The Great Bird Auction Scavenger Hunt
By Daryl Goldman
What happens when you ask your wife to be a Birdathon Auction item? Or if you ask your mother, good friend, or friend of a friend? This is what the Birdathon Auction Committee has been doing since we started meeting in September and so far we are not divorced, disowned, or unfriended. At first some of our requestees had a “deer in the headlights” look, but they became amazingly supportive when they realized how they could help the conservation and educational work of Golden Gate Bird Alliance.
Bidding in the 2024 Birdathon Auction opens on May 5 and runs through May 20, although you can view the forty amazing prizes right now. This assortment—everything from a nine-day guided birding trip in the Rockies to a hand-sewn bird-print dress for a toddler—is a true collaboration. The Auction Committee—Patrick Meeker, Ilana DeBare, Sharol Nelson-Embry, Mary Wand, and myself as chair—met monthly to brainstorm, share connections, do research, and scavenge for prizes from loved ones and total strangers.
One exciting innovation this year was our decision to create vacation packages by pairing accommodations in birding hotspots with knowledgeable local bird guides. But how were we to find both guides and lodging in these popular destinations?
GGBA board members and staff joined us in reaching out to field trip leaders outside the Bay Area whom we personally knew. I filled in the gaps by contacting other Audubon/Bird Alliance chapters to find experienced guides in their cities. Locally, we approached GGBA members with experience birding elsewhere, and were thrilled when Viviana Wolinsky and Steve Hunter offered to provide the nine-day guided field trip in the Colorado Rockies.
When it came to lodging, we scoured the internet for “lodging for birders” because so many wonderful inns welcome birders and feature bird feeders on their property. Some even offer to make an early breakfast or breakfast to go. One of these places is the beautiful Casa de San Pedro Inn, whose property borders on the San Pedro River Preserve in Hereford, Arizona. Most of their clientele are birders, many have been GGBA members, and they were happy to support us. One sleepless night I remembered that a friend I made on an Ecuador birding trip has a brother who is a natural history guide in Southeast Arizona. As luck would have it, he lives in Hereford near the Casa de San Pedro and, a couple of emails later, Ted Mouras donated a half-day guided bird trip. The Southeastern Arizona Birding Package was born.
In some cases we had a guide but no lodging. Last year former GGBA board member David Robinson, now working for Tucson Audubon, offered to lead a private bird tour there but we couldn’t find any donated lodging. This year I used the magic phrase “lodging for birders” and found a fabulous Airbnb owned by naturalist-turned-realtor Angie Salonikios. When I messaged her about donating a two-night stay, she wrote back within 10 minutes to agree. The Tucson Birding Package was born.
In some cases, we were able to use old resources in new ways. Every year GGBA member Marjorie Powell donates three of her timeshares near birding hotspots. This year she worked closely with us to find perfect lodgings in New York City and in the Carmel Highlands so that we could create birding packages in those areas. Executive Director Glenn Phillips arranged for naturalist Gabriel Willow to donate a private bird tour in Central Park, and GGBA member Jeff Manker donated one in Pacific Grove to complete the packages for New York and the Monterey Peninsula. A group effort!
Meanwhile Patrick Meeker asked his mother to donate a stay at her charming bed-and-breakfast in San Francisco, and Patrick himself is providing a private bird walk in Golden Gate Park to create a birding “staycation” package in the city.
My friends Susie and Michael Lida, who owned Mokka Café in Berkeley for many years, went above and beyond to find us the perfect Intro to Coffee Class at the Crown: Royal Coffee Lab and Tasting Room in downtown Oakland.
Sharol Nelson-Embry, this year’s Birdathon chair, is donating everything needed for a DIY Chocolate Tasting Party from her company Cocoa Case. Friends of GGBA board member Bruce Mast are offering a stay at their Airbnb in the Sky Islands of southeast Arizona. And GGBA member Susie Wallenstein is offering a lovely cottage in Portland, Oregon, which we paired with a guide from the Bird Alliance of Oregon….
These are just a few examples but they give you a general picture: Birdathon Auction prizes are hunted, gathered, and scavenged with as much dedication and group effort as a committee of bowerbirds lining a collective bower!
Visit our auction site to see the wide range of prizes. Starting on May 5, bid on your favorites to support GGBA’s work protecting local birds!
And if any of this scavenging process intrigues or inspires you, join us in planning for next year’s auction. We welcome all ideas, connections, and help. Email me now at auction@goldengatebirds.org, and I’ll make sure you’re invited when we hold our first meeting in the fall.
Editor’s Note: Daryl Goldman, our auction chair, barely mentions herself in this article. But she really was the heart and soul of planning the auction—super-organized, creative, and utterly dogged in pursuing prize ideas! Thank you so much, Daryl.
