It's the beginning of summer and so the beginning of the quiet season at the lake - but there's always something to see here. It's swallow season, and we'll have pelicans and bluebirds and terns and lots of others, all close enough for long, satisfying looks.... MASKS REQUIRED FOR THIS WALK.  Leader: Hilary Powers, hilary@salamanderfeltworks.com, ... Read more

Today is Canada Day, eh? Do we have any birds who have “come from away”, from their "home and native land?" Meet at the parking lot at the entrance to the Tilden Nature Area Environmental Education Center/Little Farm for a walk down a wide road to Jewel Lake and back again. Water and restrooms at ... Read more

Slowly stroll around the S.F. Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park, exploring the many birds that thrive amidst several micro-habitats with more than 8,000 kinds of plants. This trip is oriented towards helping beginning birders develop their skills, and recurs on the first Sunday of each month. Entry to the Garden is free before 9 ... Read more

Please join us in Salesforce Park. We will take a leisurely birdwalk through the park and encounter common and not so common year round residents and migrant birds throughout the year. This trip is especially good for beginners as we often have very close views of the birds and can really closely study their distinguishing ... Read more

July is the start of southbound shorebird migration, so early shorebirds should be coming through. The Least and Forster’s Tern colonies should still be active, and teenage American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts should be hanging around with their parents. We’ll walk from the interpretive center to the tern colonies and return—about 3 miles on wide, ... Read more

Fall starts early along the East Bay shoreline, and by late June and early July, fall shorebird migration is already in full swing. Although diversity doesn’t peak until August and September, July is a great time to look for peeps, Wilson’s Phalaropes, and other early migrants such as Willets, Long-billed Curlews, and yellowlegs. San Leandro ... Read more

Summer has arrived and the Blake Garden is full of fledglings. Come observe the interactions between parents and fledglings around the garden. On Tuesday we’ll continue with bird phenology in Blake Garden on our monthly walk. We’ll be looking for the summer resident birds and listen to their chatter. Some species may even be trying ... Read more

The UCSF Mount Sutro Open Space Preserve is a 61-acre remnant of more than 2000 acres of eucalyptus trees planted by Adolf Sutro in the late 1800s. UCSF has instituted a long term management plan for the OSP with the initial phase focused on removing dead and dying trees to improve fire safety. Some tree ... Read more

Meet in front of the Community Garden to explore several different habitats in this compact part of GGNRA. The focus will be looking for late nesting birds and possibly some early migrating or dispersing birds.  The garden will have a variety of land birds, usually including Hooded Orioles. We'll also scan Aquatic Park for water ... Read more

Beaver dams are known to double the probability of willow flycatchers and the density of song sparrows compared to areas without beavers. Iin the past, beavers have been regarded by ranchers and city planners as nuisance animals. Beavers do flood areas, which is both beneficial and bothersome, but solutions other than eradication exist, like beaver ... Read more

Birding in the Moraga area on level trails and fire roads owned by East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). This area features a variety of habitats: chaparral and scrub, grassland, pine-oak woodland, marsh, and the top of the reservoir. Likely birds include raptors, sparrows, California Thrasher, nuthatches, wrens, and the shy Wood Ducks. We will ... Read more