Docents explain Lake Merritt’s birds

Docents explain Lake Merritt’s birds

ByGGBA

Take a stroll around Lake Merritt this spring and have our friendly docents help you learn about the birds! Golden Gate Bird Alliance volunteers will be stationed on the north edge of the lake (near the nesting islands and Rotary Nature Center) every other Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon:

Saturday March 25
Saturday April 8
Saturday April 22
Saturday, May 6
Saturday, May 20
Saturday, June 3

They’ll help you identify the Double-creted Cormorants and other birds nesting on the islands, as well the ducks, herons and other birds that frequent the lake.

Originally an arm of San Francisco Bay, Lake Merritt  was designated as a wildlife refuge by the state Legislature in 1870 — the first wildlife refuge in the country. At that time, the lake still had thick wetlands ringing its shores and providing habitat for thousands of water birds.

Lake Merritt before urban development. Photo courtesy of Oakland Public Library.

The late Paul Covel, a Golden Gate Bird Alliance activist, became the City of Oakland’s first naturalist in the mid-20th century and oversaw construction of a sanctuary for injured birds at the lake and construction of the Rotary Nature Center.

Today the lake is healthier than in past decades, since bond funds allowed the city to widen the channel connecting it to the Bay and admit more tidal flows. Species commonly found at the lake include Double-crested Cormorants, Black-crowned Night-Herons, Snowy Egrets, Ruddy Ducks, Buffleheads, Greater and Lesser Scaups, White Pelicans, and grebes.

Read more about Lake Merritt’s birds and history on our blog. Then come out and visit with our docents!

Birding at Lake Merritt today / Photo by Ilana DeBare

 …

There’s still time to support Birdathon 2017!

There’s still time to support Birdathon 2017!

ByGGBA

Springtime means nesting, migrants, bird song and… Birdathon!  Our biggest and most enjoyable fundraiser of the year takes place throughout the month of April, but we also welcome contributions during May. Our goal is raising $60,000 to protect Bay Area birds.

Birdathon culminates with the fun Birdathon Awards Celebration on Saturday, May 13, an informal garden party in a stunning setting in the Oakland Hills. Registration is now officially closed. But if you missed the deadline, want to volunteer, need directions, or have any other questions, please contact Ilana at idebare@goldengatebirdalliance.org.

There’s still time to support Birdathon! Click the link below to make a tax-deductible contribution. Bay Area birds will thank you.

 

Big Six Hours in Oakland teamThe 2016 Birdathon team for Big Six Hours in Oakland Releasing a rehabilitated Brown Pelican during the 2016 International Bird Rescue Birdathon trip.…
Bring 100 for 100

Bring 100 for 100

ByGGBA

What’s the best birthday present you can give to mark Golden Gate Audubon’s 100th anniversary?

Help us grow!!

We want to enter our next century as an even stronger advocate for Bay Area birds. So we’re asking each of our members to recruit one friend to join Golden Gate Bird Alliance during 2017.

As a small thank you, we’re offering cloisonné pins with our Centennial logo to the first 100 members who recruit a friend to join GGBA. We’ll send you a pin… AND your friend a pin. We’re calling this campaign “Bring 100 for 100.”

Here’s what to do:

Think of a friend who loves birds, enjoys the outdoors, cares about nature and conservation, or might simply want to explore a fun new hobby.

Tell them about Golden Gate Bird Alliance — the 150+ free field trips we offer each year, our birding classes and guest speakers, and our work in habitat restoration, conservation advocacy, nature education, and citizen science. (And tell them what a friendly, welcoming community we are!)

Invite them to join. Share the news of our 100th anniversary, the Bring 100 for 100 campaign, and the offer of free Centennial pins.

Or buy a membership for them as a gift for their birthday, anniversary, or “just because!”

Your friend can sign up at http://goldengatebirdalliance.org/bring100, or through this button:

 

Thank you in advance for helping us grow! This is a wonderful way to help launch Golden Gate Bird Alliance’s second century.

Plus you’ll be able to share our field trips, classes, guest speakers, and volunteer work days with your friend. Happy birthday to us,and happy birding for both of you!

NOTE: The Centennial pin offer applies only to recruitment of people who have never been members of Golden Gate Bird Alliance before. It’s fine if they are already a member of National Audubon; they just need to be new to GGBA.…

Spring 2017 Gull is available
|

Spring 2017 Gull is available

ByGGBA

The new edition of The Gull newsletter for Spring 2017 is now available online.

Learn about how we helped secure an upgraded haulout for harbor seals, Brown Pelicans and other water birds in Alameda.

Also get the scoop on birding at Vollmer Peak, the secretive Sora, and our Albany shoreline bird survey.

Of course this issue of The Gull also includes GGBA news updates and the calendar for our Speaker Series in April, May, and June!

Click here to read it: TheGull_Spring2017.

P.S. If you’re a GGBA member who receives the printed edition of The Gull by mail but would like to switch to online delivery by email, contact our office at ggas@goldengatebirdalliance.org. It saves postage and paper, plus you’ll get your copy earlier than by post.…

Join or renew your GGBA membership for 2017

Join or renew your GGBA membership for 2017

ByGGBA

It’s time to renew your Golden Gate Bird Alliance membership for 2017. Or if you haven’t become an official supporting member yet… time to join!

Our memberships run on a calendar year basis, from January 1st through December 31st. If you renew now, you can relax and take one item off your year-end to-do list. Plus we won’t have to bug you again!

Next year will be a very special one — the 100th anniversary of GGBA’s founding in 1917. We will have a lot of special events and celebrations, starting in January. Renew or join now to ensure you don’t miss out on any of the fun.

Join Now

NOTE: If you’re already a member of National Audubon, please consider joining Golden Gate Bird Alliance too! It costs as little as $35 a year, or $25 for students/seniors.

Although we’re a chapter of National Audubon, we are an independent 501c3 nonprofit and must raise all the funds to support our local conservation, environmental education, and birding activities. We rely on supporting members like you to maintain our role as the leading advocate for Bay Area birds.

As a member of Golden Gate Bird Alliance, you’ll enjoy:

  • Over 150 free expert-led field trips each year.
  • Free admission to our monthly Speaker Series.
  • Discounts on birding classes, pelagic trips, merchandise, and subscriptions to Bay Nature magazine.
  • Our quarterly print Gull magazine and monthly e-Gull e-newsletter.
  • Meaningful and fun volunteer opportunities.
  • Special events like the Christmas Bird Count and Birdathon.
  • Action Alerts with opportunities to speak out for local bries and their critical habitats.
  • Above all: The satisfaction of being part of a community that loves and works to protect Bay Area birds. 

NOTE: As part of our Centennial celebration, we’re hoping to grow!  Our goal is 100 new members in our 100th year. As part of that, we’re offering a special thank-you gift to the first 100 members who convince a friend to join GGBA – a striking cloisonné pin with our Centennial logo, both for you and your friend.

Invite a new member: If you know people who have been coming on GGBA field trips but are not yet members, encourage them to join! The Centennial pin gift makes this a particularly timely opportunity. Tell them how much you enjoy your GGBA membership and invite them to become a member too… you’ll both get a pin.

New members can sign up at https://goldengatebirdalliance.org/join…

End of content

End of content