Expired Announcement

Welcome to the 2015 Christmas Bird Count!

We’re looking forward to our 2015 Oakland and San Francisco Christmas Bird Counts! The Oakland count will take place on Sunday December 20, while the San Francisco count will be on Tuesday December 29.

Registration for both counts is now closed. If you signed up for the count, you will be contacted by your team leader during the week before your count.

Media: You’re invited to cover the Oakland or SF count! Contact Communications Director Ilana DeBare at idebare@goldengateaudubon.org or (510) 301-5573.

The CBC is a fun event for both beginning and experienced birders. This is the 116th year of this nationwide Audubon tradition. Enjoy a fun day of birding, while contributing to our understanding of bird populations through the largest and oldest citizen science project in the world. Then come share results at the festive compilation dinner after each count!

For information and registration for each count, see https://goldengateaudubon.org/birding-resources/christmas-bird-counts/.

NOTE: This year the Oakland count is looking to expand the number of people participating as feeder watchers. Do you have friends in the East Bay with backyard bird feeders? Click here for a flyer you can print and share with them about the count.

Counting on Bay Farm Island. Photo by Nancy Johnston.Counting on Bay Farm Island in 2014. Photo by Nancy Johnston. Tallying totals at the 2014 Oakland count dinner / Photo by Ilana DeBareTallying totals at the 2014 Oakland count dinner / Photo by Ilana DeBare

 

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Family bird counts – Feb. 14 and 15

A morning outdoors birding with your kids at the San Francisco Zoo or at Lake Merritt — what could be more fun than that?

Bring your kids, grandkids, or friends’ kids to these fun, free family bird counts led by our expert Eco-Education staff. This is our way of celebrating National Audubon’s Great Backyard Bird Count weekend.

On Saturday February 14, join us at Lake Merritt from 9 to 11 a.m. for a bird walk and count with the Rotary Nature Center. Stay after for a picnic lunch! Click here for details and sign-up.
Then on Sunday February 15, we will have special before-hours access to the San Francisco Zoo to count birds there! The bird count runs from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Then half-price admission is available if you’d like to stay and visit the zoo. Click here for details and sign-up.
 
Totals from the weekend will be submitted to the Great Backyard Bird Count, helping scientists track and understand our bird populations.
For flyers about these events that you can print and share with friends, click on:

 

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We’re looking for an Office Manager

Golden Gate Audubon is seeking a part-time Office Manager to replace our talented, departing Ben Sisson. Work with the collegial staff and volunteers in our Berkeley office, and enjoy knowing that you are making a difference every day for Bay Area birds and wildlife!

Click here for a job description and application information. Deadline to apply is January 31, 2015.

 

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Bird the Delta by boat – February 15

The Sacramento Delta, with its waterways and flooded fields, is a magnet for birds in the wintertime. And visiting it by boat gives you perspectives you’ll never get by car!

Join us on Sunday February 15 for a magical all-day trip on board the comfortable Dolphin Charters boat to explore the Delta’s rich habitats and see thousands of Tundra Swan, Snow Geese, White-fronted Geese, and Canada Geese, plus myriad ducks and overwin­tering and resident raptors.

This popular trip, which departs from the Antioch marina ay 8:30 a.m. and returns at 5 p.m., is limited to 25 participants. Cost is $90 for Golden Gate Audubon members and $100 for non-members. 

Click here to register online. Confirmed participants will receive directions to the marina and other instructions about one week before the trip.

NOTE: This trip is now full. You can register to be placed on the waiting list. OR… Dolphin Charters has added an extra Delta trip on Friday February 13 that is open to the general public. To find out about the February 13 trip, contact Dolphin Charters directly at trips@dolphincharters.com. Registration for the February 13 trip is through Dolphin Charters, not through Golden Gate Audubon.

 

Great Egret on 2013 Delta boat trip / Photo by Ilana DeBareGreat Egret on 2013 Delta boat trip / Photo by Ilana DeBare Northern Harrier on 2013 Delta boat trip / Photo by Ilana DeBareNorthern Harrier on 2013 Delta boat trip / Photo by Ilana DeBare American Bittern in the reeds from 2013 Delta trip / Photo by Ilana DeBareAmerican Bittern (in the reeds) from 2013 Delta trip / Photo by Ilana DeBare

 

 

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Make your love of birds go twice as far!

Some generous friends of Golden Gate Audubon have offered to MATCH all donations made through December 31st, up to a total of $16,000!  This means that if you include GGAS in your year-end giving, your donation is not only tax-deductible but will be doubled — so every $1 you give will become $2.

Donating to Golden Gate Audubon is a great way to support the Bay Area birds you love, and ensure that both they and their habitat will be protected for our children and grandchildren to enjoy.

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From Snowy Plovers on the shoreline to Golden Eagles at the Altamont wind farm, GGAS is the leading voice speaking up on behalf of Bay Area birds. We put our beliefs to work in a hands-on way every month by restoring habitat at sites including Pier 94 in San Francisco, Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline in Oakland, the Alameda Wildlife Refuge, and Golden Gate Park.

Our Eco-Education program helps create the environmental stewards of tomorrow by introducing 700 low-income elementary schoolchildren each year to the ecosystems and wildlife in their neighborhoods.

And of course our field trips, guest speakers, and birding classes share the wonder of birds with people throughout the Bay Area!

Don’t wait until December 31st. Donate now… to ensure your gift will qualify for this matching donation, and to help us continue advocating for Bay Area birds throughout 2015!…