By Alan Hopkins

I awoke to the clanging and clashing of the garbage trucks outside my window. It was 2 a.m. When I listened carefully, I could also hear tires splashing on Manhattan’s rain-wet West 22nd Street below. Not what I wanted to hear. The alarm was set for five; I needed my sleep for the long day ahead. But I tossed and turned. I wondered, Would I see any birds? Would I miss our flight? Would I get soaked and have to spend five hours wet on the plane?

Then I had a small epiphany. I should get off the subway at 72nd Street and not 86th Street as planned! Eventually I fell asleep and eventually the alarm went off at five. I dressed in the bathroom to keep from waking my wife Julie. I grabbed my pack and headed for the elevator.

I couldn’t believe I was actually doing this crazy New York to San Francisco Big Day again. The idea was to see birds in Central Park in the morning, hop on a plane, and bird in San Francisco in the afternoon — while raising money for Point Blue’s Rich Stallcup Bird-a-thon. I’d done this bicoastal Big Day once before and had a good morning in the park but was squeezed in San Francisco by a very slow shuttle and fog along the coast.

I’ve done many and varied big days before. Dan Murphy and I started the Bird Blitz some time in the early 70s before county listing was in vogue. Our Golden Gate Bird Alliance team, the Loonaticks, did GGBA bird-a-thons that started in Los Banos and ended in Pescadero to raise funds to save Mono Lake. I’ve been doing San Francisco County big days to raise funds for research on the Farallon Islands for more years than I can count. Our best — and the S.F. Big Day record — is 149 species.

It just happened that I was in New York the weekend we usually do our S.F. County big day. And it just happened that Julie arranged our flight back to San Francisco in a way that would allow me a bit of birding time in the morning and a bit more time in the afternoon. It was clear that I needed to try this exotic big day again. After all how many times can you see Great Black-backed Gull, Heermann’s Gull, Blue Jay, California Scrub Jay, and Steller’s Jay all in the same day? …

By Alan Hopkins

I awoke to the clanging and clashing of the garbage trucks outside my window. It was 2 a.m. When I listened carefully, I could also hear tires splashing on Manhattan’s rain-wet West 22nd Street below. Not what I wanted to hear. The alarm was set for five; I needed my sleep for the long day ahead. But I tossed and turned. I wondered, Would I see any birds? Would I miss our flight? Would I get soaked and have to spend five hours wet on the plane?

Then I had a small epiphany. I should get off the subway at 72nd Street and not 86th Street as planned! Eventually I fell asleep and eventually the alarm went off at five. I dressed in the bathroom to keep from waking my wife Julie. I grabbed my pack and headed for the elevator.

I couldn’t believe I was actually doing this crazy New York to San Francisco Big Day again. The idea was to see birds in Central Park in the morning, hop on a plane, and bird in San Francisco in the afternoon — while raising money for Point Blue’s Rich Stallcup Bird-a-thon. I’d done this bicoastal Big Day once before and had a good morning in the park but was squeezed in San Francisco by a very slow shuttle and fog along the coast.

I’ve done many and varied big days before. Dan Murphy and I started the Bird Blitz some time in the early 70s before county listing was in vogue. Our Golden Gate Bird Alliance team, the Loonaticks, did GGBA bird-a-thons that started in Los Banos and ended in Pescadero to raise funds to save Mono Lake. I’ve been doing San Francisco County big days to raise funds for research on the Farallon Islands for more years than I can count. Our best — and the S.F. Big Day record — is 149 species.

It just happened that I was in New York the weekend we usually do our S.F. County big day. And it just happened that Julie arranged our flight back to San Francisco in a way that would allow me a bit of birding time in the morning and a bit more time in the afternoon. It was clear that I needed to try this exotic big day again. After all how many times can you see Great Black-backed Gull, Heermann’s Gull, Blue Jay, California Scrub Jay, and Steller’s Jay all in the same day? …

By Alan Hopkins

I awoke to the clanging and clashing of the garbage trucks outside my window. It was 2 a.m. When I listened carefully, I could also hear tires splashing on Manhattan’s rain-wet West 22nd Street below. Not what I wanted to hear. The alarm was set for five; I needed my sleep for the long day ahead. But I tossed and turned. I wondered, Would I see any birds? Would I miss our flight? Would I get soaked and have to spend five hours wet on the plane?

Then I had a small epiphany. I should get off the subway at 72nd Street and not 86th Street as planned! Eventually I fell asleep and eventually the alarm went off at five. I dressed in the bathroom to keep from waking my wife Julie. I grabbed my pack and headed for the elevator.

I couldn’t believe I was actually doing this crazy New York to San Francisco Big Day again. The idea was to see birds in Central Park in the morning, hop on a plane, and bird in San Francisco in the afternoon — while raising money for Point Blue’s Rich Stallcup Bird-a-thon. I’d done this bicoastal Big Day once before and had a good morning in the park but was squeezed in San Francisco by a very slow shuttle and fog along the coast.

I’ve done many and varied big days before. Dan Murphy and I started the Bird Blitz some time in the early 70s before county listing was in vogue. Our Golden Gate Bird Alliance team, the Loonaticks, did GGBA bird-a-thons that started in Los Banos and ended in Pescadero to raise funds to save Mono Lake. I’ve been doing San Francisco County big days to raise funds for research on the Farallon Islands for more years than I can count. Our best — and the S.F. Big Day record — is 149 species.
It just happened that I was in New York the weekend we usually do our S.F. County big day. And it just happened that Julie arranged our flight back to San Francisco in a way that would allow me a bit of birding time in the morning and a bit more time in the afternoon. It was clear that I needed to try this exotic big day again. After all how many times can you see Great Black-backed Gull, Heermann’s Gull, Blue Jay, California Scrub Jay, and Steller’s Jay all in the same day? …

By Alan Hopkins

I awoke to the clanging and clashing of the garbage trucks outside my window. It was 2 a.m. When I listened carefully, I could also hear tires splashing on Manhattan’s rain-wet West 22nd Street below. Not what I wanted to hear. The alarm was set for five; I needed my sleep for the long day ahead. But I tossed and turned. I wondered, Would I see any birds? Would I miss our flight? Would I get soaked and have to spend five hours wet on the plane?

Then I had a small epiphany. I should get off the subway at 72nd Street and not 86th Street as planned! Eventually I fell asleep and eventually the alarm went off at five. I dressed in the bathroom to keep from waking my wife Julie. I grabbed my pack and headed for the elevator.

I couldn’t believe I was actually doing this crazy New York to San Francisco Big Day again. The idea was to see birds in Central Park in the morning, hop on a plane, and bird in San Francisco in the afternoon — while raising money for Point Blue’s Rich Stallcup Bird-a-thon. I’d done this bicoastal Big Day once before and had a good morning in the park but was squeezed in San Francisco by a very slow shuttle and fog along the coast.

I’ve done many and varied big days before. Dan Murphy and I started the Bird Blitz some time in the early 70s before county listing was in vogue. Our Golden Gate Bird Alliance team, the Loonaticks, did GGBA bird-a-thons that started in Los Banos and ended in Pescadero to raise funds to save Mono Lake. I’ve been doing San Francisco County big days to raise funds for research on the Farallon Islands for more years than I can count. Our best — and the S.F. Big Day record — is 149 species.
It just happened that I was in New York the weekend we usually do our S.F. County big day. And it just happened that Julie arranged our flight back to San Francisco in a way that would allow me a bit of birding time in the morning and a bit more time in the afternoon. It was clear that I needed to try this exotic big day again. After all how many times can you see Great Black-backed Gull, Heermann’s Gull, Blue Jay, California Scrub Jay, and Steller’s Jay all in the same day? …

By Ilana DeBare

Fall is a great time to create a garden that attracts birds… and we’ve got some resources to help!

We just published a new version of our brochure on Inviting Wildlife Into Your Backyard — now with versions focused on San Francisco, the East Bay, and in Spanish. Download the version of your choice or pick up a paper copy from our office. It includes a short list of native plants that support Bay Area birds, gardening tips, and local nurseries specializing in native plants.

Some other good resources:

National Audubon Society just rolled out a terrific interactive web site called Plants for Birds that will help you select plants native to your region of the country. It also allows you to see which bird species are attracted to a particular plant, and offers lots of gardening tips.

From NAS’s Plants for Birds web site

San Francisco’s Department of the Environment has a web site focused on gardening to support pollinators — bees and butterflies, as well as birds.  You’ve probably read how bee populations are under severe stress worldwide. One way to help them is to avoid the use of neonicitinoids, pesticides which may harm pollinators. The SF Environment web site includes a list of nurseries in San Francisco, the East Bay, and North Bay that don’t use neonicitinoids.

The SF Plant Finder web site will help identify native plants suited to the terrain in your part of San Francisco.

Bringing Back the Natives offers monthly East Bay workshops in selecting native plants, as well as a springtime tour of inspiring native-landscaped gardens.

Allen’s Hummingbird by Bob Gunderson

And… this weekend offers great opportunities to buy native plants! In the East Bay, seven native plant nurseries including the U.C. Botanical Garden are holding a special Native Plant Extravaganza sale on Sunday, October 23. Many of these nurseries are only open to the public once or twice a year: Click here for details and directions.

In San Francisco, the Yerba Buena Chapter of the California Native Plant Society is extending its fall plant sale to this Saturday, October 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 2207 26th Avenue.

Get started planning or planting now for a beautiful, bird-filled garden in the spring. Let us know what you plant and how it goes! Or — if you already have a garden that attracts birds — tell us about it.…