Blog Posts – Page 7 – Golden Gate Bird Alliance

From the Sierras to the Mojave: A Search for the Yellow-Billed Cuckoo

By Brandy Ford

Walking along a dry sandy riverbed early one July morning in the Kern River Valley, we heard it—a slow, sharp bark building into a rapid rattle. The Yellow-Billed Cuckoo had spotted us. Before we encountered our elusive friend in this gentle riparian habitat on the edge of the Mojave Desert, Bruce Mast and a group of intrepid 2020-2021 Master Birder alumni had spent a few days and nights birding the Sierras.

Hammonds Dusky Flycatcher by Andersen Yun

Our trip began early on July 1, 2022. Disembarking from Porterville on Highway 190, we stopped in turnouts along the winding road to see Lazuli Buntings, Lawrence’s Goldfinches, a Chipping Sparrow, and Ash-throated Flycatchers. When we reached an elevation of about 7,000 feet, we pulled into Quaking Aspen Campground to bird an expansive meadow, go on an easy hike, and have lunch. It was a delight to see adult and fledgling MacGillivray’s Warblers and Dusky and Hammond’s Flycatchers. While heading back to the picnic area, we spotted two Pileated Woodpeckers ambling amongst downed timber and, over lunch, Green-tailed Towhees foraged on the ground around us.

We headed south about a half hour to the Trail of 100 Giants. A meadow borders the trailhead parking lot, and, just beyond the asphalt, we saw a downy fledgling Warbling Vireo perched in plain sight on a small arched branch. As I closely observed the small bill and even smaller eyes peeking through the otherwise uniformly gray and round bird, it began to beg loudly for food. Its parents had arrived, and we stood by, watching it feed.

Our home for the night was Holey Meadows campground just down the road. After setting up the tents, eating a delicious meal, and resting, we grabbed our binoculars and flashlights and walked down the road we had driven in on, searching for owls. As we walked along quietly in the dark, we saw the stars come up over the meadow and strained to hear the low calls of our nocturnal companions. And suddenly, we did. A Northern Saw-whet Owl gave a metered whistle and flew into a tree overhead. As Bruce turned on his spotlight, we saw its dark silhouette before it vanished just as quickly as it had arrived.

Mojave Desert – Brandy Ford

The next morning we set out for the Mojave Desert, just beyond the Kern River Valley below. As we quickly descended into the desert, we pulled off the road once more to see a number of Band-tailed Pigeons clustered around a stream.…

The Golden Gate Gulls Go Birding

Once a year, the Golden Gate Bird Alliance staff takes one of their monthly “in-field” meetings and expands it to an all day “Big Day Birdathon” effort. Last year the team saw a total of 106 bird species while raising funds for the organization. This year, the staff is headed back out as The Golden Gate Gulls, with a new goal of seeing 110 bird species and raising a total of $5,000 when all is said and done.

In the early morning of Wednesday April 26, the entire Golden Gate Bird Alliance staff will strike out from Mitchell Canyon, to Lafayette Reservoir and MLK Jr. Shoreline before heading across the bridge to Cliff House, North Lake, Stow Lake, SF Botanical Garden and Lake Merced.

So who’s on team Golden Gate Gulls? You can read about each team member below and click on a team member’s name to go directly to their fundraiser campaign page to support their efforts by donation or per-species pledge! Want to support the entire team? You can make a donation here.

Clay Anderson (Youth Programs Manager and Outreach Coordinator)

With seven years serving in the organization’s youth program, everything Clay does for the organization is in service to Bay Area youth and their relationship to nature.

Becoming interested in wildlife conservation when he was a youth, Clay remembers being seven years old and watching a group of house sparrows eating out of his family dog Poncho’s dog bowl.

“On the surface it looked like they were mobbing the bowl, but then I noticed two would jump in and leave and another two would jump in and leave, always in pairs,” Clay shared. “They were getting the food they needed and others were waiting their turn. That’s when I realized something more is going on there than just ‘wildlife’.”

Also glad to spend the day outside, Clay will be chasing after the Sora, hoping others will support the team’s effort adding “we’re in the business of saving people because when people care about the planet they live on they are saving themselves.”

Janet Carpinelli (Volunteer and Conservation Advocacy Manager)

During her day-to-day Janet interacts with volunteers through habitat restoration, tabling at special events and conservation advocacy. As the conservation advocacy manager she also keeps up with the politics that effect birds. Tomorrow she’ll be on the lookout for Brown Pelicans.

“I love Brown Pelicans because they look like dinosaurs and they are dinosaurs, which just reminds you how long birds have been around.”…

RESILIENCE – Bald Eagles of Corica Park

By Rick Lewis

The news is out. The Alameda Bald Eagles’ nest at Corica Park suffered significant damage during the recent storm on Tuesday, March 21. The eggs were lost and the nest is tilting, but there are good signs of recovery and current behavior points to incredible resilience demonstrated by our esteemed pair.

For 100 (RL) days out of the last 109, since the nest was discovered on December 29, 2022, I have been monitoring the nest for Golden Gate Bird Alliance and Corica Park Management. What a wild and fantastic ride it has been!

From the beginning there has been tremendous interest in this pair. Astonishment was registered, questions were asked, location was discussed, verification ensued, and finally, complete awe and wonder was acknowledged. Birders, photographers, and journalists flocked to the site for a first-hand look at this phenomena unheard of for many, many years. In fact, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, there is no known record of Bald Eagles nesting in the city of Alameda.

A major part of this story is our female. Born in 2019 (2018 RL) in Milpitas at Curtner Elementary School, Big Jr.’s history is an amazing stand-alone story and we continue to be impressed by her enduring legacy. Young eagles face many dangers. Big Jr. lost a talon on her right foot. While eagles use their talons to capture and carry their food, Big Jr. seems to be able to hunt with no problems. I have seen her catch and eat carp, seagulls, and American Coot. Together, the pair have been observed eating gophers, ground squirrels as well and occasionally, carrion. Unfortunately her lost talon is not the only injury she’s had to overcome. When a hiker reported an injured bird, Craig Nikitas and a crew from Bay Raptor Rescue captured Big Jr. and took her to Lindsay Wildlife Experience’s Wildlife Hospital. The young Big Jr. had a broken shoulder bone and bruising on her back. After rehabilitating her, they released her into a local park. You can see Craig Nikitas holding just-rescued Big Jr., wrapped in a towel, at: https://koi-goose-xfgr.squarespace.com/new-page-67.

Her brother was not so lucky; he died from injuries received when he flew into a high-voltage power line while learning the many flight skills eagles need to hunt successfully and eventually build and defend a nest. Risks posed by an urban environment, like power lines and toxins in the environment, add to the natural dangers faced by young birds.…

Beginner’s Luck: My First Golden Gate Bird Alliance Birding Trip

By Kara Henderson

My excitement faded with each step I took as sheets of water fell. I hadn’t received word the field trip—my first—had been canceled, but how many birds would we really see in this weather? Twenty minutes later, I arrived at Fort Mason Community Garden and was greeted by a dozen or so hardy folks. David—a volunteer guide with the Golden Gate Bird Alliance, along with Erica and John—briefed us on the upcoming two hours: “This corner of the peninsula hosts many habitats—186 species of birds were counted last year. We’ll start here, make our way to the bay and then wrap up at the General’s Residence where a Great Horned Owl couple has been spotted once or twice. Birds hunker down in the rain but need to come out for food.” And as if on cue, the rain stopped, and we were off through saturated plots of flowers and vegetables.

Golden Gate Bird Alliance birding group at Fort Mason by Kara Henderson

Our first sightings did not disappoint. A red-shafted Northern Flicker rested on a pine’s crown like a Christmas tree topper. The underside of its wing feathers blazed a fiery streak as it flew away, but its voice was never far for long. Two—TWO!—Northern Mockingbirds fluttered and danced on a picnic table. Anna’s Hummingbirds whizzed past, sooty Fox Sparrows raked and foraged and California Towhees posed. All of them delighted, but my heart and head still hung on three words: Great Horned Owl. Onward.

As we gathered above Aquatic Cove, winter’s chill made itself home within my bones. Western Grebes floated and Brown Pelicans and various gulls soared. But the real scene-stealer, thanks to John’s scope, was the Black Skimmer—12 in all—hiding out among cormorants on the breakwater. More likely found in southern California, catching a glimpse of the skimmer’s striking black-on-white plumage and orange-streaked, scissor-like bill drew smiles as we each took turns viewing. “Just where were those Great Horned Owls?” I asked David.

Black Point Historic Gardens by Kara Henderson

Trekking through Black Point Historic Gardens, I bottled the smell of damp fresh earth in my memory, while the sound of waves hitting the beach and fans cheering on swimmers wafted from the park below. Nearly at the end of our trip, we had been graced by 58 different species of avian life. An embarrassment of riches, I would have gone home with a spring in my step.…

2023 Cal Falcons Hatch Day

By Ryan Nakano

On Tuesday April 11, a photo of a Peregrine Falcon found its way to the top of Golden Gate Bird Alliance’s facebook feed with the text “First chick has hatched!”. At that moment, the Golden Gate Bird Alliance staff hatched a plan.

The aforementioned peregrine, recently hatched chick, other peregrine parent and incubating eggs were only a walk away, resting atop the UC Berkeley campus Sather Tower Campanile. We walked from our new office on Allston Way over to the campus, spotting scope in hand and eyes to the sky.

Three quarters of the way up Campanile Way, one of the Peregrines (Annie? Lou?) swooped down on a crow directly in front of us, before circling and disappearing behind the Campanile. Making our way closer to the tower, we found ourselves circling as well, trying to relocate Peregrine Falcon parents, Annie and Lou. It was hatch day and our hopes were high. So much so, that in my own excitement, I mistook a human’s hand waving from inside the bell tower observation deck for our sought after peregrine couple. To the naked eye, everything can be a bird at the right distance.

Ending up on South Drive street, we trained the scope once again on the Campanile, and this time caught a Peregrine perched upon one of the four torch-like finials just above the bell tower. Of course, staring up from the ground below, we would never see the nest from such an angle. Fortunately, thanks to the Cal Falcons group and their partnership with the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), we had a backup plan!

Making our way back down Campanile Way, we turned one last time to peer up at the tower and caught sight of both Annie and Lou chasing away a Red-tailed Hawk, protecting their hatch site. What a reminder on Hatch Day that new life not only presents a feeling of hope but also an opportunity to commit to protecting those we love.

Descending onto a different scene around 12pm, we met a crowd watching a live feed from the Cal Falcons webcam on the colossal outdoor screen of the BAMPFA building.

Organized by Cal Falcons in partnership with BAMPFA, the 2023 Hatch Day Celebration was underway.

2023 Hatch Day at BAMPFA with Cal Falcons by Ryan Nakano

“It’s Hatch Day, so these peregrines are nesting on the campanile on campus and yesterday one of the chicks hatched and we’re hoping for a couple more today,” explained Cal Falcons organizer Mary Malec who had been tabling and answering questions about the falcons since 8:30 in the morning.…