GGAS Blog
Bird Friendly Chocolate
By Sharol Nelson-Embry If you’ve never tasted single-origin chocolate, stop reading and go find yourself a bar. Each country where cacao is grown, and sometimes even each estate within a country, has its own signature flavor notes due to the mixed result of genetics, terroir, origin, weather and post-harvesting processes like fermentation and roasting. The
How Birds and Chocolate Became My Passion
By Sharol Nelson-Embry A rare, endangered songbird flute-like call echoes through a tropical forest with cacao trees bordering on a high elevation pine “cloud forest” in the Dominican Republic. The Bicknell’s Thrush is an international resident, crossing borders to winter in the Zorzal Reserve in the Dominican Republic and travels north annually to nest in
Thoughts of Tam
By Craig Griffeath The SF Bay Ospreys nest community mourns the death of 2020 fledgling Tam, aged 76 days. Though brief, his life touched many in ways he could never know, and which his many human supporters are now left to contemplate and celebrate. He leaves behind his parents Rosie and Richmond, along with his
A Bird Class Student for 16 Years
By Linda Swanson You’re thinking no, that can’t be possible, sixteen years? But yes, I was a student in Joe Morlan’s weekly Bird Class beginning in the fall of 2003, and was continually enrolled through the spring 2019 semester. Technically speaking, that took place in 17 calendar years with CCSF’s Continuing Education Field Ornithology course.
New Bluebird in Central Alameda
By Linda Carloni Western Bluebirds are favorites of many, with the male’s brilliant royal-blue colors and rusty breast. The species has long been seen on Alameda Point perching near the soccer fields and using the nest boxes installed for them near Crab Cove. They’ve been expanding through Alameda neighborhoods, and a particularly large and colorful
Birds of the Future
By Paloma MacKenzie During the winter, I always seem to notice crows in the neighborhood more often. It’s become a common occurrence to see them in groups in the late afternoon. The caw of the crow is not what some would call a mellifluous bird song, but I find it endearing anyway. Almost as
Palm Springs and the Salton Sea: Reflections
By Marjorie Powell If you’d like to begin planning your 2021 outings or want to jump-start next year’s eBird list, consider joining the GGAS birding trip to Palm Springs and the Salton Sea, by Nature Trip. This past January, eight birders (including me!) joined the two guides, Eddie Bartley and Noreen Weeden, to look
Passage of Emeryville Bird-Safe Building Standards
By Noreen Weeden The Emeryville City Council and Mayor evaluated, and by a 5-0 vote, unanimously approved, Bird-Safe Building Standards. These standards will become effective in August 2020. The standards will greatly reduce bird deaths and injuries resulting from collisions with buildings in the city. Bird building strikes are one of the main causes
Crow Watch
By Tobey Hiller For some time—years, actually—I’ve been feeding a pair of crows on my backyard fence. Well, not the same pair. This seems to be a generational thing, with new crow companions replacing the old. My reading has suggested to me that crow “culture” involves teaching the young ones about good
Artists Reflect on GGAS’s Auction
Editor’s Note: Our first ever online bird art auction was a major success thanks to your support and thanks to the hard work of our featured artists! In this blog, some of our featured artists reflect on their experiences in our online auction, and elaborate on why they chose to collaborate with GGAS. Scott
Famous Osprey Recovering at WildCare
By Alison Hermance As you probably know, WildCare doesn’t name our Wildlife Hospital patients (not least because we admit over 3,500 of them a year!) but this fledgling Osprey arrived already came with a name. He’s known as Tam, one of three fledglings in the much-watched Golden Gate Audubon Osprey webcam nest on the
Bird Art Auction Madness: Reflections and Recaps
By Marjorie Powell Many years ago, when my husband and I were first living together, we went to a country auction and came home with seven items that we frankly did not need, all because we could not resist bidding. After that fiasco, I established a firm rule. No auctions! It’s true that the