• Profile of a Lifelong Birder – Betty Carson (1930 – 2025)

    By Ann Carson

    Many GGBA members got a glimpse into the life of my mother, long-time Bay Area birder Betty Carson, when they attended a book sale of her incredible collection after her passing in early March. With over 5,000 books in her library, on wide-ranging topics including African wildlife, Ancient Egyptian history, tropical ecology, California natural history and much more, her largest area of interest was birds, delighting and amazing the dozens of birders who came to browse. 

    My mother became a naturalist at an early age – shell collecting as a young girl on Southern California’s beaches and observing and recording notes on the birds in her San Fernando Valley backyard as a teenager. She moved north for college and earned a Zoology degree from UC Berkeley in 1951, followed by a Master’s degree in Biology from Oregon State and a second Master’s in Library Science from UC Berkeley. During her graduate years at Cal, she met and married my dad, Pete Carson, and they built a modest mid-century modern house at the top of the Berkeley Hills next to the vast open space of Tilden Regional Park. Pete and Betty raised three kids, all of us inspired by their love of the natural world. Family time for us involved frequent day trips to Marin County and its wild beaches, as well as camping trips in the Sierras. 

    Mom continued to develop her passion for birding and other aspects of natural history throughout her adult life. She was a unique individual, especially for her time. Never interested in fashion, fancy food or trinkets, she prioritized time in nature, travel and books. On weekends when we were little, for example, she sometimes treated herself to solo trips out to Alameda’s south shore, where she enjoyed witnessing the seasonal rhythms of the shorebird community while Dad watched the three of us for the morning. As we got older, she traveled further afield in search of birds and other wildlife, with regular trips to U.S. hotspots like Yosemite National Park, the Texas Gulf Coast, and Florida. She took dozens of international trips as well, logging nine trips to Africa and at least as many to South and Central America.  Each time she traveled, she conducted extensive research to prepare herself for the experience, gradually accumulating an impressive personal library of books that she revisited each time she went back to a particular area.…

  • Creating Bird-Friendly Gardens: Native Plants for Bay Area Birds

    By Glenn Phillips

    The San Francisco Bay Area is a hotspot for bird diversity, with its mix of coastal habitats, oak woodlands, and urban green spaces providing refuge for countless avian species. But with habitat loss and climate change threatening bird populations, our gardens and yards have become essential sanctuaries. One of the best ways to support local birds is by planting native vegetation. Not only do native plants provide food and shelter, but they also sustain the insects that many birds rely on. By creating bird-friendly landscapes, we can help reverse the decline of species like the Allen’s Hummingbird, California Quail, and Wilson’s Warbler.

    The Importance of Native Plants for Birds

    Native plants have evolved alongside local wildlife, making them the best choice for sustaining birds and pollinators. Unlike non-native species, which often provide little to no ecological benefit, native plants offer nutritious berries, nectar, seeds, and host native insects that birds depend on for survival. The Golden Gate Bird Alliance’s Plants for Birds Program promotes the use of native plants in gardens and green spaces, helping to ensure that birds have the resources they need year-round.

    Top Native Plants for Birds in the Bay Area

    If you’re looking to make your garden a haven for birds, consider incorporating these native species:

    1. California Coffeeberry (Frangula californica)

    A favorite of thrushes, towhees, and mockingbirds, this evergreen shrub produces small black berries that are a valuable food source in late summer and fall. It also attracts insects that provide food for chickadees and warblers.

    2. Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)

    Often called “California holly,” Toyon produces bright red berries that draw Cedar Waxwings, American Robins, and Northern Flickers in winter. It is a hardy shrub that thrives in various conditions, making it an excellent choice for urban and suburban gardens.

    3. Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis)

    While the wild type can be unruly in a garden, low-growing forms like “Twin Peaks” or “Mayacama Mound” for coastal or inland sites respectively, look great and grow manageably. Host for over 20 species of lepidopterans, Coyote Brush, provides both food and cover.

    Coast Live Oak / ArtemesiaTridentat via creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

    4. California Fuchsia (Epilobium canum)

    With its vibrant red tubular flowers, California Fuchsia is a magnet for Anna’s Hummingbirds. It blooms in late summer when other nectar sources are scarce, ensuring a steady food supply during critical months. “Everett’s Choice” is a low-growing, green-leaved form first discovered in a garden in Berkeley. …

  • Exploring Cypress Grove

    Shorebirds, Waterbirds, and Conservation Science with Nils Warnock and Kenneth Hillan

    Cypress Grove, Marshall CA / provided by Nils Warnock

    Tucked away on the eastern shores of Tomales Bay, Audubon Canyon Ranch’s Cypress Grove Research Center is a hidden gem in the world of bird conservation. Normally closed to the public, this 100-acre preserve is a sanctuary for shorebirds, waterbirds, and other avian species, offering a unique blend of scientific research and ecological beauty. For those lucky enough to visit, Cypress Grove provides a rare opportunity to witness conservation science in action while being surrounded by stunning coastal landscapes and bird species.

    A Sanctuary for Shorebirds and Waterbirds

    Tomales Bay is a critical stopover site along the Pacific Flyway and has long been recognized as an important wetland area for wintering shorebirds. However, in the last 30 years, shorebird populations there have declined significantly—from nearly 16,000 individuals in 1989 to approximately 5,300 today, a 66% decline. Among the hardest-hit species has been our familiar Dunlin, a small Arctic-breeding shorebird that has seen dramatic reductions in its wintering populations in California.

    A Personal Encounter with Shorebird Conservation

    In August 2023, I had the privilege of spending a misty morning surveying shorebirds on Tomales Bay with Nils Warnock (Director of Conservation Science at Audubon Canyon Ranch). It’s also when I had my first-ever sighting of an American Golden-Plover. This remarkable bird had stopped briefly to feed on the shores of Tomales Bay while enroute from its breeding grounds in northern Canada and Alaska to its wintering grounds on the grasslands of southern South America; a staggering migration spanning up to 20,000 miles each year! 

    Yet, the American Golden-Plover’s presence was also a reminder of its tenuous history. Nearly wiped out in the 19th century by market hunting, the species has since made a partial recovery thanks to the protections offered by actions such as the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act. 

    Witnessing this resilient traveler first hand solidified my ongoing commitment to shorebird conservation. If we are to protect these extraordinary bird species, each with its own unique life history, we need longitudinal data—gathered through monitoring and research—to take informed actions to ensure their survival.

    Nils and David Lumpkin banding a short-billed dowitcher at the Walker Creek Delta in Tomales Bay / S. Jennings)

    Tracking Dunlin: Motus Wildlife Tracking System

    One exciting advance in shorebird conservation at Cypress Grove was the introduction of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System, which helps us to understand the status and movement of species like Dunlin.…

  • Rocky Mountain Birding

    By Daryl Goldman

    The fabulous Rocky Mountain Birding Package will open the GGBA’s 2025 Birdathon fundraising event.  Bidding on this amazing trip will run from February 14 to February 25, at www.32auctions.com/GGBA2025kickoff  The trip is set for June 20 to June 28 2025, so we’d like to give you time to make your plans now.  The main Birdathon Auction will open in May and there are many other exciting birding adventures and art in store, so stay tuned for more information on those items. The auction officially opens Sunday, May 11 at 1pm.

    .kb-image66106_2c740d-dd .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;} Rocky Mountain National Park by Allie Peterson

    Experience 9 days/8 nights of Rocky Mountain birding with NO logistical planning or stress! Four-star resort condos, airfare, ground transportation, birding itinerary… they’re all taken care of for you. Just pack your clothes and optics and show up.

    .kb-image66106_c5ea6b-25 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;} Rocky Mountain National Park by Steve Hunter .kb-image66106_e73341-16 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;} Rocky Mountain National Park by Viviana Wolinsky

    Join expert birders Viviana Wolinsky and Steve Hunter to explore the birds and sights of the amazing Rocky Mountains. Fly on Southwest from Oakland* to Denver and start birding as soon as you land. Spend your first night in an Estes Park lodge, rising early to search for White-tailed Ptarmigan in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). As a special treat, Sue Riffe, owner of Colorado-based She Flew Birding Tours and guide for the fabulous Grouse Extravaganza tour offered through GGBA Travel (and a woman with seemingly bionic hearing), will join us to bird the Rocky Mountain National Park portion of the trip. The trip through RMNP is incomparable and there is much to see along the road to your next stop in Steamboat Springs.

    .kb-image66106_8756ed-36 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;} Dusky Grouse by Viviana Wolinsky

    Spend 4 nights at the Steamboat Sheraton Resort Villas and then 3 nights at the Sheraton Mountain Vista Villas in the Avon/Vail Valley. After a bird-filled scenic drive back, you’ll fly out of Denver.

    .kb-image66106_10c690-18 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;} Avon/Vail Sheraton Vista Villas .kb-image66106_a72941-b3 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;} Steamboat Sheraton Resort Villas

    In addition to the White-tailed Ptarmigan, target birds include Dusky Grouse, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Williamson’s Sapsucker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Dickcissel, Gray Catbird, Eastern Kingbird, Canada Jay, Sand Hill Crane and many birds we just don’t see in the Bay Area.

    Of course, you have the option of taking a birding break and using some of your free time enjoying the pools, hot tubs, golfing, biking, or the galleries and hot springs in Steamboat Springs.…

  • A Renter’s Mostly-Native Garden

    By Deborah Underwood

    Why on earth would a renter plant a garden? Why would anyone spend time, energy, and money to improve someone else’s property?

    Five years ago, I had no idea. But now I do.

    Flashback to 2020: Each month, men my landlord hired came by to chop down and spray all the weeds in our building’s large backyard. I hated their noisy visits; I preferred the weed-riddled lot to the barren patch of destruction they left.

    In April, I learned they were spraying Roundup. Roundup! I asked if they’d stop if I pulled all the weeds. The main guy looked at the yard speculatively, shook his head, then said, “That would be a lot of work.”

    He wasn’t wrong.

    But I had to try. I bought a weed puller and slowly cleared the space. Wise Facebook friends thankfully nixed my original thought, which was to cover the yard with ground cloth. They told me cardboard flats topped by mulch would help suppress weeds.

    .kb-image66037_f0291f-ac .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}

    I figured I’d put in a pathway before I mulched, and maybe a few plants, too. Neighbors on the Nextdoor site donated pavers. They also offered a variety of plant starts, which I gratefully accepted.

    .kb-image66037_63d1db-c7 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}

    At first, my plants were a random collection: things I’d been given and things I picked up at a nursery because I thought they were pretty. I knew nothing about water needs or soil requirements. I didn’t know how sunlight changed in the yard over the course of the year. I had no help and a limited budget. And I had no organizing plan for the garden.

    Thankfully, I stumbled upon some great native gardening lectures on the San Francisco Public Library’s YouTube site. I learned about the importance of native plants to our ecosystem, and got some good plant suggestions. As an animal lover, I finally had a plan: I wanted a wildlife garden, one that would provide food and shelter for birds, and food for the caterpillars and bugs that birds eat.

    Calscape.org told me how many species various plants support, and I tried to go for the biggest bang for the buck. I picked the brains of people in native plant nurseries. I watched more online lectures.

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    Natives, it turns out, tend to be less fussy: good news for newbie gardeners. As some of my original plants kicked the bucket, I replaced them with natives.…