• Shelter-in-Place Birding

    By David Rice

     

    I had planned to take my family this winter to see (and hear!) the cranes on Woodbridge Road near Lodi: arrive in mid-afternoon, watch some cranes feeding in the fields, and wait for dusk to bring the vocalizing flocks, silhouetted against the sunset. But the combination of crawl-space decluttering and inertia stopped me, and now we can’t go. It’s early spring, the cranes are leaving, and we’re sheltering-in-place.

    Sandhill Crane in flight by Simon Sobart

    The GGBA field trip to look and listen for birds in the mountains near the Santa Clara/Santa Cruz County border? I signed up this year, after not signing up last year, but the trip’s cancelled. Shelter-in-place.

    Knowing the cranes are there, even if I missed them, is reassuring. Knowing GGBA is here is reassuring; I’ll donate the money. But missing the pleasures and comforts these birding outings would have given me—that birding always gives me—got me thinking about how I think and feel about birding.

    Although I know that birding is part of who I am, although I dream about birds—and really should have kept a life list of my dream birds; would it be more than thirty now?—maybe I have underestimated how important birds are to me. As the old song goes, “You don’t miss your water ’til the well runs dry.” We know about the ongoing decline of many bird species, of course, but “shelter-in-place” brings home to me how much I count on being able to go birding, even if I don’t or can’t go sometimes. Maybe, by assuming I can go birding wherever and whenever I choose, I’ve taken birds for granted and now, when I can’t, I see even more clearly how much I value them.

    Ring-billed Gull by Daniel Cadieux

    Which brings me to the gulls that arrive every morning to feed at the grassy area inside the local junior high school track where I walk. I’ve seen them eating worms, and there must be other protein sources as well in the well-watered grass, because they are always there. (Mainly Ring-billed Gulls, some California Gulls, saw a first-year Herring Gull once.) I stopped the other day and just watched them. I wanted to paint the adult Ring-billed Gull’s pristine light gray/black wing tips breeding plumage.

    There is something calming about gazing at a bird for more than a brief identifying-second. The scientists who study meditators should study birders.…

  • May Your Shelter In Place Lift Up Your Birding Spirits

    By Pam Young, Golden Gate Bird Alliance’s Executive Director

     

     

    Dear readers and members,

    During this protracted time when we follow the shelter in place order, we at Golden Gate Bird Alliance encourage you to find ways to appreciate what is most valuable in our lives: our health and well-being. As many of you know, one of the most welcoming and refreshing activities is a lovely outing in nature. It is a wonderful thing that nature remains a healthy and beneficial destination, even in times like these.

    We have nature in the parks and we also have nature beckoning near our front doors. Do you have children at home? Invite them to spy with their little eyes a flash of a feather that zips by.

     

    Dark-eyed Junco by Alain Daigle

     

    Share the joys of discovery while observing a Dark-eyed Junco as she goes about her busy day. Is she foraging – what is she eating? Is she building a nest – where might her nest be? Is she alone or socializing (while keeping her social distance)?

    Is that trilling song from the Orange-crowned Warbler – newly returned from his wintering grounds? Is that a caterpillar in his bill?

     

    Orange-crowned Warbler by Pam Young

     

    Each day can be a new joyful discovery in nature.

    Now you have time to learn about that curious singing Wren who happens to be your neighbor. Where is that lovely singing Bewick’s Wren while you drink morning coffee or tea? Are those two California Towhees a loving and doting couple? Listen closely. You might hear their soft contact calls, letting each other know that they are safely nearby. Have all the Golden-crowned Sparrows flown north to their nesting site – or will some remain in your neighborhood for the season? Why will they stay? Are they not yet breeding age? Where do the busy Bushtits spend their afternoons?

     

    Bewick’s Wren by Aurora Santiago

     

    With our containment at home comes a freedom to experience time according to birds. We have an opportunity to explore the natural world up close and on nature’s schedule. With our family members, friends, and young ones, we can explore the wonder of birds and feel uplifted by their engaging displays.

    It’s easy to love birds and other wildlife. Enjoy this opportunity to appreciate them for the solace and comfort that they provide us just by living their lives.…

  • GGBA’s “Call to Action on Climate”

    By Linda Carloni

     

    Please welcome to the stage… Golden Gate Bird Alliance’s “Call to Action on Climate!”

    Well folks, we’ve done it! We now have our first strategic initiative under our new strategic plan!

    Western Bluebird by Bob Dinnel

    The GGBA Board and staff selected this initiative in February and we are excited about its possibilities. Member and volunteer advice and participation will be critical in implementing our initiative. “Call to Action on Climate” can be a small undertaking or a big one, depending on everyone’s energy, ideas, and participation.

    Wilson’s Warbler by Tony Spane

    What is a strategic initiative, anyway?

    This is a method to give us balanced direction and focus as we face the threats of climate change. GGBA already does a great deal to work against climate change: advocating for and preserving habitat for threatened birds and other wildlife, working for living shorelines, educating adults and children about the dangers that climate change poses to birds, and more.

    One of our award winning Eco-Ed classes in progress.

    If GGBA already does climate change work, then why this initiative?

    Climate change is the biggest environmental challenge of our lives and a major obstacle for future generations. GGBA is uniquely poised to help people understand impacts of the climate change challenge at a personal, emotional and immediate level. We will do this by focusing on the danger climate change poses to the birds we love… not to mention the danger climate change poses to us, and our health, and our communities! We want to expand our outreach to all of our surrounding communities to help empower everyone in the face of this existential threat.

    Clay Anderson, our Eco-Ed Manager, works with a student during one of our Eco-Ed classes.

    GGBA already has a well-respected and talented advocacy and conservation volunteer infrastructure that can hit the ground running on specific climate issues. Our initiative will allow us to develop new ideas and implement programs on a local scale for the benefit of Bay Area birds and residents alike.

    Our Salesforce Volunteer Program is one of our many successful habitat restoration initiatives. Photo by our Volunteer Coordinator, Janet Carpinelli

    How will we implement Call to Action on Climate Change? 

    For starters, we are forming a steering committee. This committee will provide overall guidance and coordination for our plans, avoid duplication of efforts, and maximize communication.  We are also planning a series of work groups to tackle particular climate issues, each with a leader responsible for communicating with the steering committee and other work groups.…

  • Community Science in an Urban Park

    By Noreen Weeden

     

    The Bison Paddock in Golden Gate Park sounds like an unlikely site for a community science project, but indeed it is. Golden Gate Bird Alliance (GGBA) volunteers and the San Francisco Park and Recreation Department (SFRPD) have partnered on a project for Tree Swallows and Western Bluebirds.  Since 2009, GGBA and SFRPD have been supporting habitat for native birds at the Bison Paddock. Over the last 10 years, this project has presented opportunities and challenges.

    The Bison Paddock is the largest local meadow habitat in the park with nearby freshwater (Chain of Lakes). Every spring the park blooms with biodiversity, where native plants attract insects, which in turn brings birds back to the area.

    Our story begins with Tyler Lorillo, a Boy Scout who was interested in local, nesting birds and contacted GGBA. After getting in touch GGBA, he proposed to work with 6 other scouts to build and install nest boxes. The GGBA connected Tyler with Gloria Koch-Gonzales, then Manager of Golden Gate Park, and Josiah Clark of Habitat Potential regarding the Bison Paddock site.  At the time, 2 Western Bluebird and 6 Tree Swallow nest boxes were recommended.

    Under Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology, Tree Swallows and Western Bluebirds are identified as Western Focal bird species, meaning there is a lack of information regarding these birds. NestWatch is a nationwide monitoring program designed to track status and trends in the reproductive biology of birds. Volunteers in many places record important data including when nesting occurs, number of eggs laid versus the number of eggs hatched, and how many hatchlings survive. Their database is intended to be used to study the current condition of breeding bird populations and how they may be changing over time as a result of climate change, habitat degradation and loss, expansion of urban areas, and the introduction of non-native plants and animals. Cornell’s NestWatch program allows community scientists the opportunity to learn how to monitor and collect data. Throughout the 10-year project, NestWatch’s data formatting has been used to monitor the Tree Swallows in the bison paddock.

    Tree Swallow by Noreen Weeden

    Both Tree Swallows and Western Bluebirds nest in the cavities of decaying trees. In Golden Gate Park, and in other parts of the City dead and decaying trees are removed due to potential danger to the public or property. The consequence of this safety measure means that the cavity-nesting birds have fewer places to build a nest.…

  • Lake Merced: San Francisco’s Birding Jewel

    By Angie Geiger

     

    Located in the southwest corner of San Francisco, Lake Merced is one of only three remaining freshwater lakes in the city. There are multiple excellent birding areas within this 614 acre park. At 267 species, Lake Merced is the number two hotspot in San Francisco, (not including the Farallon Islands) according to eBird. It is home to quite a few breeding birds, the wintering grounds for numerous others and an important resting stop for many migrants.

    Ruddy Duck by Angie Geiger

    While it is possible to see birds anywhere around Lake Merced, the three most commonly birded areas are “the concrete bridge”, Sunset Circle, and Harding Park. All are directly on the lake and offer excellent views of the waterfowl on the lake, as well as lots of songbird activity in the reeds, trees and shrubs surrounding the lake. All three have parking lots and are also accessible by bike and public transportation.

    Bird tour at Lake Merced by Angie Geiger

    The concrete bridge area can be accessed on the east side via a small parking area on Lake Merced Blvd. or on the west side via John Muir Drive. If Gull identification is one of your avocations, this is the place to practice in the winter. Gulls of all ages are often on land and/or perched on the railings of the bridge for close-up views. Most common are Western, California, Mew and Glaucous-winged, with the odd Herring and Iceland Gull sometimes in the mix. Some years, Bonaparte’s Gulls have been spotted foraging on the lake in winter. In addition to the gulls, there are many species of Ducks and Grebes in among the Coots on the water. Breeding plumaged Ruddy Ducks can be seen with their neon-blue bills and the concrete bridge is a good place to watch the courtship behavior of Grebes. Both Western and Clark’s Grebes breed here, sometimes with each other producing consternating hybrids. You will spot begging offspring throughout the Spring and Summer. Once in a while the Concrete Bridge area attracts a Common Galinule. In addition to the Waterfowl, this area is also fairly reliable for Sora and Virginia Rail, more often heard than seen. Summer is a great time to practice your Swallow identification skills – six Swallow species can reliably be seen over the lake and perched on trees at the water’s edge. On the east side of the concrete bridge is a slight tree-covered hill featuring a Penguin sculpture.…