Online Bird Art Auction – May 17 through June 1

Online Bird Art Auction – May 17 through June 1

ByGGBA

Bring the beauty of birds into your home—while helping artists and Bay Area wildlife—through an online auction of bird art sponsored by Golden Gate Bird Alliance. From May 17 through June 1, Golden Gate Bird Alliance is holding an online auction of nearly 50 widely varied paintings, prints, photographs, and sculptures of birds at http://goldengatebirdalliance.org/auction.

This year’s auction is an online part of Birdathon, Golden Gate Bird Alliance’s annual fundraiser to support our conservation and education work for the coming year. This year we’re excited bring you this auction in support of both the artists and Golden Gate Bird Alliance as we shelter in place at home. Auction proceeds will be split between Golden Gate Bird Alliance and the artists, in most cases on a 50/50 basis. This is the first time in Golden Gate Bird Alliance’s 103-year history that we’ve sponsored an online auction of bird art. 

The auction offers items for all tastes and budgets, from giclee prints of kingfishers and herons that open for bidding at $20, to paintings of chickadees and roadrunners valued at over $1800. Along with items for bidding, there are items for sale at fixed prices, such as bird notecards by Berkeley artist Rigel Stuhmiller.

Perhaps the most unique item is a gift pack from best-selling author Amy Tan, who is also a proficient bird artist. The  pack includes a set of bird notecards by Tan, plus autographed copies of her breakout novel, The Joy Luck Club, and her memoir, Where the Past Begins.

An exclusive collection of Amy Tan’s autographed books and bird notecards for our 2020 online bird art auction. Photo by Ilana DeBare

Another unusual item is a personal chalk art rendition of birds—made to order for the buyer’s sidewalk by artist Clay Anderson. Please check out our auction website to see the full range of art available in this unique auction.

Here’s how the auction will work:

• The auction will open on May 17, 2020 and will continue through June 1, 2020.
• To bid, you’ll be prompted to create a free account with 32Auctions (the website that hosts our auction).
• You can either bid an exact amount or by “proxy”, in which 32Auctions automatically raises your bid such that it is the lowest possible winning bid, up to your maximum bid amount.…

Nature activities for kids during Covid-19

Nature activities for kids during Covid-19

ByGGBA

Are your kids sheltering-in-place at home because of the Covid-19 epidemic? Enjoy these fun projects to learn about birds and nature in your neighborhood, prepared by our Eco-Education team.

These activities are geared primarily towards elementary school-aged children, and incorporate STEM (science-technology-engineering-math) and language arts skills, as well as direct observations of nature and outdoor activities. They are available in English and Spanish.

In English:

So You Want to Be a Birder?

What Kind of Plant Do I Have?

How Do I Find Animals?

Follow the Garbage!

Bird Detective – explore birds in your neighborhood

Anna’s Hummingbird by Bob Gunderson

Listening Bingo  – what sounds do you hear in your neighborhood?

Hummingbird Story Packet – read and discuss an Ohlone folktale about hummingbirds

Hummingbird Math – do hummingbird hearts beat faster than yours?

Make A Hummingbird – all you need are scissors, crayons, and tape or glue

How to Help Birds – ways your family can help birds and their S.F. Bay habitat

En Español:

Bird Detective (Detective de Aves) – Spanish

Listening Bingo (Bingo de Escuchar) – Spanish

Hummingbird Math (Matemática del Colibrí)  – Spanish

How to Help Birds (Diez Maneras de Ayudar las Aves) – Spanish

Other ideas: 

Our Osprey NestCam offers live streaming views of an active Osprey nest along the Richmond shoreline. Watch with your family and talk about what you see the Ospreys doing, and why you think they’re doing it. You can also join our free Osprey chat group to ask questions and share your reactions. Our Osprey web site has free downloadable lesson plans for grades 6-12, which you may be able to simplify and adapt for younger children. (Yes, you may download these even if you’re not a teacher — just write “Covid” in the space where it asks for your school!) 

National Audubon Society offers a wide range of activities for children and families, from online bird drawing lessons to tips for observing city pigeons. See audubon.org/get-outside/activities/audubon-for-kids. 

Put up a bird feeder in your yard. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has information on how to get started. Then download the free Merlin app or go to allaboutbirds.org to identify and learn about the species you’re attracting. 

And here’s a short video about outdoor nature activities with kids by our friend Rue Mapp, founder of Outdoor Afro. This was created before the pandemic, but can help when your family is feeling housebound now.…

Spring 2019 Birding Classes
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Spring 2019 Birding Classes

ByGGBA

Field Photography Workshop with a Pro:
Wintering Raptors and more in Sierra Valley
February 23 and 24

Ferruginous Hawk by John Ehrenfeld

Spend a weekend with professional wildlife photographer John Ehrenfeld in the Sierra Valley. Target species include Rough-legged and Ferruginous Hawks, falcons, and eagles.

There are 25 eBird hotspots for Sierra Valley, which straddles Sierra and Plumas Counties.

Plan to spend all day Saturday and Sunday in the field. John will provide technical and creative advice for photographers and will lead a friendly critique session to review the day’s photographs on Saturday evening.

Two-night stays are required at all the lodging options in the area. A list of lodging suggestions will be sent to participants soon after they register.

The group will meet at the intersection of highways 89 and 49 at the Globe Hotel parking lot at 11 am on Saturday. Participants will stay over Saturday night and return to the field on Sunday morning. Carpooling is recommended.

The instructors website is http://www.johnehrenfeldphotography

Limited to 10 participants.

Fee is $250 for GGBA members and $300 for others. Accommodations and meals not included in the course fee.

Weather: Rain and fog can add ambiance to nature photography so we’ll address those challenges in the field like the pros do. Heavy snow forecast will cancel trip and it will be rescheduled.

No minimum standards for photo equipment, but a digital SLR with a minimum reach of a 300mm lens will be helpful.

Click HERE to register online. Once the class is full, you may register to be on a waiting list. Registration closes on Wednesday, February 20.

Birding by Ear – Early Spring
February 28 through April 6

Early Spring!  It’s a great time to learn bird sounds of our resident birds, as well as those of
returning migrants.  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.  Field trip locations are listed on the instructor’s website denisewightbirds.com

  • Six Thursday evening classes, February 28 to April 5; 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
  • Limit to 20 participants
  • $110 for GGBA members, $130 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.
…
New video! Kids promote a clean and healthy Bay

New video! Kids promote a clean and healthy Bay

ByGGBA

We’re delighted to share our new video, Doing Our Part: Kids and a Healthy Bay.

This 17-minute video features young conservation leaders from Golden Gate Bird Alliance sharing some of their favorite places and creatures along the San Francisco Bay shoreline, and their ideas for how we can all keep the Bay’s habitats clean and healthy.

Attention educators: This is a great resource to include in a curriculum on San Francisco Bay wildlife and habitats, local ecology and watersheds, and clean water.

Consider pairing the video with some time in the field, spotting Bay wildlife and helping restore the shoreline! Participants of all ages are welcome at our ongoing volunteer habitat restoration events. See goldengatebirdalliance.org/volunteer for an upcoming restoration event and date convenient to you.

Many thanks to the Alameda County Clean Water Program for funding this video.…

PB&J Birders event for kids – May 4

PB&J Birders event for kids – May 4

ByGGBA

Join us on Sunday morning May 4th from 10 a..m. until noon for a PB&J Birders family bird walk at Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park!

This easy walk  will bring little birders and their parents/guardians along the lake looking for ducks, Great Blue Herons, and more! The walk is on mostly level ground along a developed and paved pathway. Most of the walk is wheelchair accessible.

Meet: In parking lot behind Boathouse, 50 Stow Lake Dr E, San Francisco, CA 94118

Bring:  Snacks, water, layers of clothes, snacks and binoculars or scopes if you have them. We will also have quality binoculars and field guides available, along with crayons and coloring projects.
This event is free and open to families with kids of all ages.
P.S. Did you know there is now a nest cam monitoring the Great Blue Heron nest at Stow Lake?
Watch the heron family on your computer, then come join us on our Stow Lake walk! Nest cam at
http://www.sfnature.org/LiveEx/live.html – thanks to S.F. Nature Education for setting up the cam!

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