Gardening for the Birds

Gardening for the Birds

By Kathy Kramer

In The Chickadee’s Guide to Gardening, a charming New York Times Op Ed article, Douglas Tellamy wrote, “Chances are, you have never thought of your garden… as a wildlife preserve that represents the last chance we have for sustaining plants and animals that were once common throughout the U.S. But that is exactly the role our suburban landscapes are now playing and will play even more in the near future.”

“What will it take to give our local animals what they need to survive and reproduce on our properties? NATIVE PLANTS, and lots of them.”

In fact, it takes 350 to 570 caterpillars every day for sixteen days for a pair of chickadees to raise a family, according to Tellemy! And it’s native plants that provide this kind of food source, while most non-natives do not.

Wondering what plants you can incorporate into your own garden to attract birds?  Check out the Audubon’s Society’s terrific new Native Plant Database at https://www.audubon.org/plantsforbirds.  Another excellent database is the Califorinia Native Plant Society’s CalScape (https://calscape.org/), which will provide you with information on all of the native trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, grasses, succulents, vines and ferns that grow naturally in your area.

In either database, just enter your zip code to obtain a list of bird-friendly plants that will attract the birds you love while making your space beautiful, easy to care for, and better for the environment.

Hummingbirds are attracted to the tubular, red flowers of the native fuchsia Photo by David Harper

Here in the Bay Area, we have an outstanding resource for people who want to create bird-friendly gardens—the annual Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour.

Coming up on Sunday, May 5th, 2019, the 15th Annual Tour will showcase thirty seven East Bay gardens that have excelled at attracting birds. This award-winning, self-guided tour features beautiful Alameda and Contra Costa County gardens that are pesticide-free, water-conserving, provide habitat for wildlife, and contain sixty percent or more native plants.

Registration for the Fifteenth Annual Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, which will take place on Sunday, May 5, 2019 from 10:00 to 5:00, is now open.  This award-winning event features thirty seven Alameda and Contra Costa county gardens. The self-drive tour showcases a variety of gardens, from large wooded lots in the hills to small parcels in the flats. Native plants will be available for sale, and forty talks will be offered on the week-end of the event.…

Bidding on Birding

Bidding on Birding

By Alex Smolyanskaya

One of the many special items up for bid during this year’s Birdathon Auction is a private Birding By Ear session with Denise Wight. Denise’s Birding By Ear group classes have been known to fill up within minutes of going up online, so this is a unique opportunity to learn from Denise in a small setting.

Photo by Jerry Ting

I have taken her class multiple times (as have many others!) and I think that even a single private session would help take your birding by ear to the next level. Whether you’re just starting out or working on your sparrow ‘tseeps’ and chips, Denise meets you where you are. She shares her intimate knowledge of bird songs, calls, and non-vocal sounds and offers a variety of approaches and tips among which you choose whatever works for you. There are some bird calls for which I still conjure a mnemonic in Denise’s voice, and you know what? That works for me!

Marsh Wren by Rick Lewis

Denise starts many walks with a few minutes of quiet listening — something I now try to do every time I’m out on my own. It helps me become more aware of my auditory environment and pinpoint what I know and what I don’t. With Denise nearby, she helps identify the mystery birds and reveal the key parts of the sound you can use to identify the bird on your own. I love that throughout a walk she stays focused on listening, even if a bird is in plain sight. The reward is the ability to identify many more birds out on your own, since we typically hear many more birds than we see.

California Thrasher by Alex S.

Denise’s instruction has taken my birding to the next level, and this is a great opportunity for you to do the same!

Photo by Bob Gunderson

The auction goes live on March 25 at this link: https://www.ebid.net/us/for-sale/private-birding-by-ear-with-denise-wight-177674020.htm. It will go to the highest bidder on April 1 at 12:30p. Check out the other auction items, which run throughout Birdathon, at https://www.ebid.net/us/users/goldengateaudubon/listings/. Bid your heart out!

Alex Smolyanskaya has been birding the Bay Area since moving here in 2015. She is currently enrolled in the Master Birder course with the goal of becoming well-rounded observer of local birds and wildlife. When she’s not birding, Alex helps people make informed decisions with data science.…

It’s All Happening at the Zoo

It’s All Happening at the Zoo

By Beth Moseley

Someone told me it’s all happening at the zoo
I do believe it, I do believe it’s true.
(Simon & Garfunkle.  Lyrics to “At the Zoo” www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/simongarfunkel/atthezoo.)

One of the 2019 Birdathon trips that can’t be missed this year is Behind the Scenes at the Oakland Zoo. You will be treated to private talks with several zoo keepers and animal experts. The tour will highlight major recent additions to the Oakland Zoo including a new aviary and the California Trail dedicated to the Golden State’s most iconic native wildlife. You are even likely to see a California condor or two during your visit!

Blue and Yellow Macaw by Beth Moseley

I took part in the 2015 Behind the Scenes Oakland Zoo tour and had a memorable time. While your 2019 experience will no doubt be unique and wonderful I would like to share some highlights from my day at the zoo.

We saw an elephant get a pedicure. Yes, a pedicure!

Gibbon by Cindy Margulis

We listened as Zoo staff told us about the Conservation Society of California and efforts at the zoo to “go green” as well as its North America and global partnerships to take action for wildlife. We took the Outback Express Adventure Train and saw emus and wallaroos in the Wild Australia exhibit.

Emu by Cindy Margulis

The best part of the tour for me was visiting the Oakland Zoo Veterinary Hospital. The 17,000 square foot state-of-the-art, LEED-certified veterinary medical hospital opened in October 2012. It is the largest wild animal veterinary facility in Northern California. The staff at the facility regularly collaborates with regional organizations such as the California Condor Recovery Team and the UC- Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

Meerkat x-ray by Beth Moseley

The vet staff would prefer to do treatments on sick and injured animals in their own habitat. But when the situation calls for a visit to the hospital, the facility can easily accommodate bears, lions and other large animals with its big doorways that open to even bigger operating rooms. The zoo’s facility is furnished with the latest high-tech equipment for X-rays, blood tests, and other medical procedures.

Malaysian Sun Bear by Cindy Margulis

Dr. Andrea Goodnight, Associate Veterinarian, lead us on a tour of the facility including the room where they keep the tranquilizer guns in the event of an escape. The operating rooms are spacious and immaculately clean.…

Top Ten Reasons to be a Birdathon Fundraiser

Top Ten Reasons to be a Birdathon Fundraiser

By Ilana DeBare

Yay! You’ve signed up for an amazing Birdathon trip. (You haven’t? Check out the trips HERE)

You’ve made a Birdathon donation (You haven’t? You can do it HERE).

You’re all set to go… but wait!

Please consider becoming a Birdathon Fundraiser too. Here are the Top Ten reasons why:

1. It’s not as scary as it sounds.

2.The California Towhee who hangs out in your yard will look at you with new respect and –dare we say it? –love.

Photo by Ken-ichi Ueda

 

3. Recognition! honor! glory! in the immortal pages of The Gull.

4. Winning a Birdathon fundraising prize is easier than winning the California Lottery. About a million times easier.

5. Payback time for all those friends and co-workers who hit you up for their children’s soccer teams.

More seriously, though – there are compelling reasons to become a Birdathon fundraiser.

6. Birdathon is Golden Gate Bird Alliance’s most important fundraiser of the year – supporting our award-winning Eco-Education program, our conservation advocacy, and our habitat restoration projects.

7. The multiplier effect. If 200 people each donate $50, we will raise $10,000. But if those 200 people each raise $500, that generates a whopping $100,000 to protect the Bay Area birds we love.

8. Birdathon fundraising helps spread the word about GGBA. You’re not just asking for money… you’re letting people know about a great organization. Maybe they’ll even be motivated to come on a field trip!

9. Far from being irritated, friends will be impressed by your commitment. Many people complain about the world these days, but few take action. Your efforts will inspire your friends.

10. GGBA will provide all the advice and hand-holding you need. You can set up your page HERE. Unsure how to start? See our Fundraising Tips or email Ilana at debare@well.com or Leslie at lweir@goldengatebirdalliance.org

…

Behind the Scenes at the California Academy

Behind the Scenes at the California Academy

Editor’s Note: To be a part of this year’s Birdathon trip Behind the Scenes at the Cal Academy go HERE for more information and registration. To see a full list of 2019 Birdathon trips go to https://goldengatebirdalliance.org/birdathon-2019-fundraising-trips/

Text and photos by Alex Smolyanskaya

One of the most memorable trips of my first Birdathon with Golden Gate Bird Alliance was our evening tour of the bird collections at the California Academy of Sciences. The drawers upon drawers of distant species, rare species, and even extinct species were breathtaking. A level deeper than birding in the field, they offered a glimpse into how aspects of ornithology get done and an opportunity to get up close to birds I may never see in real life.

We were greeted by Jack Dumbacher, Curator of Birds and Mammals at the California Academy of Sciences. He started with a slideshow overview of the collections, their specialty geographies, and how the specimens are collected and used. He told us about studies of individual variability, changes over time, and how old specimens are occasionally sampled for genetic analysis. Sitting in the windowless conference room it was easy to feel like we were scientists, imagining all the things could learn from a vast collection of birds from all over the world.

When asked which birds we wanted to see first, “hummingbirds” was a quick reply from the group. One of the dozens of hummingbird drawers probably contained a hundred tiny magnificent creatures. Each species included a dozen or more individuals and one could see small differences between each one. How did they earn those differences? Was it their genes, their lifestyle, or simply the generation into which they were born?

The most striking part of the collection was a haphazardly arranged cabinet containing extinct species mounted for public display. They were real and very alive once, and now they were here and no one would ever see them alive again. We saw ivory-billed woodpeckers, passenger pigeons, Carolina parakeets. Among them was a kakapo, a New Zealand nocturnal ground-parrot — not yet extinct but dangerously close. I felt privileged to be among these creatures and inspired to be an activist for the birds that are still here.

This trip is being offered again during this year’s Birdathon and a few slots remain. Which birds would you like to see first?

Alex Smolyanskaya has been birding the Bay Area since moving here in 2015.…