If you’re ready to dip your wingtips into the world of birds, the Birding for Fledglings class is for you!  No experience is necessary.  The class will focus on birding tools; keys to bird identification; and finding and IDing the Bay Area’s Fall birds.  As a bonus, you will learn the difference between Birdwatching and Birding!

Anna’s Hummingbird by Noreen Weeden

The lecture presentations for this class will not be recorded.

• Six Wednesday evening classes by Zoom on October 13, 20, 27 and November 3, 10, 17, from 7 to 9 p.m.
• Six three-hour Saturday field trips on October 16, 23, 30 and November 6, 13, 20, from 8 to 11 a.m.
• Lectures are via Zoom. Field trip locations will be announced in class.
• $150 for GGBA members, $175 for non-members.

Once this class is full, you may sign up to be on a waiting list.…

This class is FULL. Fall is an avian wonder in the Bay Area.   Our location on the Pacific Flyway brings many migrants through as they head south for the winter.  This class will introduce you to some of these visitors, both their visual field marks and their songs and calls.  Of course we’ll also include our large and diverse resident bird population. We will also introduce you to the miracles of avian physiology in small, focused vignettes.

Sora by MIya Lucas

This class welcomes both beginning and intermediate birders, and those who want to hone up on their bird identification skills. Lectures will not be recorded.

• Six Thursday evening classes by Zoom, on September 30, October 7, 14, 21, 28, November 4, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
• Five weekend field trips to a different habitat each week on Saturday or Sunday. For the last weekend (November 6 and 7) we’ll take an overnight trip to the Sacramento Delta and Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. This trip will last from Saturday morning through Sunday noon, and participants are responsible for their own lodging. (Although we will provide recommendations about where to stay.)
• Start times for most field trips will be 8 a.m. but some  will start around noon, due to tides. Two field trip sites involve steep uphill climbs.
• Lectures are via Zoom. Field trip locations will be announced in class.
• $175 for GGBA members, $200 for non-members.

Once this class is full, you may sign up to be on a waiting list.…

Come celebrate nature on Lake Merritt. Our nature journal class spans the myriad issues surrounding Lake Merritt’s natural world and the practice of nature journaling. Come share your love of journaling and commune with others  of like mind. This year-round course charts the evolution of  Lake Merritt’s seasons as the oldest Wildlife Refuge in the United States!

Islands created for birds in Lake Merritt / Photo by Ilana DeBare

Zoom meetings on the 2nd Thursday evening of each month, January through June, with Lake Merritt field trips on the Saturday morning after the lecture.

• Classes by Zoom on the second Thursday of each month, from 7 to 8 p.m.
• Field trips at Lake Merritt on the Saturday morning after each Zoom meeting, from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
• $120 for GGBA members, $150 for non-members.

The meeting spot for field trips will be provided during each monthly class. Once this class is full, you may sign up to be on a waiting list.…

This class is now FULL. But you may register to be on the waiting list.

For Bay Area birders, finding rarities in the fall is part of the fun. Our location on the edge of the Pacific Americas Flyway brings many species of birds through our area on their way south. Birds that normally migrate over the ocean get blown off course and land in the Bay Area, while off-course birds that normally migrate over the North American continent may stop in the Bay Area to avoid going out over open ocean. In many species, the adults begin migration before the juveniles, so young birds may get lost and spend a few days here. By studying when and where these off-course migrants are seen, and what weather patterns are associated with their arrival, we can attempt to predict their occurrence and increase our chances of crossing paths with them.

Join Alameda County birder Alex Henry for a Zoom lecture presentation and field trip to sharpen your skills and hunt for fall rarities.

To maximize opportunities, we’re offering two separate sessions of this class: This one in October and another one in September. Choose whichever class works best for you. (The material in each session is the same.) Field trip locations and directions will be announced in class.

Recordings of the lecture presentations will be available to class participants  for a limited period of time. These two classes are the first of a series. We plan to offer similar winter, spring and summer rarity classes.

• Zoom lecture on Thursday, October 7, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
• Field trip on Sunday, October 10. Time to be announced.
• Lectures are via Zoom. Field trip locations will be announced in class.
• Each class is limited to 20 participants.
• $40 for GGBA members, $60 for non-members.

If the class is full, you may sign up to be on a waiting list.…

This class is FULL. You may sign up to be on a waiting list in case of cancellations.

For Bay Area birders, finding rarities in the fall is part of the fun. Our location on the edge of the Pacific Americas Flyway brings many species of birds through our area on their way south. Birds that normally migrate over the ocean get blown off course and land in the Bay Area, while off-course birds that normally migrate over the North American continent may stop in the Bay Area to avoid going out over open ocean. In many species, the adults begin migration before the juveniles, so young birds may get lost and spend a few days here. By studying when and where these off-course migrants are seen, and what weather patterns are associated with their arrival, we can attempt to predict their occurrence and increase our chances of crossing paths with them.

Join Alameda County birder Alex Henry for a Zoom lecture presentation and field trip to sharpen your skills and hunt for fall rarities.

To maximize opportunities, we’re offering two separate sessions of this class: This one in September and another one in October. Choose whichever class works best for you. (The material in each session is the same.) Field trip locations and directions will be announced in class.

Recordings of the lecture presentations will be available to class participants  for a limited period of time. These two classes are the first of a series. We plan to offer similar winter, spring and summer rarity classes.

• Zoom lecture on Thursday September 16, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
• Field trip on Sunday, September 19. Time to be announced.
• Lectures are via Zoom. Field trip locations will be announced in class.
• Each class is limited to 20 participants.
• $40 for GGBA members, $60 for non-members.

If the class is full, you may sign up to be on a waiting list.…