• Do birds love? (an ongoing argument)

    By Joe Galkowski
    It’s Valentine’s Day, the day we celebrate romantic love, so I thought I would pose the question, “Do birds love?”
    Scientists will say this question has been definitively answered with a big “no.” There are other scientists, however, who are just as sure it is “yes.” The argument is ongoing. They have, in trying to prove the other side wrong, gathered a bunch of interesting facts and evidence.
    There are lots of reasons to consider it a possibility. First of all, almost 90 percent of birds are monogamous. Sure, recent genetic studies show there is a whole lot of cheating going on, but in general, one could argue that most birds are better than humans at monogamy. They are far more likely to stay in their relationships than us humans.

    There is also a large base of anecdotal evidence supporting the “yes” side. Albatross mate for life. If a partner dies, the lone bird will go a year or two before trying to find a new mate. If you try to understand this from a natural selection perspective, you come away puzzled. The lone albatross would have better chances to pass on their genetics if they looked for a new mate immediately. Then, there are geese who have starved themselves to death after their long-time mate died. That’s pretty strong evidence of grief, if not love. And, how does one explain away the occurrence of healthy birds staying with a sick or dying mate, even bringing it food to try to nurse it back to health? Wouldn’t it be a better strategy to go find a new, healthy mate?
    American Avocets courting by Joe Galkowski
    Brandt’s Cormorants courting by Joe Galkowski
    Some birds are also very affectionate with their mates, hence the terms “Love Birds” and “Lovey-Dovey.” Physical affection strengthens their pair-bond, but often does not directly contribute to better reproductive success. So why spend the energy?
    It was the recorded observations of affection in pigeons and doves that actually convinced me that there is something like love going on in birds. It has been noted that in these birds, there are very affectionate pairs who can’t seem to keep their beaks off their mates, pairs that appear to want to be close to each other but not actually interact, and even some pairs that seem to just barely tolerate each other. If public displays of affection in doves were strictly a programmed instinctual responses, would there be this much variability?
    …

  • Celebrating our 100th birthday at Tilden

    By Ilana DeBare
    Hey, if you turn 100, you’re allowed to celebrate for more than one day, right? Like maybe for a whole year?
    That’s what we at Golden Gate Bird Alliance are doing. For the Centennial of our founding in 1917, we developed a traveling museum exhibit that will be featured at different venues throughout 2017.
    During February and March, it will be on display at the Environmental Education Center in Tilden Regional Park. We kicked off its Tilden stay with a reception last Saturday that included wine, women, and song.
    Well… wines donated and served by our own genial enophile George Peyton. The song of birds on a pre-reception bird walk led by GGBA field trip leader Alan Kaplan and East Bay Regional Park District naturalist Anthony Fisher.
    And women… celebratory speeches by GGBA board member Jill Weeder O’Brien, GGBA Executive Director Cindy Margulis, and East Bay Parks board chair Beverly Lane.
    Pre-reception bird walk with Alan Kaplan, winner of our 2016 Paul Covel Education Award / Photo by Denny Scott Parker
    Viewing the Centennial exhibit at the Tilden Environmental Education Center
    Plus a wonderful speech by East Bay Parks General Manager Bob Doyle about the very productive, decades-long partnership between GGBA and the district.
    “Audubon fought against development, even litigated, to protect shorebirds and habitat,” Doyle said. “I can’t tell you how important that is…. (and) I don’t know of any other partner that has done more to get kids to the shoreline, to learn about birds and the plants you restored to nourish the birds.”
    East Bay Parks board chair Beverly Lane congratulates GGBA on our 100th anniversary
    East Bay Regional Parks General Manager Bob Doyle with GGBA Executive Director Cindy Margulis
    Attendees at the reception were stunned by the vibrant and detailed photographs of birds and Audubon activities in the 12 exhibit panels. But the back story behind the exhibit is nearly as impressive.
    When the GGBA board started mulling how to celebrate the Centennial two years ago, they wanted an outward-facing celebration — something that would introduce Golden Gate Bird Alliance to broad parts of the community that may never have heard of us.
    They settled on the idea of a traveling exhibit that would appear at free public venues with a lot of foot traffic.
    Cindy Margulis connected GGBA with a graduate-level seminar in Museum Studies at JFK University. GGBA became the class project!…

  • Palm oil – not an environmentally friendly food or fuel

    By Bob Lewis
    I was fortunate to visit Malaysia in 2015, both Borneo and the peninsula, as well as a few islands of Indonesia. The forests there are spectacular, some of the most diverse and rich in terms of all sorts of animal and plant life. Primates included Orangutan (critically endangered), Western Tarsier, Proboscis Monkey and many others; the butterflies were spectacular, and the birdlife was exciting to see. There was even a new family for me to photograph: the endemic Bornean Bristlehead (classified as near-threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature)!
    We visited an IBA (Important Bird Area) in Borneo’s Danum Valley, a lush jungle with treetop walkways; Fraser Hill, north of Kuala Lumpur; Taman Nagara, Malaysia’s oldest jungle National Park; as well as many other places. They were all full of wonderful sights like the Daird’s and Scarlet-rumped Trogons (both near-threatened), White-crowned Hornbill (near-threatened), Bornean Wren-babbler (vulnerable) and Black & Yellow Broadbill (near-threatened).
    Bornean Bristlehead by Bob Lewis
    Red-Naped Trogon by Bob Lewis
    Proboscis Monkey by Bob Lewis
    Unfortunately, these wonderful places are becoming oases in the middle of palm “deserts,” monocultures that are not suitable habitat for any of the birds and mammals that inhabit the forests. And that explains why so many creatures are now considered threatened or endangered by the IUCN. When I got home, I started to learn more about the palm oil industry.
    Throughout Southeast Asia, and especially in Malaysia and Indonesia, tropical forests are being lumbered and burned, and palm oil plantations are taking their place. Everywhere I looked outside the parks, the impact of the palm oil industry was clear to see – either already-producing plantations consisting of miles of palm trees in perfect lines, or evidence of future plantations, such as logging residue where forests had been, or smoke pillars from burning, trenched peat that remained after the forest was logged.
    Forest being cleared for a palm plantation. Photo by Ulet Ifansasti / Greenpeace
    The result of a deforestation fire for a palm oil plantation. Notice the black canal. Photo: Alexander Hotz / Coconuts Media
    A monoculture palm oil plantation, owned by PT. Photo courtesy of Greenpeace.
    According to the IUCN, Indonesia’s birdlife includes 429 endemic species, of which 82 are threatened. The threat continues to grow as the forest is destroyed. In the Fall 2016 issue of Audubon magazine, Jocelyn C. Zuckerman discussed the problems of illegal clearing, burning and poaching.…

  • Surveying birds of the Albany Bulb

    By Ilana DeBare
    Jutting out into San Francisco Bay, the Albany Bulb and Neck has received a lot of attention for its human uses: a onetime garbage dump, onetime homeless encampment, and the first section of shoreline targeted to be a part of today’s McLaughlin Eastshore State Park.
    Now people can also learn about avian uses of Albany Bulb and Neck, thanks to a joint citizen-science initiative by Golden Gate Bird Alliance and Citizens for East Shore Parks (CESP).
    Golden Gate Bird Alliance and CESP recently published the results of a year-long bird survey of the Bulb and Neck that found about 90 species using the 33-acre area.
    “Birds heavily use this area across the seasons for breeding, as a migration rest stop, for year-round residence, and for wintering,” according to the report, which is available on the CESP web site.
    Albany Shoreline bird reportAlbany Shoreline bird report
    Examples include:

    • White-crowned Sparrows spend winters at the Bulb, foraging for seeds and sheltering in the abundant Coyote brush.
    • Colorful yellow-and-black Townsend’s Warblers rely on the Bulb as a rest stop during their annual migration from breeding areas in Alaska to wintering areas as far south as Panama.
    • White-tailed Kites hunt and nest on the Bulb, and can often be seen hovering almost motionless in mid-air.

    The Bulb and Neck extend west into San Francisco Bay at the foot of Buchanan Street, west of I-80. Golden Gate Bird Alliance members were already somewhat familiar with the area from annual Christmas Bird Counts and a bird survey they did of the broader Eastshore State Park area in 2006.
    But even they were surprised by the abundance and tenacity of birds in the area, which gets heavy use by people and dogs.
    “It surprised me how much nesting activity there was,” said Pam Young, a Golden Gate Bird Alliance board member who led the volunteer bird surveyors. “We found nests in places like along the parking lot where you’d think, ‘How can they possibly nest there?’ Despite all the human disturbance, there are some very tenacious birds breeding out there. It’s a wonderful story of resilience and persistence.”
    Merlin over cypress tree at Albany shoreline / Photo by Pam YoungMerlin over cypress tree at Albany shoreline / Photo by Pam Young
    Say's Phoebe at Albany shoreline / Photo by Pam YoungSay’s Phoebe at Albany shoreline / Photo by Pam Young
    Northern Mockingbird by Pam YoungNorthern Mockingbird by Pam Young
    The survey project – funded in part by a grant from the California State Parks Foundation – had its roots in a desire by CESP to ensure that the natural resources of the Bulb and Neck were understood and protected.…

  • GGBA launches our Centennial exhibit

    By Ilana DeBare
    Thursday January 12 was officially Golden Gate Bird Alliance Day in the City of San Francisco!
    It was also the official launch of our year-long traveling exhibit on A Century of Protecting Bay Area Birds.
    Over 100 Golden Gate Bird Alliance members and friends gathered at the California State Building in San Francisco, where the Centennial exhibit will be on display throughout the month of January. To a background of bird song provided by Dan Dugan of the Nature Sounds Society, people greeted old friends and and viewed the 14 panels of larger-than-life bird photos and stories of GGBA’s accomplishments.
    Incoming S.F. Supervisor Jeff Sheehy presented GGBA with a proclamation from the mayor’s office designating January 12 as Golden Gate Bird Alliance Day. Representatives of  State Assemblymen Tony Thurmond and Phil Ting presented a proclamation from the California Legislature honoring GGBA’s 100 years of achievements.
    Viewing the exhibit. Viewing the exhibit.
    SF Supervisor Jeff Sheehy presents the city proclamation.SF Supervisor Jeff Sheehy presents the city proclamation to board member Jill Weeder O’Brien, Centennial Committee Chair Diane Ross-Leech, and Executive Director Cindy Margulis.
    Presenting the proclamation from the California Legislature.Presenting the proclamation from the California Legislature.
    Audubon California Executive Director Bridget McCormack praised GGBA’s contributions to state and national birds conservation, including GGBA’s lead role in making people aware of the need to design and site wind turbines in ways that minimize deadly hazards to birds.
    And GGBA Executive Director Cindy Margulis paid tribute to the countless volunteers through the past century who  built GGBA into an effective conservation voice, an inspiring leader in nature education, and a welcoming community of people who love birds and wildlife.
    Thank you to the Centennial Committee members and the event volunteers who made this a successful launch!

    You’re invited to visit the free exhibit during business hours throughout the month of January, in the atrium of the California State Building, 455 Golden Gate Avenue, near Civic Center. Bring a friend: It’s a great way to introduce them to birding and Audubon. Then take a selfie in front of our giant Great Blue Heron panel and share it on social media with the hashtag #ggas100! 
    Later this year, the exhibit will travel to the Tilden Park Environmental Education Center in Berkeley, Oakland City Hall and the Dalziel Building, the Tides/Thoreau Center at the Presidio, and Lindsay Wildlife Experience in Walnut Creek. Click here for dates and details. 
    Click here to view more photos from the launch reception on Facebook.…