• Enjoy Our Wintering Birds While You Can

    By Lee Friedman

    [Note: If you cannot see the accompanying photographs or if they are blurry, please click on the title or the “read in browser” link to view this blog on the GGBA website.]

    “While you can” refers to the next few months, after which our wintering migrant birds will depart to their breeding grounds elsewhere and be gone until fall. But it could also refer to the longer-run sustainability of bird migration patterns as our global climate changes. None of us knows when one or more migrating species might find it necessary to change their migratory patterns simply in an attempt to survive. White Storks that breed in Europe, for example, are already forgoing their traditional African wintering ground and choosing to migrate a much shorter distance within Europe. Perhaps some of the migrant species of birds that we can see today (and in the next few months) might not be returning in comparable numbers in future years. But they are exquisite to see and to appreciate now, while we are privileged to have them.

    Bird species in one geographic location are generally classified into one of two categories: residents that are year-round, and migrants that are there for only part of the year. Within the migrant category, there are the birds that are generally there during the summer to breed but elsewhere during the winter, and the wintering migrants that arrive in the fall and leave in the spring to go elsewhere to breed. The focus of this post is on the wintering migrants (those here now). There are other more transient types of migrants as well: those that may regularly pass through our area on their way to their breeding and/or wintering areas (e.g. Hermit Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler), as well as “vagrants” that we don’t really expect but show up occasionally perhaps because they have gotten off course (e.g. a Summer Tanager seen from last October to January in the Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve). But back to the wintering migrants—it might be natural to think of them as visitors, but ornithologists think that they are descended from those who at one time were full-time residents of the winter grounds. In other words, the wintering birds are simply returning to their ancestral homes. More reason to appreciate them, I think.

    What are the wintering species? I’m going to describe a few of my favorites, chosen to illustrate differences in migration patterns and the different parts of the world they rely upon in addition to our own.…

  • 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.…