GGAS Blog
David Tomb: Bird Artist
Editor’s Note: David Tomb is one of many talented artists whose work is featured in GGAS’s first ever online bird art auction, which runs from May 17 through June 1, 2020. We hope you will support David, all of our artists and GGAS, by purchasing their beautiful work! By Melissa Ramos Birds mesmerized David
Mandy, Feisty, the Mandarin Duck
By Linda Swanson My story begins on November 17, 2014 in Golden Gate Park at the inlet curve of Stow Lake. Annually, one or two Wood Duck arrive and take residence among entwined branches at this spot. It was a pleasant surprise to see there was a female Wood Duck on that sunny morning.
Backyard Birding
By Carol Oakes We all need positivity in our lives right now, which is why I’m encouraging everybody to start noticing the little joyful beings flitting around just outside your door. Birds are everywhere! One of the most fascinating aspects of our sheltering in place has been witnessing our local birds in unobstructed action.
Earth Day 2020: Reflections
Editor’s Note: Some of our GGAS staff and board have compiled their reflections on what Earth Day means to them and the actions we can collectively take to continue to protect the environment—and birds—we love. Pam Young, Executive Director I am very fortunate to be alive on another Earth Day, to take stock
Earth Day at 50
By Maureen Lahiff I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, famous for the burning Cuyahoga River in summer 1969. There had been several fires on the water before that one, the largest in 1952. There were steel mills, chemical companies, and lots of other manufacturing in the Flats along the river. Here on the West
Now Is The Time To Garden For Birds
By Kathy Kramer Birding from home has become more important than ever in our current sheltered situation. Many of us are learning that it is possible to bird from our windows, yards and sidewalks. There are easy ways to make your home (and surrounding areas) hospitable for birdlife, even while sheltering-at-home. When we learn
Street Life: The San Francisco Edition
By Richard Bradus One of the (few) benefits of this crisis is the marked reduction of traffic and the attendant noise, allowing us to hear so much more of what is going on along our neighborhood streets. I have been doing exercise walks around Western Addition, Pacific Heights, and Presidio Heights over the past
Sheltering in Place: Zuihitsu
By Gerry Traucht Editor’s Note: Gerry offers us glimpses of what he sees on his Berkeley strolls. This unique collection embodies the qualities of the beloved Japanese poetic form, Zuihitsu. Zuihitsu is genre of Japanese literature (since adapted by many Western writers) consisting of loosely connected personal essays and fragmented ideas that typically respond
Birding Through the Feelings
By Megan Fradley-Smith One of my earliest childhood memories, one that brings me much joy, is of a moment in kindergarten on a class field trip. I cannot remember where we were, why we were out, or who was there with me, but I can remember looking high up at the sky, and becoming
When Birds Are More Than a Hobby
By Alan Krakauer Like many of you, I count birds as a “necessary luxury,” something I feel I can’t live without, or at least I’m loathe to try. I’m one of those people who will temporarily exit a human conversation if an accipiter zips by or I catch a different bird song in
Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve: An Oasis in SF
By Whitney Grover There’s something magical about stepping off a concrete sidewalk and onto a dirt path. The claustrophobic buildings are replaced by comforting trees. Car alarms and ambulance sirens are replaced by singing robins and the soft chips of sparrows. The Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve is one of these places, a green
House Listing near Corona Heights under Coronavirus Restrictions
By Brian Fitch For many years now, I’ve been compiling a list of bird species that I’ve seen from my home near Corona Heights Park in San Francisco. It’s not technically a “yard list,” partly because I live in a third story flat, with no deck or yard space at all, and partly because