Learn about eagles, falcons, kites and hawks in our Raptors in Winter class, starting on Sunday January 20th. Taught by Eddie Bartley, the class includes an initial session at Golden Gate Raptor Observatory in the Marin Headlands, plus three all-day field trips to Pt. Reyes, the San Mateo coast, and the Sacramento Delta.

Relatively mild temperatures and productive food sources make California an ideal destination for raptors in winter. Enjoy these magnificent birds of prey at some of the state’s best birding spots. For more information,  see our Classes page.

Photo of Red-tailed Hawk in flight by Bob Lewis.…

Want to broaden your birding horizons and see an astonishing array of new species? Join our trip to South Texas in late February.

The nine-day trip – guided by Naturalist Journeys, experts in Texas birds — will include many subtropical species whose northern range extends just past the Mexican border, as well as many migrants in breeding plumage.

“South Texas may be the most exotic winter birding destination in North America, and the chance to also see endangered Whooping Cranes in good number puts this tour over the top,”  said GGBA Travel Coordinator Pat Kirkpatrick.

GGBA member Pamela Clark describes her own great birding experiences in South Texas in a recent blog post. You can read the itinerary and other details of the trip here.  It runs from Feb. 26 through March 6th.

Questions? Email Pat Kirkpatrick at  patkirkpatrick14@gmail.com. Or see the GGBA Travel web page for info on other upcoming trips.…

Time for Audubon’s 114th annual Christmas Bird Count!  Golden Gate Bird Alliance members and friends will take part in an Oakland CBC on Sunday Dec. 16th and a San Francisco CBC on Thursday Dec. 27th.

Registration is now closed for both counts, but you can still join us at the celebratory dinner after each count. See our CBC web page for details, and email us at ggas@goldengatebirdalliance.org if you would like to sign up for the dinner. The dinner costs $20 at the door.

Press: Want to cover the Oakland or San Francisco CBC? Contact Communications Director Ilana DeBare at idebare@goldengatebirdalliance.org for logistical information. You can also download our CBC 2012 Press Release.…

You’re invited to our Holiday Open House on Friday Dec. 14, from 4 to 8 pm!

Come by the GGBA office at 2530 San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley to celebrate the holiday season with old and new birding friends. This year, we are holding a joint open house with the other great nonprofits in our building, including the Sierra Club and Ecology Center.

Nibble on pizza and drinks in our office… buy a few birding gifts in our store… then stroll down the hall and enjoy more food and entertainment while learning about these other organizations.

There will be music and door prizes, as well as food and drink — and of course good company. We hope to see you there!

Golden Gate Bird Alliance is located at 2530 San Pablo Avenue, at the corner of Blake, in Berkeley. …

Join us on Thursday November 15 in San Francisco for a spotlight on the roots of ornithology — how Charles Darwin changed our understanding of birds, the passionate debates that led to today’s classification of bird species, and what it was like to be a natural scientist at the dawn of the 20th century.

Our featured guest speaker is Daniel Lewis, author of the book “The Feathery Tribe,”  a biography of Robert Ridgway, the Smithsonian’s first curator of birds.  For more information, see our Speaker Series page.…