Due to the impact of COVID-19 GGAS has cancelled all spring classes. If you have signed up for one of our spring courses, please expect a full refund within the coming weeks. The $5 cancellation fee will be waived.

 

Improve your birding skills — or get started in birdwatching with some friendly, expert help! Golden Gate Audubon offers classes for all levels of birding experience. Please register for our classes online (easy and fast). If you don’t have access to a computer, call our office at (510) 843-2222 and we will return your call as soon as possible.

CANCELLATION POLICY: As a small organization with limited office staff, it is challenging for us to handle last-minute cancellations. If you need to cancel, we will refund your registration fee if :

(1) You withdraw more than two weeks before the start of the class, AND

(2) We can fill your spot with someone from the class waiting list.

Please note that there will be a $5 cancellation fee to cover the credit card transaction costs for your sign-up and cancellation.

For information on GGAS classes at the Lake Merritt Rotary Nature Center go to https://goldengateaudubon.org/classes-rnc/

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Spring 2020 Birding Classes

 

Beginning Birdwatching
March 9 through April 4

This great introduction to birdwatching will teach you about the migrants and seasonal visitors, as well as year-round residents. Instructor Anne Hoff will familiarize you with the tools of the trade — binoculars, field guides, online resources, and the best local places to watch birds.  In Monday evening classroom sessions, she’ll introduce you to different kinds of birds. Then on the following Saturday, she’ll help you spot them in the field! No prior birding experience required. Note: You will need to own or borrow binoculars from a friend for this class, but they are not necessary until the first field trip. Field trips begin at the sites listed on the syllabus distributed in class. Carpooling is encouraged.

The Ed Roberts Campus is a scent-free environment.

• Four Monday evening classes, March 9 to March 30 – 7 to 8:30 pm.
• Four three-hour field trips to a different site every week, 8:30 to 11:30 am on the Saturday following each class. (March 14 to April 4)
• Instructor: Anne Hoff
• Limited to 16 participants
• $110 for GGAS members, $145 for non-members
• Location: Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline Street, directly across the street from Ashby BART in Berkeley. Free parking in the lot behind the center.
• Registration opens on Monday, February 10th at 10 am. Click here to register online. Once the class is full, you may register to be on a waiting list.

 

 

Advanced Beginning Birdwatching 
March 11 through April 5

Are you a lapsed birder? Still remember a robin from a jay, but the sparrows all run together? Moved across the country and finding new birds? Or maybe you’re finally retired and have time to do what you love? Outdoors person who wants to enhance the experience? Or maybe you took the Beginning Birding class and want more? The Advanced Beginning class is geared to people who meet all those descriptions and more. Participants must have and use binoculars confidently. Field trips will be to East Bay shoreline, woodland, riparian, and grassland locations. This class will help you understand the various bird families and work on tricky IDs. It will also introduce you to community science (bird counting/monitoring) activities and current bird conservation issues.  Carpooling is encouraged.

The Ed Roberts Campus is a scent-free environment.

• Four Wednesday evening classes, March 11 to April 1 – 7 to 8:30 pm.
• Four three-hour field trips to a different site every week on the Sunday following each class, 8:30 to 11:30 am (March 15 to April 5)
• Instructor: Anne Hoff
• Limited to 16 participants
• $110 for GGAS members, $145 for non-members
• Location: Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline Street, directly across the street from Ashby BART in Berkeley. Free parking in the lot behind the center.
• Registration opens on Monday, February 10th am. Click here to register online. Once the class is full, you may register to be on a waiting list.

 

 

Avian Adventures in the Bay Area
CANCELLED DUE TO NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) PRECAUTIONS

Due to an abundance of caution over the novel coronavirus Avian Adventures in the Bay Area has been cancelled for the spring session. Full refunds will be issued to all students who signed up for this class.

 

 

Birding by Ear – Spring
March 12 through April 18

Spring!  It’s a great time to learn bird sounds of our resident birds, as well as those of returning migrants. From the morning chorus to the evening roosting, birds are singing, reinforcing pair bonds, defending territories, and just keeping track of one another.

We will explore various techniques for learning how to identify the songs and calls local birds, especially  the vocalizations of the species we hope to encounter on our the field trips. 

The Ed Roberts Campus is a scent-free environment.

Field trip locations can be found on the instructor’s website, http://www.denisewightbirds.com/.

• Six Thursday evening classes, March 12 to April 16 – 7 to 8:30 p.m.
• Six three-hour field trips on the Saturday following each class, 8:30 – 11:30 a.m.
• Instructor: Denise Wight
• Limited to 20 participants
• $150 for GGAS members, $185 for non-members
• Location: Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline Street, directly across the street from Ashby BART in Berkeley. Free parking in the lot behind the center.
• Registration opens on Wednesday, February 12th at 10 am. Click here to register online. Once the class is full, you may register to be on a waiting list.

 

 

Evolution of Birds
April 7 to May 12

This class focuses on avian evolution – including the scientists whose work has led to the modern theory of evolution, the evolutionary processes that have resulted in over 10,000 species of birds today, and the geological events that have been much of the cause of today’s avian multitude.  From dinosaurs in Pangea to mountains rising in California, we’ll cover 100 million years of the earth’s history, ending with California’s remarkable birdlife – all in six weeks.  This is an advanced class.  Lecture notes will be provided ahead of time via email.

The Ed Roberts Campus is a scent-free environment.

• Six Tuesday evening classes, April 7, 14, 21, and 28, May 5 and 12 – 7 to 8:30 pm
• Two weekend field trips, in smaller groups ,to be arranged, sometime during the course.
• Instructors: Bob Lewis and Bruce Mast
• Limited to 40 participants
• $130 for GGAS members, $165 for non-members
• Location: Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline Street, directly across the street from Ashby BART in Berkeley. Free parking in the lot behind the center.
• Registration opens on Wednesday, February 12th at 10 am. Click here to register online. Once the class is full, you may register to be on a waiting list.

 

Birds of the Sierra, Sessions 1 and 2

Two sessions of the popular class “Birds of the Sierra” will be offered again this year. Classes include six half-day field trips to different habitats, as well as a lecture and dinner at SFSU’s Sierra Nevada Field Campus near Bassetts Station.

Birds we may see include many Sierra specialties: Swainson’s Hawk, Sandhill Crane, White-headed and Lewis’s Woodpecker, Evening Grosbeak, Cassin’s Finch, Calliope Hummingbird, Empidonax flycatchers, Mountain Chickadee, Mountain Bluebird, Sage Thrasher, MacGillivray’s and Hermit Warblers, Western Tanager, Green-tailed Towhee and Brewer’s Sparrows. Optional evening trip to hear Booming Bitterns and Winnowing Snipes.

• Birds of the Sierra I, taught by Rusty Scalf and Bob Lewis, meets from 3 p.m. Thursday June 4th to noon on Sunday June 7th.
• Birds of the Sierra II, taught by Eddie Bartley and Bob Lewis, meets from 3 p.m. Thursday June 11th to noon on Sunday June 14th.

Each class is limited to 25 people. The fee of $175 (or $210 for non-GGAS members) includes one dinner. Lodging and other meals are not included in the fee. Bob Lewis will send a more detailed itinerary and information about where to look for lodging after registration.

• Registration opens on Monday, February 10th at 10 am for Session 1 and Tuesday, February 11th at 10 am for Session 2.
• Click here to register online for Session 1.
• Click here to register online for Session 2.
• Once a class is full, you may register to be on a waiting list.

Non-GGAS classes

City College of San Francisco Continuing Education offers ornithology classes taught by Joe Morlan, coauthor of Birds of San Francisco and the Bay Area and Birds of Northern California. Although these are not sponsored by Golden Gate Audubon, many of our members have taken and enjoyed them.

The fall 2019 sessions of these classes have been cancelled. They may be reinstated in Spring 2020. Check the CCSF web site for updates.