• GGBA Launches New Strategic Plan

    GGBA Launches New Strategic Plan

    By Carol Baird

     

    How often have you come across a bird and stood motionless to determine what it was doing— whether it was near its nest, what does it eat, or how many eggs are in that nest? You’re certainly not alone: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates there are some 48 million Americans who watch birds. And, if you enjoy watching birds, you doubtless are also reminded that you are a member of a species that poses a colossal threat to global avifauna.

    Black-crowned Night-Heron (the official bird of Oakland) by Jerry Ting

    In an effort to further protect bird life, face the challenges and opportunities for birds in this new millennium, expand our horizons, and deepen our outreach, the Golden Gate Bird Alliance Board of Directors devoted a full year to reinvigorating our 100 plus year-old organization through strategic planning.

    In January, 2019, we created a planning committee to lead this effort. That committee subsequently hired a consultant, who met frequently with the committee throughout the year. From March onward, the consultant also conferred with over 200 GGBA members who represented various parts of the organization.

    Black Phoebe by Carree Michel

    For many of us on the Board, it was an eye-opening venture. At first, we prepared the traditional papers and entertained the usual ideas about the status of GGBA in the community. But we soon had to confront a truer reality: we are not at all reflective of the Bay Area and its diverse human populations, all of whom do interface with birds in one way or another. 

    We realized that it is vital that we “step out of our silos and start working with the community as a whole.”

    One of many examples of GGBA’s community outreach. Here, Salesforce volunteers collaborate with GGBA to help restore Pier 94. Photo by Janet Carpinelli

    What are some of our key takeaways from the planning process? First is proclaiming anew the importance of birds in our living landscape, and how birds play a pivotal role in ecosystem functioning. 

    Christmas Bird Count 2019. Volunteers admiring both the landscape and birds. Photo by Chris Okon

    And, of course, a second key point is the need to share the astounding diversity of our local avifauna with others and the need to learn the myriad ways local people already do celebrate our birds.  Bay Area residents connect with birds in many ways that go beyond taking part in organized field trips or birding classes.…

  • Thanks and Farewell to Noreen Weeden

    An interview conducted by Melissa Ramos

     

    On Friday, January 17th, Noreen Weeden, Golden Gate Bird Alliance’s extraordinary Director of Volunteers, retired from her position. A former GGBA board member and chair of the San Francisco Conservation Committee, Noreen joined the GGBA staff in 2005. In addition to her work with GGBA, she’s volunteered with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, and the Yerba Buena chapter of the California Native Plant Society. Noreen’s passion for habitat restoration has led to phenomenal breakthroughs at San Francisco’s Pier 94, among other habitat restoration projects throughout the Bay Area. Before signing on full-time to GGBA, Noreen worked in tech for large corporations and small businesses. We are in eternal awe and gratitude for Noreen’s dedication and contributions to GGBA. 

    Before she retired, Noreen sat down for an interview with Melissa Ramos, GGBA’s new Communications Manager.

    Noreen at a volunteer party in 2013. Photo by Ilana DeBare

    Melissa: Can you describe the first time you realized you were passionate about birds? How did you get into birding?

    Noreen: Well, I was always interested in getting outside and going hiking. Going outside was a way to escape from my indoor telecommunications job. Bigger escapes included vacations to places such as Central America and Mexico where, at the time, they couldn’t reach me by phone.  Birds quickly became a way to further enjoy nature. Going on bird walks in those places helped me notice that some of the birds in the south traveled to and from San Francisco! From that point on, I wanted to learn more about bird migration.

    My love of birding started with those Mexico and Central American trips, but over time I really wanted to learn a lot more about birds in general. There are so many different species and so many different aspects about birds. There’s listening to their songs and their calls. Watching their behavior. Learning about evolution. The different foods they eat and different dangers that they face. Some that migrate long distances and others short. All of this is pretty fascinating and a gateway to virtually all of the other nature sciences.

    The beautifully restored Pier 94, one of Noreen’s most successful long term conservation projects. Photo by Lee Karney

    Melissa: What are your favorite birds and why?

    Noreen: This has got to be one of the cryptic birds, like the Wilson’s Snipe, a bird that’s sometimes difficult to see even though you’re looking directly at it.…

  • Wren House Adventures

    By Doug Donaldson 

    A few years ago, my wife and I noticed a pair of beautiful little Bewick’s Wrens frequenting our backyard feeder. Eventually my wife discovered they had created a nest in the folds of an old tarp stored by our shed.  We kept an eye on the nest, but one night it was raided and destroyed. It was clearly time to build some wren houses!  

    Bewick’s Wren by Doug Donaldson

     

    Birdhouse Assembly by Doug Donaldson

    I found some old redwood fence boards that could work for this project and checked the internet for some design ideas and other guidance. I found quite a few website resources and sensed a consensus that the proper sized entrance hole for Bewick’s Wrens was 1 1/8 inches wide, 4-6 inches above the floor of a 6-8-inch-high wren house.  It didn’t take long to cut the walls, roof boards, and bottom for two birdhouses on my table saw, but I discovered that I had a hole saw blade of 1 1/4” but not 1 1/8”. I used the blade I had to cut the entrance hole, assembled the birdhouses and hung them in some tree branches 6-7 feet above the ground (within the range recommended by my internet sources). 

    Birdhouses by Doug Donaldson

    A year went by. We continued to see Bewick’s Wrens frequent the feeder. But none showed interest in my birdhouses. As we got to know the wrens better, we observed that they preferred the cover in dense shrubs and bushes, typically flying into a thick bougainvillea against the house or a Hebe shrub near the feeder. 

    Nesting Wren by Doug Donaldson

    So, I decided I would put a birdhouse in a place they like. I built two more birdhouses just like the first two, but with one difference. This time, I went to the hardware store and purchased a 1 1/8-inch bit, making entrance holes of the recommended diameter.  I hung one house inside the bougainvillea and another in a thick camelia bush nearby. 

    Nesting Wrens by Doug Donaldson

    Bingo! We quickly noted that the wrens were very active in the bougainvillea and discovered a pair was building a nest in the new birdhouse. We didn’t notice immediately, but the other house (in the camelia) was soon occupied as well. We watched and I photographed the busy parents. Eventually, two newly fledged chicks came into the picture. Wren sightings around the feeder were very common, with many flitting in and out of the bougainvillea.  …