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.
2021 SF Christmas Bird Count Report
By David Assmann San Francisco birders have been lucky – for the past fifteen years, there has been no rain on the Christmas Bird Count, and conditions have been mostly sunny, with a rare bit of fog. The December 28, 2021 count, however, was cold and cloudy, with light rain at various points throughout the
Oakland CBC: From Fog to UFO’s
By Ryan Nakano and Viviana Wolinsky The fog is thick. The air, brisk. A small group of “early birders” strike out before the sun has time to show its face. It’s barely 5 a.m., and Dave Quady shines his flashlight after sensing a movement in the trees at the end of a side street near
SF Bay Ospreys 2021 Season
By Osprey Cam Video Assistant Comparing our past five seasons of Osprey cam footage, I’d have to say the 2021 season was one of the best for our SF Bay Osprey family. Three healthy juveniles were successfully launched into the world while the infamous Ospreys we know as Rosie and Richmond, worked together seamlessly and
Field Guide: An Artist’s Approach to Avian Taxonomy
By Christopher Reiger In March 2020, I was excited. After 15 years of full and part-time jobs in administration and communications, I was finally in my studio five days a week and our two young boys were both in daycare programs. Creatively, I was cranking. In addition to a number of in-progress illustration and design
Not for beginners only: Two new birding books
By Ilana DeBare There are birding books that are great for beginners, and then there are birding books that are great for beginners AND. The past several months saw publication of two unique bird guides that will charm experienced birders as well as novices—especially those of us living in the Bay Area. These are Birds
Chaetura Swifts: From trees to chimneys
By Rusty Scalf Even a passing acquaintance with the natural world reveals that species exist on a continuum from Specialist to Generalist—from species that require a very particular habitat to those that can survive in a variety of places. Both have their strengths but the vulnerabilities of the specialist are easily seen. What happens to
Honoring the Berkeley Bird Festival
By Ryan Nakano Just over three week ago, Golden Gate Audubon, in partnership with the California Institute of Community, Art and Nature, held the inaugural Berkeley Bird Festival, which I’m delighted to say was a great success. Of course, success is subjective and dependent upon how we measure it. Since the festival ended, I’ve had
Richmond Christmas Bird Count Takes Shape
By Ryan Nakano When the first Christmas Bird Count (CBC) started back in the early 1900’s, conservationists were attempting to square the circle, i.e. tackle a seemingly insurmountable problem. At the time, hunters carried out the Christmas “side hunt” and bird populations were noticeably dropping at an alarming rate. In response, conservationists counted birds on
Bird chalk art at the Berkeley Bird Festival
By Ilana DeBare The sidewalks of U.C. Berkeley blossomed with colorful bird life on Sunday — a chalk art aviary that was part of the first-ever Berkeley Bird Festival. Golden Gate Audubon Society invited artists and nature sketchers, adults and kids, casual doodlers and “me? I can’t draw!” passersby to join in creating chalk art
Birding at the University of California Botanical Garden
By Chris Carmichael With one of the richest plant collections in the United States, the University of California Botanical Garden (UCBG) offers birders in the Bay Area a range of unique birding opportunities. Located in Strawberry Canyon in the hills above the UC Berkeley campus, the UCBG plant collections are arranged in a biogeographical manner (California,
Help Protect Our Birds in the Altamont Pass
In less than one week, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors will decide whether to approve of the Mulqueeney Ranch Wind Repowering Project despite the fact that it will unnecessarily kill large numbers of Golden Eagles, Burrowing Owls, Swainson’s Hawks, and Tricolored Blackbirds, many of which are already severely impacted by the Altamont Pass. On
Lake Merritt Docents: The Wonder of Birds
By Maureen Lahiff Ducks and waterbirds come in close toward the paved path around the lake. Gulls drop mussels on the path to crack their shells. Black-crowned Night-Herons sit motionless in the trees. For the past several years, passionate Golden Gate Audubon volunteers have helped passerby notice, understand, and appreciate these everyday moments at Lake