers are still small, we did set a new record for Hooded Mergansers, with 27 seen on count day.…

Calling All CBC Yard Watchers

By Ryan Nakano

Every year Golden Gate Bird Alliance organizes Christmas Bird Counts, providing fun and exciting opportunities for people living in the Bay Area to contribute to community science. Originally pitched by conservationist Frank Chapman back in 1900 as an alternative to Christmas bird hunts, the Christmas Bird Count has been a beloved annual event organized by the National Audubon Society for 123 years.

This year, our independent chapter is hosting three counts; Oakland, SF and Richmond, and we’re excited to have so many interested birders of all experience levels already registered for each upcoming count. While many registrants will soon be assigned to an area leader (if they haven’t already), sent information about where and when to meet, and mentally preparing for the day-long adventure of striking out with a group of equally impassioned birders to count all the birds they see within their assigned area, some are ready to kick back relax and count from home.

These are our Feeder or Yard watchers, and you could be one of them!

Because each count is built on the premise of counting up all the birds within a 15 mile count circle, one space that is completely essential but often overlooked is our own backyards…front yards…sideyards… or more generally, on the properties of the places we live.

And there are many reasons why you might want to participate in this way. Maybe it’s generally easier for you to count from home. Or maybe, group birding just isn’t your speed. Maybe your time is limited on the day of each count but you’re still wanting to participate and help ID. Whatever the reasons, I want to make an appeal and an argument for being a Yard Watcher this season.

First and foremost, it takes very little time and effort to contribute valuable data to the Christmas Bird Count.

Got 15 minutes to spare on count day? Find a cozy spot with a view at home, record the maximum number of individuals in each species you see at any one time, log your start and end time and submit your data to us through our Count Forms (Oakland, SF, Richmond). That’s it!

Secondly, even though you won’t be out in the field, you don’t have to go it alone. Share the experience with your kids, significant other, members of your family, roommates, housemates, or whoever else you might live with and note their participation in your data so we know it was a team effort.…

Meeker Slough

By Gail Kurtz

A small mudflat channel along Richmond’s southern shoreline, MEEKER SLOUGH is easy to miss. It cuts a narrow track between UC Berkeley’s Richmond Field Station and the Marina Bay residential community, eventually draining into a tidal marsh nestled against the bay.

Meeker Slough may be little, but it plays a big part in supporting the local bird population. The Bay Area has lost 90% of its wetlands since 1850, so this remaining parcel has an important role in providing habitat for a wide variety of birds. Surprisingly, the tidal marshes along this part of the southern Richmond shoreline are relatively new. Before the 1950’s, this area consisted of a mudflat and bluff, much like what one now sees at Pt. Molate. It wasn’t until breakwaters and other hard infrastructure were constructed to support World War II efforts that sediment began to accumulate behind the breakwaters. Over the next 20 years, a marsh developed where the mudflats had been.

According to eBird, 208 species have been spotted at Meeker Slough, including shorebirds, water birds, raptors, and songbirds. Many species take up year-round residence in the slough, while others overwinter here or make it an important stop on their fall and spring migrations. Meeker also offers crucial habitat and breeding ground for the endangered Ridgway’s Rail.

Much like the elusive nature of the Ridgway’s Rail, tThis special hotspot isn’t so easy to find. Be sure not to use a GPS, as they all (including eBird) direct you to closed gates in the Marina Bay neighborhood. There are two points of entry to the slough, both on the inland side (see directions in the Fast Facts section below). Meeker Slough begins here as storm water runoff from the City of Richmond and then joins a brief stretch of Meeker Creek before entering the tidal marsh. Here one finds a serene channel, a quiet scene for close encounters with birds. One also finds the blurred edges between the natural and human landscapes. Egrets perch on an old section of fence laying catawampus along the shore, Black Phoebes swoop out from metal posts to catch bugs, and several “Duck Crossing” signs pay homage to the rafts of Mallards that congregate near the banks. Continue south along the channel and be sure to watch for fast-moving cyclists. The paths here are part of the San Francisco Bay Trail, which is popular with bikers and walkers.…