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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On the Greater Sage-Grouse Lek
By Bryan Flaig I stood on a small berm along the side of a deeply rutted jeep road and turned off my headlamp. The world went dark. Sunrise was still half an hour away and a waxing moon was absorbed by thick black clouds. It was cold. Quiet. Down the east slope of Shaffer Mountain,
Bess Petty: Bird Artist
By Ilana DeBare Bess Petty was working for a company that made trade show banners when a friend asked if she had any small creations to include in a new gallery being set up by an artists’ collective. Petty, a studio art graduate of U.C. Berkeley, had been sketching birds for fun. “I thought maybe
Richmond Christmas Bird Count Takes Its Maiden Voyage
By Karyn Noel It’s dark o’clock on the first sunday of 2022. I make coffee, pack my lunch, grab my bins and head toward my car to participate in the first-ever Richmond Christmas Bird Count. As a co-compiler, the joyful anticipation of this day has been building for months. Ouch! It’s flippin’ freezing outside. No
Being a Bird Ambassador
By Margaret Hetherwick Donna Hayes, Audubon member and resident birder of San Francisco’s Bernal Heights district, remembers seeing the glowing face of inspiration when a guest to her office noticed his first bird. Hayes was a counselor at a city college at the time and was meeting with a student who had brought along their
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