Memorial Service for Jimm Edgar
First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley 2407 Dana St, Berkeley, CA, United StatesA memorial service for Jimm Edgar, who passed away on July 14, 2021, will be held on Monday, August 30, at 1 pm, at First Pres. Click here to RSVP. Click here to go to the livestream service. In-person attendance is limited to 150 people. Jimm Edgar, longtime MDAS leader, passed away peacefully on July 14th in Alabama […]
MDAS Field Trip—Jewel Lake
Jewel Lake, Tilden Nature Area, California 600 Canon Dr, Berkeley, CA 94708, Berkeley, CA, United StatesTilden Regional Park. Birds are migrating already and will be walking near the Nature Center and Jewel Lake in Tilden Regional Park. A short morning visit may allow us to see Wilson's, Black-throated Gray and Yellow Warblers, Red-breasted Nuthatches and more. This hike is limited to 15 participants. All Field Trips are first-registered, first-served. Participants […]
Monthly Program: September 2021
Zoom CA, United StatesMain Program: Birds (and Other Wildlife) of Zambia Jerry Britten, MDAS President Zambia may not be one of the first countries in Africa one thinks of as a safari destination, but perhaps this lends to its appeal. Zambia in fact is a politically stable country about the size of Texas, with many parks and safari areas […]
Magic & Mystery Of Migration – 4 sessions on Tuesdays
OnlineThis summer, somewhere in Canada, a Blackpoll Warbler will hatch, fledge, and grow to young adulthood. Come August, this half-ounce bird will fly 3,000 miles to the Maritime provinces and then out over the Atlantic Ocean to catch a northwest tail wind that will take it south to around Bermuda. A northeast trade wind will […]
Snowy Plover Conservation in the Bay Area
OnlineSnowy Plover Conservation in the Bay Area: Successes and Challenges in a Shifting Landscape The Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) is a federally threatened, ground-nesting shorebird species that breeds, roosts, and forages along the Pacific Coast from Southern Washington down to the tip of Baja California. While their typical habitat across the range is […]
Nature Journaling At Lake Merritt – 10 sessions
Online and Field TripInstructor: Clay Anderson 10 sessions on Thursdays and Saturdays Venue: Zoom and field trips to Lake Merritt Come celebrate nature on Lake Merritt. Our nature journal class spans the myriad issues surrounding Lake Merritt’s natural world and the practice of nature journaling. Come share your love of journaling and commune with others of like mind. This year-round […]
Birds & Mammals of Tanzania
OnlineSpeaker: Wendy Dreskin Famous for having the biggest concentrations of large mammals on the planet, Tanzania is also an exciting birding destination. This presentation will feature birds travelers would be likely to see on a safari to Northern Tanzania in the winter, before migratory birds have left for their breeding grounds, as well as some of […]
The Changing Seasons—Birds of the East Bay Hills with Bob Lewis
OnlineThe Bay Area is rich in varying habitats that are home to many bird species. As the seasons change, some birds arrive, others depart, and some just stay here at home. We’ll talk about many bird species that can be found in our gardens, with some discussion of things one can do to enrich these […]
Fall Rarities: Searching For The Unexpected (Session 1)
Online and Field TripInstructor: Alex Henry For Bay Area birders, finding rarities in the fall is part of the fun. Our location on the edge of the Pacific Americas Flyway brings many species of birds through our area on their way south. Birds that normally migrate over the ocean get blown off course and land in the Bay […]
Purple Martins In The Central Valley: Going, Going, Gone?
OnlineFeaturing Dan Airola Thursday, September 16 — 7 p.m. via Zoom Male Purple Martins in Sacramento, by Lisa Alvarez Purple Martins have been in long-term decline in California due to factors such as habitat loss, competition with the European Starling, disturbance from construction projects, and declines in their insect food supply due to neonicotinoid insecticide […]
California Coastal Cleanup 2021
Participate in the CA Coastal Commission's Coastal Cleanup Day on September 18, and throughout the month! Due to COVID, organized cleanups won't be scheduled by our local Contra Costa Resource Conservation District, but they encourage you to do your own self-guided one. The District has resources to make this easier. See their cleanup page HERE. […]
Advanced Beginning Birding – Morning Lectures
Online and Field TripInstructor: Anne Hoff 5 sessions on Wednesdays and Sundays Venue: Zoom plus field trips Did the Covid lockdown spark or renew your interest in birding? Want to move beyond being able to tell a robin from a jay and be able to sort out the sparrows? Moved across the country and finding new birds? Or maybe you’re […]
Advanced Beginning Birding – Evening Lectures
Online and Field TripInstructor: Anne Hoff 5 sessions on Wednesdays and Sundays Venue: Zoom plus field trips Did the Covid lockdown spark or renew your interest in birding? Want to move beyond being able to tell a robin from a jay and be able to sort out the sparrows? Moved across the country and finding new birds? Or maybe you’re […]
Feathered Hunters – Identifying Raptors with Bob Lewis
OnlineRaptors include hawks, falcons, eagles, vultures, and owls. They are efficient hunters, catching a variety of prey from small mammals and birds to snakes and large insects, using razor-sharp talons. Although identification may seem a bit difficult at first, with a little experience it is possible to identify many raptors in flight as well as […]
Avian Adventures In The Bay Area
Online and Field TripInstructor: Miya Lucas And Wendy Beers 6 sessions on Thursdays and weekends Venue: Zoom plus field trips Fall is an avian wonder in the Bay Area. Our location on the Pacific Flyway brings many migrants through as they head south for the winter. This class will introduce you to some of these visitors, both their visual field […]
Birding By Ear
Online and Field TripInstructor: Denise Wight 6 sessions on Thursdays and Saturdays Venue: Zoom plus field trips Autumn is a great time to start slow and learn some of our local bird sounds. This class will introduce you to 20 common birds found in the East Bay in fall. We will cover a wide variety of techniques used for […]
Birding In Marin—Abbotts Lagoon and the Inverness Tennis Area
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin Abbott’s Lagoon on the Pacific Coast in the Point Reyes National Seashore is one of Marin’s premier birding locations sporting an eBird sum of 283 species. Fall migration south along the coast brings many birds to this area. Some that we hope to see include Ferruginous Hawk, Baird’s […]
MDAS/SMD Field Trip—Curry Canyon
Curry Canyon RanchJoin us on a flat hike through Curry Canyon, Save Mount Diablo's signature property on the eastern slope of Mount Diablo. We will look for some lingering fall migrants, early-arriving wintering birds, and raptors along this beautiful riparian corridor. This is a joint MDAS/SMD hike, and registration is through SMD's Discover Diablo Event page. Leader: […]
MDAS Field Trip—Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary
Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary Shore Line Drive, Broadway, Alameda, CA, United StatesElsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary. A visit to the Alameda shoreline as the tide rises should produce good views of shorebirds. A viewing platform and trails will give us excellent opportunities to study these birds at close range. We may drive to other nearby locations for additional birding. Fifteen participants maximum. Category 1: Easy, little or […]
Fall Rarities: Searching For The Unexpected (Session 2)
Online and Field TripInstructor: Alex Henry For Bay Area birders, finding rarities in the fall is part of the fun. Our location on the edge of the Pacific Americas Flyway brings many species of birds through our area on their way south. Birds that normally migrate over the ocean get blown off course and land in the Bay […]