• Richmond Christmas Bird Count Takes Shape

    By Ryan Nakano

    When the first Christmas Bird Count (CBC) started back in the early 1900’s, conservationists were attempting to square the circle, i.e. tackle a seemingly insurmountable problem. At the time, hunters carried out the Christmas “side hunt” and bird populations were noticeably dropping at an alarming rate. In response, conservationists counted birds on Christmas, kicking off a tradition that is now in its official 121st year of existence. 

    This year, Golden Gate Bird Alliance is squaring its own circle with the addition of a new Christmas Bird Count in Richmond, CA. The initial problem being, the circle itself. 

    According to the National Audubon Society, who oversees the CBC’s led by local Audubon volunteers, each count must cover a unique 15 mile in diameter circle. Each circle can’t overlap another circle. 

    Map of the Richmond CBC Count Circle Map of the Richmond CBC Count Circle

    This technicality of shape and size, made it impossible to capture the Richmond area for an official count, as already established count circles from Oakland, Benicia and South Marin rule out the region. 

    Is this what early conservationists had in mind when they pitched the holiday tradition over 100 years ago? Maybe. Maybe not. 

    Regardless, Golden Gate Bird Alliance decided it was high time to address this underserved region abundant with birdlife and bird lovers alike, expanding the most important circle of all, our ever-growing birding community. 

    “I live in West Contra Costa County and I bird here. I know it’s rich with birds,” Karyn Noel, Richmond CBC co-compiler said.  “Having this count is important for bringing more visibility to birds and birding across West County.” 

    Even National Audubon, which denied requests to legitimize the Richmond CBC, recognizes the North Richmond Wetlands to be an important bird habitat and site for birding, calling Point Pinole Shoreline and Wildcat Regional Marsh  “tremendous natural resources for the surrounding urban neighborhoods”. It also identifies both Brooks Island and Eastshore Wetlands to be prime birding sites as well.

    Peregrine Falcons, Rosie and Richmond spotted by the Golden Gate Bird Alliance Nest Cam on the Richmond shoreline. Ospreys, Rosie and Richmond spotted by the Golden Gate Bird Alliance Nest Cam on the Richmond shoreline.

    To honor these important habitats and prioritize community involvement with this new Richmond CBC, co-compilers Karyn Noel and Derek Heins have been busy finding local count leaders, defining zones between the Carquinez bridge and El Cerrito, and conducting outreach to Richmond based community groups. 

    “What we’re really trying to do here is run a CBC plus have it be one of the most diverse bird counts in terms of who the birders are by age, gender, ethnicity.…

  • Bird chalk art at the Berkeley Bird Festival

    By Ilana DeBare

    The sidewalks of U.C. Berkeley blossomed with colorful bird life on Sunday — a chalk art aviary that was part of the first-ever Berkeley Bird Festival.

    Golden Gate Bird Alliance invited artists and nature sketchers, adults and kids, casual doodlers and “me? I can’t draw!” passersby to join in creating chalk art images of birds on two campus plazas, in front of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and the Li Ka Shing Center. The results were fantastic. But the process was equally fantastic—watching art emerge, bit by bit, smudge by smudge, out of bland concrete walkways.

    Many thanks to all the artists who participated! And to our festival co-sponsor, the California Institute for Community, Art, & Nature, and to the U.C. Berkeley Chancellor’s Community Partnership Fund, which supported the Festival. We’ll give a broader report on the Festival in an upcoming blog post, but for now here’s a gallery of chalk art images.

    Peregrine Falcon chalk artGGBA’s own Clay Anderson kicked the chalk art program off with a magnificent Peregrine Falcon, inspired by the falcon pair that nest on the UC Campanile. Red-tailed Hawk chalk artRed-tailed Hawk with a message: Don’t use rodenticides! Bufflehead chalk artBufflehead by GGBA board member Amy Chong. She managed to capture its iridescence! Chalk art parrotA “wild parrot of Telegraph Hill” Peregrine Falcon chalk artPeregrine Falcons were a popular subject! Grant Yang’s finished Lazuli Bunting Woodpecker chalk artAn Ivory-billed Woodpecker -— extinct in nature but alive on the UC sidewalk — by Brenda Helm Nukupuu chalk artNukupu’u, a Hawaiian honeycreeper that is most likely extinct, by Michael Helm Chalk art bird and treeThis young artist drew habitat as well as a bird Bonaparte's Gull chalk artBonaparte’s Gull chalk art Peacock chalk artA resplendent peacock Chal kart peacockPeacock! Woodpecker chalk artPileated Woodpecker and chicks Thunderbirdchalk artNative American-style Thunderbird Evolution chalk artThis artist depicted the evolution of birds from other dinosaurs Hummingbird chalk artA much larger-than-life hummingbird Painted Bunting chalk artPainted Bunting Chalk artists at UC BerkeleyArtists spread out, making the whole walkway their canvas Chalk art bluebirdsThe author, one of those “me? I can’t draw” people, with her Western Bluebirds Chalk art and Clay AndersonAt the end of the day, time to clean up. Thank you, Clay and all the participants! There were many more beautiful chalk birds than we could fit in this blog post.

    Photos By Ilana DeBare and Ryan Nakano.…

  • Birding at the University of California Botanical Garden

    By Chris Carmichael

    With one of the richest plant collections in the United States, the University of California Botanical Garden (UCBG) offers birders in the Bay Area a range of unique birding opportunities. Located in Strawberry Canyon in the hills above the UC Berkeley campus, the UCBG plant collections are arranged in a biogeographical manner (California, Mexico and Central America, Australasia, etc.), with an emphasis on plants from Mediterranean climates of the world, including, prominently, the flora of California. 

    It’s interesting to see how our native birds adapt to the worldwide flora represented in the garden. Hummingbirds are a prime example. There are many hummingbird-pollinated flowers in the Californian, South American, and Mexican and Central American Areas, and our two commonly encountered hummingbird species, Anna’s and Allen’s, readily visit plants such as salvias that occur in these areas. But, they also visit tubular flowers from around the world, including plants from Southern Africa that are sunbird-pollinated in habitat, such as aloes and certain flowering bulbs. Another example is Melianthus major, the honey bush, from South Africa. This plant produces copious amounts of nectar, and is visited by a wide array of native birds, including Black-headed Grosbeaks, Hooded Orioles, Golden-crowned Sparrows, and Yellow-rumped Warblers.

    Allen's Hummingbird feeding on Nicotiana tomentosiformis in the South American AreaAllen’s Hummingbird feeding on Nicotiana sp. in the South American Area at UCBG by Melanie Hofmann

    Between its diverse plant life, and edges created by transitions from one garden area to another, the botanical garden is appealing to many different bird species.  This is an example of the ecological concept of “the edge effect”, where changes in population or community structures occur at the boundary of two or more habitats. Edges are often species rich, and the Garden provides a microcosm of this kind of environment. Permanent water features, including the Japanese Pool and several tributaries of Strawberry Creek, draw in water birds, although few stay for very long.

    You can see a typical range of migrants in the UCBG during the spring and fall.  Lazuli Buntings are dependable in the spring, and Rufous Hummingbirds are typical during early fall (and late summer) migration. During breeding season you’re likely to find Black-headed Grosbeaks and Warbling Vireos in small trees throughout the UCBG, Olive-sided and Pacific-slope Flycatchers in the redwoods that shelter the Asian Area, and Hooded Orioles in the fan palms around the conference center.  Moist creek courses throughout the UCBG are good places to look for Wilson’s and Orange-crowned Warblers, Pacific Wrens, and Swainson’s Thrushes with their ethereal song.…

  • Help Protect Our Birds in the Altamont Pass

    Burrowing Owl Burrowing Owl behind a fence

    In less than one week, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors will decide whether to approve of the Mulqueeney Ranch Wind Repowering Project despite the fact that it will unnecessarily kill large numbers of  Golden Eagles, Burrowing Owls, Swainson’s Hawks, and Tricolored Blackbirds, many of which are already severely impacted by the Altamont Pass.

    On Thursday October 7, the Board will hear our appeal to overturn the recently approved environmental impact report which will allow for the construction of 24 new wind turbines in a highly sensitive habitat area for these bird species. The project will actually increase the amount of megawatts produced at the site, likely resulting in killing more Golden Eagles than were killed under the old turbines.

    Audubon supports responsible development of renewable energy, but that requires that counties and wind developers make real efforts to protect birds and bats. We need your help to tell the Alameda Board of Supervisors to send this project back so it can be modified to reduce impacts to Golden Eagles and other protected species.

    WHAT YOU CAN DO

    1. Find your District representative (see full list below) and contact them with the following message:

    “Dear ________________, as an Alameda County resident, I ask that you consider overturning the East County Board of Zoning Adjustment’s (ECBZA) approval of the Mulqueeney Ranch supplemental environmental impact report and reject the approval of the project.”

    • If you are not an Alameda County resident contact CBS@acgov.org with the following message:

    “Dear ________________, as a concerned citizen, I ask that you consider overturning the East County Board of Zoning Adjustment’s (ECBZA) approval of the Mulqueeney Ranch supplemental environmental impact report and reject the approval of the project.”

      • Please feel free to use any of the additional messages listed below to support your ask.
        • The Project site is located in a highly sensitive habitat area that includes seven Golden Eagle active breeding territories, an active CESA-listed Swainson’s Hawk nest site, several CESA-listed Tricolored Blackbird nesting colonies, several Burrowing Owl habitat colonies and protected areas, and water features that attract both free-tailed and hoary bats. 
        • The current level of take of protected and sensitive species by projects at Altamont Pass is unacceptable and unsustainable.  Approval of yet another bird and bat killing project at Altamont Pass will make the situation significantly worse.
        • Failure to adequately address impacts to birds and bats at the Altamont undermines California’s goals to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2045 and conserve its biodiversity as directed by Governor Newsom.
    …

  • Lake Merritt Docents: The Wonder of Birds

    By Maureen Lahiff

    Ducks and waterbirds come in close toward the paved path around the lake. Gulls drop mussels on the path to crack their shells. Black-crowned Night-Herons sit motionless in the trees. 

    For the past several years, passionate Golden Gate Bird Alliance volunteers have helped passerby notice, understand, and appreciate these everyday moments at Lake Merritt. 

    Like many of the people I greet at the lake, my parents did not have many chances to engage with nature and birdlife as kids or young adults. They did their best to nurture my interest and provide opportunities for me and my sisters, even though there was no money for luxuries like binoculars. Since 2014, I’ve been part of the Lake Merritt docent program creating a space for Oakland parents and their children to have the same sorts of life-changing experiences.    

    Golden Gate Bird Alliance Docents at Lake MerrittLake Merritt Docents educating the public on the local birdlife

    At the beginning of our mission statement we say “The Golden Gate Bird Alliance engages people to experience the wonder of birds…”.

    I can’t think of a better way to sum up the goal and rewards of being a Lake Merritt docent. To give you an even fuller picture, here is what three of my colleagues have to say about the work we do.  

    Patrick Meeker

    I have found being a docent has been incredibly rewarding. I often get to teach someone something new each time I’m out there. I get to see the changes in people’s faces when all of the sudden, people who have been walking in places they’ve lived for years no longer just see “ducks on a lake ” but instead, they see the differences between Lesser and Greater Scaup, know what time of year Ruddy Ducks will show up, and understand the story behind where the Canvasback got its name.    

    Canvasback in shallow waterA Canvasback floating in shallow water

    Hilary Powers

    Among my long-term favorite things are; watching birds, talking to people about birds and watching a hitherto-non-birder look through a scope for the first time to really see the intricate interplay of light on feathers. My new favorite thing, in this not quite post-pandemic world, is talking to other humans at all. It’s a huge break from restricted routines. The Lake Merritt docent program has it all!

    Hilary Powers outside of the Geodesic Bird Dome with a group at Lake MerrittHilary Powers outside of the Geodesic Bird Dome with a group at Lake Merritt

    Blake Edgar

    I was already a docent at the Oakland Zoo when I joined the Lake Merritt team in 2019, and I enjoyed being able to apply my zoo experience to engaging folks about our backyard birdlife.…