Blog Posts Archive - Page 52 of 137 - Golden Gate Bird Alliance

Misses Marked 2018’s Oakland Christmas Bird Count

by Dave Quady and Bob Lewis

During the week preceding count day, forecasts of rain and high winds created a sense of
foreboding that continued into the early hours of Sunday, December 16, as early-rising
birders set out to seek owls. Along Telegraph Avenue few vehicles broke the silence and
ambient light bouncing off low clouds obviated the need for flashlights. Playing a bit of
tape elicited a single call from a distant Barn Owl. Moments later Berkeley’s City Bird
silently flew in and circled overhead, and so at 3:30 a.m. Oakland’s 78th annual Christmas
Bird Count got underway.

Sunrise photo of Bay Trail count by Katherine Briccetti

Thick cloud cover made dawn a non-event, but it nonetheless marked the usual ramp-up
of birding activity as teams met up in the field and began to bird their assigned areas.
Although winds gusted to 18 mph, the weather was mild during the morning:
temperatures in the 50 – 60 degree range, moderate winds and no rain. Our two boats
were able to get onto San Francisco Bay, 261 field observers provided good coverage
over the complete count circle and 34 yard watchers contributed mightily– producing, for
example, more than half of our record high 22 White-throated Sparrows. Rainfall began
about 2:15 pm, but by that time many teams had done their job, and by 3:00 p.m. most
folks had called it quits.

Our “good birds” of the day were a varied lot. They included single Long-tailed Ducks
from two different areas, a juvenile Ferruginous Hawk detected in two adjacent areas
(and chosen as the count’s Best Bird), 18 Snowy Plovers, 35 Surfbirds, a House Wren, a
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, two Black-throated Gray Warblers (one reported by a yard
watcher) and a Western Tanager. Besides White-throated Sparrow, record-high numbers
(since 1974) were recorded for Cackling Goose, Green-winged Teal, Semipalmated
Plover, Great Blue Heron, White-tailed Kite, American Crow (2,486 birds) and Common
Raven (453 birds).

Photo by Miya Lucas

In recent years we’ve experienced a record-high count for one or the other of these two
corvids several times, so let’s examine their population trend. From 1974 through 1990
we averaged fewer than 200 total crows and ravens a year … over the following 10 years
we averaged more than 700 total crows and ravens annually, and since 2010 the annual
average has been nearly 1,800 birds. That has been quite a population increase, and
there’s no sign that it has topped out.…

We Are Not Powerless Against Climate Change

World Wetlands Day February 2, 2019
and the Ramsar Convention

by Maureen Lahiff

Our San Francisco Bay is not only a designated Important Bird Area, it is a Wetland of
International Importance under the Convention on Wetlands, often called the Ramsar
Convention. This treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of the world’s wetlands was
put into final form on February 2, 1971 at a meeting in Ramsar, Iran.

Arrowhead Marsh by Rick Lewis

The Convention defines wetlands broadly, as “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether
natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh,
brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed
six metres.” The Convention places wetlands in a comprehensive and holistic context, but it
does recognize the key role of birds, as its full name is the Convention on Wetlands of
International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat. By waterfowl, the Convention
means any bird species ecologically dependent on wetlands. BirdLife International is one of the
five major partners.

Common Goldeneye by Bob Gunderson

The materials for World Wetlands Day 2019 emphasize the role of wetlands in “stabilizing
greenhouse gas emissions and blunting the impacts of climate change.” Wetlands, especially
peatlands, are natural absorbers of carbon. More carbon is sequestered in peatlands than in
the world’s forests. As sea levels rise, wetlands can dampen storm surges and protect near-by
lands from flooding. As the materials point out, 60% of the earth’s population live and work
along coastlines. In sum, “Wetlands are a natural solution.”

Worldwide, we have lost about 70% of our wetlands, and the loss since 1970 has been
dramatic. Although we have lost 90% of the San Francisco Bay’s wetlands, we have been saved
from the disaster of a largely filled-in Bay, thanks to the courage and commitment of Esther
Gulick, Kay Kerr, and Sylvia McLaughlin, who founded Save the Bay in 1961.

Nelson’s Sparrow photo at MLK Jr. Restoration Day by Rick Lewis

The creators of the Ramsar Convention express confidence that wetlands can be conserved
and restored within a context of sustainable development. I would go even further: unless
wetlands are protected and restored, we cannot be successful in the sort of development
envisioned for the world’s people in the Millennium Development Goals and their successor
the Sustainable Development Goals.

Almost 90% of the United Nations’ member states are contracting parties to the Convention.…

Cinnamon Winter Beach Beauty

By Miya Lucas

The Marbled Godwit is one of my favorite birds and one you can easily identify walking on a beach on a winter day in the Bay Area. Marbled Godwits are large, beautiful orange colored birds, easy to spot on the shoreline. They stand 18 inches tall, with long gray legs and their extended pencil-thin, bi-colored beak makes them easy to see. They are the largest of all the godwits. (Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Hudsonian Godwit)

Marbled Godwit on the shoreline by Miya Lucas

It is unclear how the Marbled Godwit obtained it’s name. The “Marbled” part is easy to understand and it’s a good description of their tawny coloring, but the second part, “Godwit” is a mystery. From what I can gather, in Old English, god meant good, and wit or wiht, meant creature. In Spanish, they are called cinnamon needle, Aguja Canela.

The Marbled Godwit seems fearless to me, I call them the gentle giant of the shoreline beaches. They seen unaffected by the often frenzy flights by the smaller shorebirds, sometimes hundreds of them who fly away – startled by who knows what – then readily return to continue forging on the shoreline. Meanwhile, the Marbled Godwits, stand their ground and just continue feeding, grooming or sleeping.

The Marbled Godwits are social birds. Except for breeding season, you rarely see just one Marbled Godwit. They fly in flocks and will feed in flocks. With a one syllable high pitched call, they will let the group know if one is leaving or arriving. Their long elegant lines are often juxtaposed to their call, they have an annoying high pitch loud erking sound almost like a two year old ready to throw a tantrum.

Flock of Marbled Godwits by Bob Gunderson

Both sexes look alike, both have the bi-colored bills, pink at the base with a black end. However, the females have a bill about 2cm longer than the male. Also, the female weighs about 20% more than the male. Sometimes, if you are an astute observer, in early August you may see the Marbled Godwit in it’s breeding plumage. During breeding season, the male’s bi-colored bill becomes more orange in color, although the black outermost tip remains the same, and the breast will be more barred.

In flight by Miya Lucas

The Marbled Godwit spends the winter along most of the Western or Eastern American shoreline, including Central America.…

Year-end Countdown: The 2018 Oakland Christmas Bird Count

Eric Schroeder

For this year’s Oakland Christmas Bird Count I was allowed to sleep in. It turned out that co-organizers Bob Lewis and Dave Quady had decided to turn over the early morning owling duties in Redwood Regional Park to Maureen Lahiff, who was the count leader for that area. So unlike last year when we met near the Claremont Hotel at 3 AM, those of us owling with Bob and Dave were told we wouldn’t need to be there until 4. By 4:10 seven of us were piling into two cars—Dave was joined by Jon Altemus and me; Bob Lewis was joined by Margaret Strubel, Whitney Grover, and Rob Aramayuo. We headed up into Claremont Canyon, the heart of our count area.

Claremont Canyon/Lake Temescal CBC group by Eleanor Briccetti

It turned out, though, that Dave had actually begun his own personal owl search earlier at 2AM. When he was scouting earlier in the week, he had noticed some dumpsters on Telegraph Avenue and thought that they probably attracted a lot of rats and hence they might be a good place to find a city owl. As he drove down Telegraph towards the dumpsters that morning, he thought he heard the distant shriek of a Barn Owl. He stuck his phone out the window, hit play on the Barn Owl call, and within seconds, one of them buzzed his car. The 2018 Oakland Christmas Bird Count was underway.

Barn Owl by Bob Lewis (not taken at the CBC)

The owling in Claremont Canyon didn’t begin quite as auspiciously. At our first site, Dave played calls for both Western Screech Owls and Northern Saw-Whet Owls. Nothing. But things picked up at our second stop—nearby a male and female Western Screech Owl returned Dave’s greetings. And then further down the canyon two Great Horned Owls flew overhead. Things were looking promising.

The weather in particular was a worry. Heavy rain had been predicted for Sunday but so far the early morning remained dry and warmer than expected. After chasing down another Great Horned Owl at the top of Skyline Drive, we returned to our original meeting place at the Peet’s by the Claremont, made plans for the next couple of hours, and divided up into three teams. Since I had served as his scribe last year, Dave was happy to claim my services.

Bob and Dave by Eleanor Briccetti

Leaving the coffee shop, Dave and I went over the hill to Lake Temescal.…

Bird Mural in Downtown Oakland

By Pam Consear

Downtown Oakland has a new mural! Actually, most of a city block full of murals, emblazoned with flying herons and egrets and post office-related paraphernalia (which I’ll explain later).

I was honored to be hired as the lead artist on this mural project. Here’s how it all came about:

In 2015 I painted a series of vintage-style postcard murals on three separate buildings in Oakland’s Dimond District. The postcards—which are permanent installations; go have a look!—come in pairs, with a “front side” picture that highlights a special feature of the neighborhood, and a “back side” that includes a postage stamp, address, postmark, and a handwritten message from the community. Those murals caught the attention of Raymond Connell, Development Manager at Holland Partner Group. Ray appreciated the friendly, whimsical, and informative nature of the artwork.

Murals at Loard’s Ice Cream

Mural at Club 2120

In 2017, HPG was making plans to build an apartment complex on the formerly barren parking lot at 14th & Alice Streets, where families of snowy egrets and black-crowned night herons had been nesting for years. As many locals are aware, these winged residents have been both beloved by, and a nuisance to, the human residents and workers in the area. And their living conditions present many hazards for the birds themselves—especially for the youngest members of the flocks.

Ray deserves credit for many things, including working with Golden Gate Bird Alliance to help safely relocate the birds, and reaching out to me to help convey a visual message to the surrounding community. He and his associate at the time, Jacqueline Morrone, approached me about creating postcard-style murals that would be written “from the birds” to inform their downtown neighbors about the new homes that were being prepared for them at Lake Merritt.

Sketch of Postcard Front

Besides just the pair of postcards, however, Ray and Jackie asked me to come up with a way to embellish all of the 8-foot-high plywood construction fencing that would surround three sides of the city block between 13th and 14th Streets, and Alice and Jackson Streets.

Artist Lindsey Kernodle, and former GGBA intern, created playful, pun-filled images of members of the bird families. We thought her work would look great styled as Polaroids—a set of (bird) family photos to let the neighbors know how the kids were doing, so to speak.

Lindsey Kernodle creating bird art at GGBA office by Cindy Margulis

One of Lindsey’s pieces.…

World Wetlands Day February 2, 2019 and the Ramsar Convention

World Wetlands Day February 2, 2019
and the Ramsar Convention