Blake Garden (Kensington)

Have you made a New Year’s Resolution to learn some new birding skills or brush-up on some rusty birding skills? Come bird with us at the Blake Garden. Winter is a great time to hone in on your skills by finding the resident and overwintering birds when many broad-leafed trees are bare.

The Blake Garden is a public garden and landscape laboratory. In 1957, the Blake Estate was deeded to the UC Berkeley’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning. With nearly 1500 plant species and 80-documented bird species, the garden is a model for many sustainable practices such as composting, rainwater-catchment and apiculture. One of the gardeners will give a brief introduction and history of the Blake Garden.

Come help us find the resident and overwintering birds. The dirt and gravel trails go up and down hill and are well maintained. Restrooms are present on the premises. Please bring binoculars if you have them. Scopes are also welcome. We will bird for approximately two to three hours.

Leader: Sonja Raub, scraub@gmail.com, cell (510) 919 7132

This trip is free but advance registration is required. Registration will open two weeks before the trip and close at 4 p.m. on January 6.  Directions for registered participants are below.

Please note the public health guidelines for this trip, as we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic:

• Walk is limited to 25 participants plus the leaders. There will not be a waiting list.

• Participants must register online and acknowledge acceptance of our liability waiver. Each person must register separately. No “drop ins,” please.

Thank you for your flexibility in helping us ensure that everyone remains healthy! Because we have to limit the size of trips, please do not sign up unless you are committed to attending.

Directions: We will meet in the parking lot (free parking) at 70 Rincon Rd., Kensington, 94707 at 9am.

Google map: https://goo.gl/maps/RDhjfhvgFsRpLkFg9