Raptors in Winter

Feb 4, 11, 25, 2021

Instructor: Maureen Lahiff

Venue: Zoom

Raptors in Winter, 3 Zoom presentations, Thursdays Feb 4, 11, and 25, 7 to 9 pm, with detailed suggestions for individual field observations.

Year-round resident hawks, falcons, and eagles of the greater Bay Area and the Central Valley are joined by a number of wintering migrants (including Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawks).  We will explore the rhythm of their lives and discuss identifying juveniles and adult birds, including birds in flight. This class focuses on raptors that are diurnal (active during the day).

One of the nice things about raptors is that you don’t have to be on scene at daybreak to get good looks at these birds, so you can travel a bit further afield.  It is rewarding to travel to eastern Alameda and Contra Costa, and Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties to look for diurnal raptors.

Maximum 75 participants

$75 GGBA members, $110 non-members…

BY REGISTERING FOR OUR CLASSES, YOU ARE ACKNOWLEDING THAT YOU HAVE READ AND ACCEPTED THE TERMS OF GGBA’S COVID-19 WAIVER OF LIABILITY. WAIVER IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.

A Deep Dive into Diving Birds, Megan Prelinger, 3 Zoom presentations, Tuesdays, Feb 2, 9, 16, 7 to 9 pm, with detailed suggestions for individual field observations.

California and the Bay Area provide winter homes for many species of pelagic birds that are adapted to life in a deep water environment. This is a short course on the natural history and identification of commonly found members of the families Alcidae (puffins, murres, murrelets, guillemots), Gaviidae (loons), Podicipedidae (grebes) and Anatidae (ducks, geese, and swans).

We will also discuss foraging and annual cycles of breeding, molt, and migration.

maximum 75 participants

$75 members, $110 non-members

GGBA’S COVID-19 WAIVER OF LIABILITY

In consideration of the opportunity to participate with Golden Gate Bird Alliance (GGBA), I hereby acknowledge and agree to the following terms, conditions and required code of conduct (the Agreement) on behalf of myself and on behalf of any child or ward of whom I am a guardian or parent:  

1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT REGARDING COVID-19/CORONAVIRUS: The novel coronavirus,  COVID-19, has been declared a worldwide pandemic by the World Health Organization. COVID19 is reported to be extremely contagious. The state of medical knowledge is evolving, but the virus is believed to spread from person-to-person contact, by contact with contaminated surfaces and objects, and even in the air. People reportedly can be infected and show no symptoms and therefore spread the disease while symptomatic or asymptomatic. The exact methods of spread and contraction are unknown, and there is limited availability or no known treatment, cure, or vaccine for COVID-19. COVID-19 can cause serious and potentially life-threatening illness, including potentially life-long medical conditions the individual did not previously have or worsening of chronic medical conditions the individual has. Contracting COVID-19 can also lead to the death of the individual that contracts COVID-19. GGBA cannot prevent you from becoming exposed to, contracting, or spreading COVID-19 while participating or volunteering on behalf of GGBA. It is not possible to prevent the presence of COVID- 19. Therefore, if you choose to participate, you may be exposing yourself to and/or increasing your risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19.  
2. ASSUMPTION OF RISK: I have read and understood the above warning concerning COVID-19. I hereby choose to accept the risk of contracting COVID-19 for myself, or if I am a parent or guardian, I assume and accept that my child or ward may contract COVID-19, when participating in GGBA activities. 

By signing up for our classes, you acknowledge that you have read and accepted GGBA’s Covid-19 Waiver of Liability terms and conditions. Our waiver is located at the bottom of this page. 

Bird City: Beginning Birding in San Francisco

Whitney Grover and Keith Maley

6 Zoom presentations, Mondays, Jan 11, 18, 25 and Feb 1, 8, 15, 7 to 9 pm, and, if possible, one limited field experience for everyone in very small groups.

Birds are living their fascinating lives all around us even in this 2nd most densely populated city in the U.S. Join us to learn about bird identification, behavior, migration, habitat, song and more, and increase your appreciation for nature here in San Francisco. This course is for you if you’ve always wondered about the birds around you, but have not been sure how to take the first steps to learn more. 

Field “office hours”: Although we will not be doing traditional field trips, we hope to offer small group field experience with one of the instructors; details to be determined based on public health guidelines.

Maximum 40 participants

$150 members, $185 non-members

GGBA’s Covid-19 Waiver of Liability

In consideration of the opportunity to participate with Golden Gate Bird Alliance (GGBA), I hereby acknowledge and agree to the following terms, conditions and required code of conduct (the Agreement) on behalf of myself and on behalf of any child or ward of whom I am a guardian or parent:  

1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT REGARDING COVID-19/CORONAVIRUS: The novel coronavirus,  COVID-19, has been declared a worldwide pandemic by the World Health Organization. COVID19 is reported to be extremely contagious. The state of medical knowledge is evolving, but the virus is believed to spread from person-to-person contact, by contact with contaminated surfaces and objects, and even in the air. People reportedly can be infected and show no symptoms and therefore spread the disease while symptomatic or asymptomatic. The exact methods of spread and contraction are unknown, and there is limited availability or no known treatment, cure, or vaccine for COVID-19. COVID-19 can cause serious and potentially life-threatening illness, including potentially life-long medical conditions the individual did not previously have or worsening of chronic medical conditions the individual has. Contracting COVID-19 can also lead to the death of the individual that contracts COVID-19. GGBA cannot prevent you from becoming exposed to, contracting, or spreading COVID-19 while participating or volunteering on behalf of GGBA. It is not possible to prevent the presence of COVID- 19.

This class is full but you may register to be on the wait list.

Writing about Birds is a small online seminar for people who want to write short feature articles about birds. Participants must be comfortable sharing their work with others since much of our class time will be spent workshopping pieces. Each week we’ll look at what everyone has been working on, and we’ll explore ways to make these pieces better. Topics that we’ll address include Find your Voice—writing that sounds like you; The Big Picture—how to give your writing shape; Looking under the Hood—how to give your sentences shape; and Details, Details—how to inject some style into your prose. By the end of the 5-week class, you should have finished an article that you can submit to a local publication: a newspaper or newsletter, The Gull, Bay Nature, or the GGBA blog. Enrollment is limited to six students.

Because of the interactive nature of this course, the Zoom sessions will not be recorded.
In addition to the scheduled Zoom meetings, the instructor will be commenting on participants’ drafts outside of class sessions.

• Five Wednesday evening classes by Zoom, June 30 through July 28, 7 to 9 p.m.
• Instructor: Eric Schroeder, Master Birder, Golden Gate Bird Alliance Board President, and Lecturer Emeritus in the U.C. Davis Writing Program
• Limited to 6 participants
• $75 for GGBA members, $100 for non-members
• Registration opens at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 11 and the link will be active then. Once the class is full, you may register to be on a waiting list.