GGAS BLOG
Welcome to our online blog featuring thoughtful articles on everything from birding hotspots to bird science written by members of our community.
In order to keep this blog as engaging and relevant as possible we welcome all interested contributors to pitch their article idea(s) to our communications desk at rnakano@goldengateaudubon.org. We are especially interested in publishing blog posts from writers within underrepresented communities including; Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color, LGBTQIA+ individuals and people with disabilities. For more information on contributing blog posts and the editing process visit our Blog Guideline page here.
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These Binoculars are Out of this World!
By Blake Edgar Bay Area birders in the market for new binoculars or a spare spotting scope know to migrate up the coast to Mendocino and stopover at Out of This World, an emporium for high-quality optics and science-focused activities. For 35 years, store co-owners Marilyn Rose and James Blackstock have been outfitting birders, skywatchers,
From the Sierras to the Mojave: A Search for the Yellow-Billed Cuckoo
By Brandy Ford Walking along a dry sandy riverbed early one July morning in the Kern River Valley, we heard it—a slow, sharp bark building into a rapid rattle. The Yellow-Billed Cuckoo had spotted us. Before we encountered our elusive friend in this gentle riparian habitat on the edge of the Mojave Desert, Bruce Mast
The Golden Gate Gulls Go Birding
Once a year, the Golden Gate Audubon staff takes one of their monthly “in-field” meetings and expands it to an all day “Big Day Birdathon” effort. Last year the team saw a total of 106 bird species while raising funds for the organization. This year, the staff is headed back out as The Golden Gate
RESILIENCE – Bald Eagles of Corica Park
By Rick Lewis The news is out. The Alameda Bald Eagles’ nest at Corica Park suffered significant damage during the recent storm on Tuesday, March 21. The eggs were lost and the nest is tilting, but there are good signs of recovery and current behavior points to incredible resilience demonstrated by our esteemed pair. For
Beginner’s Luck: My First Golden Gate Audubon Birding Trip
By Kara Henderson My excitement faded with each step I took as sheets of water fell. I hadn’t received word the field trip—my first—had been canceled, but how many birds would we really see in this weather? Twenty minutes later, I arrived at Fort Mason Community Garden and was greeted by a dozen or so
2023 Cal Falcons Hatch Day
By Ryan Nakano On Tuesday April 11, a photo of a Peregrine Falcon found its way to the top of Golden Gate Audubon’s facebook feed with the text “First chick has hatched!”. At that moment, the Golden Gate Audubon staff hatched a plan. The aforementioned peregrine, recently hatched chick, other peregrine parent and incubating eggs
Bay Birding Challenge Team: Stork Raven Mad
By Keith Maley (Stork Raven Mad Team Captain) The day’s sunrise at 6:55 a.m. marked the start of the competition, and Team Stork Raven Mad was already gathered on Lake Merced’s concrete bridge filled with anticipation. Marsh Wrens rattled in the reeds. A Clark’s Grebe glided along the still water. A Sharp-shinned Hawk plucked its
Bay Birding Challenge: East Bay Scrub Jays
By Derek Heins (East Bay Scrub Jays Team Captain) On Saturday, April 1, Anne Ardillo, Dan Roth, Clay Anderson, Alex Henry, Tara McIntire, Jeff Manker, Eric Schroeder and I comprised the East Bay Scrub Jays, competing against the Stork Raven Mad team from San Francisco as part of Golden Gate Audubon’s “Bay Birding Challenge”. We
Meeker Slough Cleanup for Osprey Nesting Season… and Beyond
By Cathy Bleier On March 1, just in time for Osprey nesting season, Golden Gate Audubon Society and East Bay Regional Parks Department (EBRPD) cooperated in a cleanup of the shoreline and marsh edges near Meeker Slough and Stege Marsh in Richmond. Our immediate goal was to reduce entanglement hazards to Ospreys that can occur
The Audubon Name: Members Speak
By Ilana DeBare As part of considering whether to keep the “Audubon” part of our name, Golden Gate Audubon Society (GGAS) conducted an online survey of our current members earlier this month. Of about 2000 dues-paying members, 354 responded—18 percent. That’s a very high turnout, considering that many surveys garner responses of only two or
Hannah Breckel Takes on Birdathon!
By Ryan Nakano On February 26, a new participant profile appeared on Golden Gate Audubon’s fundraising platform Pledge It for this year’s Birdathon, and within a week, Hannah Breckel raised $600 to help protect our local birds and their habitat. Last week she surpassed her species goal of 50, seeing a total of 58 different
Audubon — the man and the meaning
By Ilana DeBare Who was John James Audubon? Why was the leading U.S. bird conservation organization named after him? Has his meaning as a figurehead changed? The National Audubon Society board of directors announced this month that, after a year of deliberation, it will not replace the “Audubon” part of its name. But the name