Mount Diablo Bird Alliance

March 2021 Conservation Icons: Harry Fuller, owls
2021-03-18 18:00 - 18:45 (America/Los_Angeles) | Online
Explore the mysterious world of Great Gray Owls and other nocturnal birds of prey with bird expert and author Harry Fuller as part of our Virtual Conservation Icons speaker series. Join Fuller at 6 p.m., Thursday, March 18 for a conversation with Lindsay Wildlife Executive Director Carlos de la Rosa and learn about Fuller’s passion for these raptors and other birds.
In addition to a long career as a journalist, Fuller has worked as a volunteer and professional birding guide. He is the author of the books Great Gray Owls of California, Oregon and Washington; Freeway Birding; and San Francisco’s Natural History: Sand Dunes to Streetcars. He also blogs about birding at towhee.net and atowhee.wordpress.com.
Fuller is dedicated his talk in memory of Shadow, our late Great Gray Owl animal ambassador.

The Sage Trifecta
2021-03-24 20:30 | Online
The Sage Trifecta with Bruce Mast
The sagebrush basin and range country east of the Sierras offers a starkly beautiful landscape filled with fascinating birds and wildlife. Join us from the comfort of your armchair as we take a whirlwind virtual tour of the region around Susanville and Honey Lake. The centerpiece of our virtual Zoom trip will be watching male Greater Sage-Grouse dance at dawn for females’ attention. Nearby, we’ll look for Sagebrush Sparrow and Sage Thrasher, to complete the ‘sage trifecta.’ Elsewhere we’ll seek out wintering Ferruginous and Rough-legged hawks and try for mountain specialties such as White-headed Woodpeckers, Pinyon Jays, and Townsend’s Solitaires. Along the way, we’ll explore the human and natural history of the land and consider the conservation threats that imperil it.
Bruce Mast honed his birding and citizen science skills as a volunteer at Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge in Central Texas, where he mapped nesting territories of endangered Black-capped Vireos and Golden-cheeked Warblers. He has led a Sage Trifecta field trip to Lassen County as part of Birdathon for several years—a peak lifetime experience for attendees who rose at 4 a.m. in freezing cold to watch the mating rituals of the Sage-Grouse. Bruce is Treasurer of the Golden Gate Audubon Board of Directors.
This event will take place online via Zoom and last approximately 60-75 minutes. Registrants will be sent a link and password to access the Zoom. The session will be recorded, and registrants will have access to the recording on the web for two weeks after the event, regardless of whether they attend the live presentation.

Reconsider the Coot—Crazy Reproductive Antics of a Common Marsh Denizen
2021-03-25 16:30 - 18:00 | Online
Coots are often overlooked by birders because they are so common. Dr. Bruce Lyon has been studying the reproductive antics of American coots for the past two decades and has discovered that there is far more to this bird than meets the eye. He will highlight some of his discoveries about the parental and reproductive strategies of coots and answer questions such as: Why do some coot females lay their eggs in the nests of other coot females? What do the birds that receive these unwanted foster eggs do? Coots are just as bizarre when it comes to raising their own kids, and there are many puzzling features of coot parental care behavior. For example, why do coots lay far more eggs than they can normally raise and why do they beat up their kids so much? And, finally, why are baby coots born with such a ridiculously fluorescent orange plumage?
In addition, because Dr. Lyon’s coot research was done in a wild part of central British Columbia, he will briefly highlight a few of the special birds encountered at the study site. Finally, he’ll discuss how the research program is expanding to ask similar questions in a mysterious coot in the High Andes of Argentina.
Bruce Lyon is a professor of Evolutionary Ecology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His research focuses on the evolution of reproductive strategies and mating behavior of birds. His long-term research on the adaptive basis of brood parasitism in American coots has sought to understand why parasitism within species evolves and how the behavior influences other aspects of social behavior. Dr. Lyon has also investigated the evolution of ornamental plumage signals in a variety of species, including lark buntings, lazuli buntings and the evolution of ornamental offspring plumage in the newly hatched chicks of American coots. Most recently, he has conducted a decade long investigation into the winter social lives of migrant golden-crowned sparrows that spent their winters on the Arboretum of the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Please register – the Zoom meeting link will be sent in the confirmation. If you have trouble registering or have any questions, please contact Sirena Lao, Environmental Education and Outreach Specialist, at slao@sfbbo.org.

Lindsay at Home: Hospital Behind the Scenes
2021-03-27 11:00 - 11:30 | Online
Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at our wildlife hospital as our veterinary staff treats a wildlife patient! Join us at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 27 live on Zoom for “Lindsay at Home: Hospital BTS” and explore the fascinating world of wildlife rehabilitation. This half-hour online program is perfect for all ages and gives you unparalleled access to a working wildlife hospital. Be sure to bring your questions!
Cost: $5 for families with a Lindsay membership, and $10 for non-member families.

Birding California’s Big Sink
2021-03-28 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
Birding California’s Big Sink with Eddie Bartley & Noreen Weeden
Take a fast-paced virtual spin around one of California’s most important birding areas: the Salton Sink. Though much altered by humans in the past century, the endorheic or drainless Salton Sink (of which the Salton Sea is a major feature) holds magnificent bird diversity and abundance, especially in winter, which will be the seasonal focus of this presentation.
Eddie and Noreen will share photography and natural history stories about the unique biodiversity, regional specialty birds, and favorite wildlife spots they’ve discovered in 25+ years visiting this region filled with natural phenomena.
Eddie Bartley and Noreen Weeden are volunteer researchers and educators with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory and Golden Gate Audubon Society and board members at the Yerba Buena Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. They also lead natural history, bird watching and photography tours for Nature Trip of out their home base in San Francisco at NATURETRIP.COM. They’ve led winter trips to the Salton Sea for Golden Gate Audubon for a number of years.
This event will take place online via Zoom and last approximately 60-75 minutes. Registrants will be sent a link and password to access the Zoom. The session will be recorded, and registrants will have access to the recording on the web for two weeks after the event, regardless of whether they attend the live presentation.

Rare Bird Sightings in Marin 2020
2021-03-31 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
With California Young Birders Club Members – Joseph Zeno, Mark Schulist, Lucas Corneliussen, and John King
Marin County hosts some of the best opportunities to see and find rare birds. You can see a new bird in Marin every time you go outside. As you grow as a birder and begin to be able to recognize most of the local species, you will start to find new birds that may be rare where you live. The species you observe will change with the seasons. Fall migration in Marin County is exceptional for finding rare birds compared to most places on the west coast because the extent to which Point Reyes National Seashore extends into the Pacific Ocean makes it an ideal resting place for migrating birds. Some of the birds that stop there are regular migrants, and some are truly rare because they get blown off course. These are known as vagrants. This webinar will illustrate where you can find rare migrants and vagrants in Marin county, giving tips on how to find them, and these talented and enthusiastic young birders will show you some of the highlights and best experiences they had with Marin’s rare birds in 2020.
All of the young birders presenting on this date are part of the Bay Area Chapter of the California Young Birders Club. Check out their website and read about their monthly field trips throughout the state.
Young Birders
Joseph Zeno: Sophomore currently attending Terra Linda High School and part of the Marin School of Environmental Leadership (MarinSEL) program. Started birding in 2017 and likes to find and photograph birds and make photo books and calendars. Interested in studying how birds interact with other organisms in our changing environment.
Mark Schulist: Sophomore currently attending Marin Academy High School. Started birding in 2017 and enjoys photographing birds as well as any other wildlife. Interested in patterns of birds and how birds are able to migrate with such consistency.
Lucas Corneliussen: Junior currently attending Credo High School in Sonoma County. Started birding in 2011 and enjoys California county birding and birding in new locations all over the state as well as birding throughout the Point Reyes National Seashore on an almost weekly basis. Currently interested in nocturnal flight counts (NFC) and changes in migration patterns within certain species over the course of different periods of time.
John King: Sophomore currently attending Terra Linda High School. Started birding in 2017, and still enjoying the different habitats California has to offer. He enjoys birding in coastal forested areas where small passerines are abundant and in large flocks. Interested in the evolution of birds and the adaptations (structural/behavioral) they made to survive in the wild.

The Farallones—Minus The Seasickness
2021-03-31 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
Farallones‚ Minus The Seasickness with Alvaro Jaramillo
The Farallon Islands are the most important seabird colony in the US Pacific Coast south of Alaska. Hundreds of thousands of seabirds breed there, and others forage nearby. We are lucky in the Bay Area, that Southeast Farallon Island is accessible on a one day boat trip, as it is approximately 27 miles from shore.
It is never truly comfortable to go anywhere on a boat, and sometimes it is more of an adventure than other times. But the prize of seeing hundreds of thousands of breeding Common Murres, Tufted Puffins, hundreds of Pigeon Guillemots, the largest Western Gull colony on earth as well as shearwaters, whales and hundreds of noisy sea lions and Northern Fur Seals makes it all worthwhile.
Join us on an outing to the Farallons, starting from Half Moon Bay, and returning through the deep offshore waters outside of the continental shelf. One of the world’s natural history gems is right outside our doorstep. If you (or your stomach) don’t like boats, this is a way to see what all the fuss is about!
Alvaro Jaramillo is a lifelong birder, biologist and book author. He runs Alvaro’s Adventures, a birding tour company based in Half Moon Bay, CA.
This event will take place online via Zoom and last approximately 60-75 minutes. Registrants will be sent a link and password to access the Zoom. The session will be recorded, and registrants will have access to the recording on the web for two weeks after the event, regardless of whether they attend the live presentation.

Virtual Bird ID Seminar with Jon Dunn—3 Consecutive Thursday Evenings
2021-04-01 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
In an effort to promote bird knowledge and interest, OAS has partnered with author and bird expert Jon Dunn for a 3-part set of one and a half hour sessions on three consecutive Thursday’s from April 1 to April 15, 2021 starting at 7pm each night.
Jon Dunn is one of the top birders in the world, a leading expert on the identification and distribution of North American birds, consultant for Birding magazine, author of many books including National Geographic’s Field Guide to Birds of North American, and current president of Western Field Ornithologists.
The seminar is targeted for intermediate to advanced birders; topics include: waterfowls, gulls, and sparrows.
Register online using EventBrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bird-id-seminar-with-jon-dunn-tickets-140641222683
Members $30, Non-members $45
Please make sure to provide your email address for contact for the online seminar registration. Details regarding seminar registration information will be sent starting March 13, 2021.

Monthly Program: April 2021
2021-04-01 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom, CA, United States
Adélie penguin photo by Annie Schmidt
Birding Info: Beginning with a brief introduction to the Female Bird Day effort (established 2019), Joanna Wu, GIS Analyst and Biologist with the National Audubon Society, will explain the consequences of overlooking female birds, both in birding and the sciences. Then she will cover some tips for female identification based on appearance, vocalizations, behavior, and more.
Annie Schmidt in Antarctica
Main Program: Coldest, Driest, Windiest: studying Adélie penguins on the harshest continent with Annie Schmidt

Annie Schmidt, Antarctica Program Director for Point Blue Conservation Science, will provide an Introduction to the Adélie penguin, the Ross Sea and its global importance, and discuss how they study Adélie penguins, highlighting recent work and conservation applications.

Annie currently manages the Adélie Penguin Ecology research at Point Blue. Their research covers a range of questions including why are some colonies growing faster than others, where and what do penguins do in the winter, how does penguin nesting habitat influences breeding success, and how will climate change influence their populations. Annie is lucky enough to spend a few months of the year at their field site on Ross Island, Cape Crozier, one of the largest Adélie penguin colonies in the world.

Annie started at Point Blue in 2004 as an intern investigating Leach’s Storm-Petrel demography on the Oregon Coast. The first time she held one of these tiny, incredibly tough, birds, she was hooked and subsequently went on to study seabirds on the Farallon Islands. There is nothing like the bustling activity of a seabird metropolis to stimulate curiosity, wonder, and a desire to contribute towards a sustainable future. In 2013, she completed a PhD in Ecology at UC Davis where she studied the changing influence of ocean conditions on seabird populations on the Farallones. Annie recently returned from her eighth season conducting research in Antarctica.

Raptors Of Skaggs Island
2021-04-03 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
Raptors Of Skaggs Island with Anne Ardillo & George Eade
This virtual voyage will take you beyond the locked gates of Skaggs Island to learn about its many raptors — eagles, hawks, owls, kites, falcons, and more. A former naval base, now a part of the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge in the North Bay, Skaggs island is a favored habitat for many birds, especially raptors.
George and Anne will share photography and natural history stories about the unique biodiversity, the wintering birds and the history of this unique area.
Anne Ardillo teaches raptor classes for Golden Gate Audubon. George Eade has surveyed raptors at Skaggs Island for over 7 years and reports to the USFWS and the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory.
This event will take place online via Zoom and last approximately 60-75 minutes. Registrants will be sent a link and password to access the Zoom. The session will be recorded, and registrants will have access to the recording on the web for two weeks after the event, regardless of whether they attend the live presentation.

Christmas In May Count Registration
2021-04-05 - 2021-04-24 | Online
Join Golden Gate Audubon Society’s new Christmas-in-May Bird Counts (CiMBC) on Saturday, May 8th!
Find as many bird species as possible in your chosen area… while contributing to community science and generating funds to protect Bay Area birds.
Choose from 25 AREAS in Oakland or 17 AREAS in San Francisco. Pick an area you’ve birded before in our Christmas count to experience the seasonal changes in bird populations, or explore an entirely new area. Or select Feeder Watch to count birds in your own yard. Sign up early to ensure your first choice of birding area, since there is a limit of 10 birders per count area.
Our count day of May 8 coincides with eBird’s GLOBAL BIG DAY: We’re asking every participant to upload their tally to eBird so we can contribute to this massive community science effort. Not familiar with eBird? No problem! We’ll host a Zoom class on Saturday, May 2, at 7 p.m. to develop your eBird Mobile skills.
Along with birding fun and community science, Christmas-in-May has a third important aspect—supporting Golden Gate Audubon. Your registration fee of $25 (or $15 for students/low-income) helps us continue our work protecting Bay Area birds.
Multiply the impact of your own contribution by getting friends or family members to support your area team! Find your team’s fundraising page HERE. Your friends can make a fixed donation in advance or—to heighten the suspense on count day—make a per-species pledge such as 50 cents for every species you find.

California Beaver Summit Day 1: Beaver Essentials—History and Management
2021-04-07 13:00 - 17:00 | Online
Climate change is making our state hotter, drier, and harder for people and wildlife. Find out how beaver can help.
Beaver has shaped the landscapes of California for over 5 million years. Their dams have slowed runoff and created wetlands of carbon enriched meadows. They charged aquifers, maintained stable temperatures, and cooled stream flows in California’s dry summers. Countless species and entire ecosystems have adapted to these beaver-maintained hydrologies and geomorphologies.
Today, across the US, Canada, and Europe, people have begun to better realize the value these rodents provide. The golden state has been slow to understand this lesson. The California Beaver Summit is an important step towards changing that.
During two half-day sessions on two days in April, we explore the many benefits that beavers offer to our drying state. The first session on April 7th will present an overview of beaver essentials. The discussion will clarify the history of beavers in the state, their ecological contribution as a keystone species, their function in aquatic restoration and conservation, and finally, how to successfully manage common conflicts beavers cause.
The second session on April 9th takes a closer look closer at how biologists, watershed stewards, and land managers utilize advances in beaver science and management for restoration. It addresses where they are being employed for fire resilience, conservation of endangered species, and cleaner water. California-specific management and policy challenges will be highlighted along with directions for future improvements. Because we are behind other beaver-progressive western states like Washington and Utah, California is in a unique position to avoid their mistakes and learn from their successes.
Fires in close succession and habitat destruction, in general, are significantly altering our rich biodiversity. Drought is a persistent concern. Understanding beaver management can transform this animal from an uninvited guest to an untapped resource. Their stewardship of streams can make our state more beautiful, more robust to climate change, and ultimately help keep California’s promise to future generations for years to come.

Treasures Of Mines Road
2021-04-07 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
Treasures Of Mines Road with Steve Lombardi
This virtual 65-mile round trip will explore all of Mines Road plus connecting portions of San Antonio Valley and Del Puerto Canyon Roads. They all run through the East Bay’s Diablo Range in an area virtually devoid of humans, but not of birds. Our virtual tour will take place in early spring, when summer residents are returning and nesting activity is heating up. Highlights will include:
Study of area specialties, like Phainopepla, Lewis’s Woodpecker, Lawrence’s Goldfinch, and Greater Roadrunner (a bird that’s elusive in person, but easily seen virtually).
A drive around Lake Del Valle searching for Bald Eagle, breeding Western Grebes, and several species of nesting swallows.
Views and sounds of the expected chaparral and scrub species, like California Thrasher, Western Kingbird, and Rufous-crowned Sparrow.
We’ll include discussion of the various eBird hotspots along our route, plus tips for visiting the area in person. It will be a 3-county hat trick!
Steve Lombardi, Field Trip Coordinator for Golden Gate Audubon Society, has led springtime Birdathon field trips to Mines Road for years.
This event will take place online via Zoom and last approximately 60-75 minutes. Registrants will be sent a link and password to access the Zoom. The session will be recorded, and registrants will have access to the recording on the web for two weeks after the event, regardless of whether they attend the live presentation.

Singing Hummingbird Feathers and the Quiet Flight of Owls (and Other Birds)
2021-04-08 17:00 - 18:00 | Online
Dr. Chris Clark will present ongoing research in his lab, starting with work on how hummingbirds make sounds with their tail feathers during courtship displays. Then he will shift to ongoing research he is conducting on why owls have evolved to fly quietly.
Dr. Clark grew up in Seattle where he started birdwatching at age 15. After graduating from Washington State University with a degree in Zoology, he received his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley in 2009. He then worked in the Peabody Museum at Yale University before starting a faculty position in the Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology department at UC Riverside.
This talk is recommended for high school and up. Please register – the Zoom meeting link will be sent in the confirmation. If you have trouble registering or have any questions, please contact Sirena Lao, Environmental Education and Outreach Specialist, at slao@sfbbo.org.
This program is possible thanks to the support of SFBBO donors. To help keep these events going, we hope you’ll consider making a suggested donation of $5 or more if you can. Your tax-deductible donation helps us make these events available to the public and engage broad audiences with birds, nature, science, and conservation. You may donate in increments of $5 below or click here to donate a different amount.

Birding By Ear
2021-04-08 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
BIRDING BY EAR: SPRING

INSTRUCTOR: DENISE WIGHT

Six Zoom sessions on Thursdays

Spring! The best time to throw yourself into the cacophony of bird songs! We will virtually explore (via Zoom) various East Bay locations and the birds we’re most likely to hear. We will compare similar songs of local birds as well as go over tips and hints on how to get the most out of your spring listening experience.
Although we cannot meet as a group due to COVID, we will cover 6 recommended locations for bird listening.
Six (6) Thursday evening Zoom presentations, April 8 to May 13; 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Six (6) suggested field trips (on your own) − mornings are best
Waitlist available for this class.
Instructor: Denise Wight
Cost $125.00 flat fee for members and non-members
Registration opens on Monday, March 1st at 9 am and closes on Wednesday, March 31st at 9 am.
Limited to 20 participants.

California Beaver Summit Day 2: Beaver Dynamics—Ecosystems and Restoration
2021-04-09 13:00 - 17:00 | Online

Puzzling Pairs: An Id Workshop
2021-04-09 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
Puzzling Pairs: An Id Workshop with Oliver James & Adrian Hinkle
Spring is here—the perfect time to brush up on your ID chops! Need to recalibrate on the difference between female House and Purple Finch? Is the jury still out on whether that’s a pewee or a dreaded empidonax? Oliver and Adrian will break down a series of notoriously subtle identification challenges, using side-by-side visual comparisons of look alike species that frequent the Bay Area in Spring. Bring pencil and paper—and come ready to test your perception with fun pop Zoom quizzes.
Adrian Hinkle recently moved to California to study water issues as a UC Berkeley grad student. He enjoys leading field trips, exploring under-birded places with friends, and volunteering as an eBird reviewer and regional editor for North American Birds.
Oliver James got his start birding on Golden Gate Audubon Society field trips as a kid in Berkeley, CA. Today, he’s a grad student at UC Berkeley and serves on the Board at GGAS. He’s also the author and illustrator of Birds of Berkeley (Heyday Press).
This event will take place online via Zoom and last approximately 60-75 minutes. Registrants will be sent a link and password to access the Zoom. The session will be recorded, and registrants will have access to the recording on the web for two weeks after the event, regardless of whether they attend the live presentation.

Vernal Pool Wildflower Tour At Woodland Regional Park
2021-04-10 09:00 - 12:00 | Online
Tuleyome is hosting a tour of the wildflowers at Woodland Regional Park, highlighting the sensitive vernal pool areas. Due to COVID-19 and the sensitive nature of the vernal pools onsite, this tour will be held via Zoom. California Naturalist, Nate Lillge will be in the field live-streaming while Tuleyome Board member, Dr. Glen Holstein, will provide information about each of the flowers.
After registering, participants will be sent an email with the meeting ID and password. During the tour, you will be able to ask questions via Zoom’s chat feature. If you have any questions, please contact Nate at nlillge@tuleyome.org.

Behind The Gates At Hayward Marsh
2021-04-11 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
Behind The Gates At Hayward Marsh with Bob Lewis
Stopping at the Hayward visitors center to pick up a key and enjoy the Barn and Cliff Swallows collecting mud, we’ll make our way to the gate to the Hayward freshwater marsh just beyond. We’ve been coming here for about 10 years now, and we always see something special. We hope we see Least Terns and Black Skimmers on the sandy islands, and one or two (one year THREE) species of Phalaropes on their way to their breeding grounds! Some rarities may fly by—Black Scoter or Laughing Gull perhaps? Join us on a very pleasant spring walk via Zoom to a special place, full of birds!
Bob Lewis is a long-time Bay Area birder, photographer, and birding instructor, and a new-time Zoomologist, giving bird-related talks to senior homes, Audubon groups, libraries and Photo clubs.
This event will take place online via Zoom and last approximately 60-75 minutes. Registrants will be sent a link and password to access the Zoom. The session will be recorded, and registrants will have access to the recording on the web for two weeks after the event, regardless of whether they attend the live presentation.

Condors Of Pinnacles
2021-04-13 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
Condors Of Pinnacles with Rusty Scalf & Richard Neidhardt
The bird and the place are both national treasures. The California Condor is the largest bird in North America, recovering from near-extinction in the 1970s due to the pesticide DDT. Pinnacles National Park—a release and research site for these birds—is a 23 million-year-old rhyolitic volcanic formation, one of the oldest known anywhere. The geology of the place is truly fascinating. Join Rusty Scalf and Richard Neidhardt for a 90-minute discussion of both Condors and Rhyolite.
Richard Neidhardt is a condor tracker with extensive experience radio-tracking condors on the ground and in the air, at Pinnacles and far flung locations in the California Coast Ranges. Rusty Scalf is a longtime Golden Gate Audubon birding instructor and trip leader, who leads a field trip to Pinnacles each spring as part of Birdathon.
This event will take place online via Zoom and last approximately 90 minutes. Registrants will be sent a link and password to access the Zoom. The session will be recorded, and registrants will have access to the recording on the web for two weeks after the event, regardless of whether they attend the live presentation.

Bird Sound Recording For Conservation And Research
2021-04-15 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
Presented by Greg Budney
This presentation will discuss how audio recording is used for conservation and research with examples ranging from the use of portable recording systems in tropical bird conservation, autonomous recorders for detection and monitoring, automated playback systems for reintroduction, and will also touch on related issues such as the ethics of playback. The talk will include brief discussion of individuals that have carried out this work.

Discovering Wood-warblers in Marin County: When Nesters Arrive and Where to Find Them
2021-04-15 19:30 - 21:30 | Online
Speaker: Daniel Edelstein
Host: Doug Waterman
Date: April 15th, 2021
Start time: 7:30 PM
End Time: 9:30 PM
Register for Zoom Webinar HERE
Which wood-warbler species typically nest annually in in Marin County and the North Bay region?
Which are year-round residents and when do returning spring migrant species arrive?
And why do vagrant wood-warblers in fall visit the Outer Point at Point Reyes National Seashore?
These questions and others will be addressed in this virtual, Zoom slide show highlighting one of our area’s most captivating bird families.
In creating this program, Avian Biologist and Birding Guide Daniel Edelstein utilizes his 30+ years of watching wood-warblers throughout the USA to discuss both common and rare Marin County/North Bay wood-warbler species.
A professional Birding Guide (WarblerWatch.com) since the mid-1980s, Daniel Edelstein works full-time as a freelance, Consulting Avian Biologist, Environmental Scientist, and is a Certified Wildlife Biologist Associate. He has presented birding programs and led tours in more than 20 USA states. In addition, he teaches college-level birding classes as an Adjunct Faculty member in the Biology Department at Merritt College (Oakland, CA) (Merritt.edu). His popular blog — WarblerWatch.blogspot.com — featuring wood-warbler articles and photo quizzes is now 15 years old.

Mitchell Canyon Birding Hotspot—Spring Migration
2021-04-21 19:00 - 20:00 | Online
Spring in the East Bay outdoors means enjoying comfortable weather, looking at beautiful wildflowers, and greeting the colorful migratory birds flying up from further south that either settle here to find mates and nest, or stop briefly before continuing up north. Mitchell Canyon, on the north slope of Mount Diablo and lying within Mount Diablo State Park, is known by birders as perhaps the best place around to see this annual rush of feathered color and song.
Logon at 7pm on April 21st for the next Mount Diablo Interpretive Association virtual presentation to see some beautiful birds, fascinating migratory maps and learn what we all must do to help Mitchell Canyon’s beautiful birds survive. Presented by Juan Pablo Galván Martínez (Mount Diablo State Park volunteer, Mount Diablo Audubon Society Conservation Chair, and Senior Land Use Manager for Save Mount Diablo).

Finding Rarities In The East Bay
2021-04-21 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
Finding Rarities In The East Bay with Alex Henry
The East Bay is home to an impressive variety of habitats—from vast tidal mudflats, to rolling grassland hills, to the pine-oak woodlands of the interior Coast Range. Corresponding to these varied landscapes is an incredible diversity of avifauna. Join us for a chronological exploration of the bird life of the East Bay, with a focus on strategies for finding the rarer and more sought-after species we are fortunate enough to have in the area.
Alex Henry is a lifelong nature enthusiast and shameless bird-nerd. Although only a recent resident of the Bay Area, Alex has spent countless hours exploring the many wild places the East Bay has to offer, and is excited at the opportunity to share what he’s learned in those explorations. And, although he’s too self-effacing to recount this, he was the number one birder in Alameda County on eBird last year.
This event will take place online via Zoom and last approximately 60-75 minutes. Registrants will be sent a link and password to access the Zoom. The session will be recorded, and registrants will have access to the recording on the web for two weeks after the event, regardless of whether they attend the live presentation.

Point Reyes Birding & Nature Virtual Festival
2021-04-22 09:00 - 2021-04-25 19:00 | Online
Join us in celebration of the 12th Annual Point Reyes Birding & Nature VIRTUAL Festival & EAC’s 50th Anniversary
April 22nd – 25th, 2021 | 9:00 am to 7:00 pm ( Pacific time) each day
Due to the pandemic uncertainty and restrictions, our team has to decided to prioritize the health and safety of our community by hosting our annual event virtually over our regularly scheduled festival dates from April 22nd – April 25th, 2021 from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm ( Pacific time) each day.
Together with our amazing guides, we are building a virtual 4-day conference offering over 24 webinars with some of our local guides, and new guides from around the country, and beyond all for one flat fee. EAC members will receive reduced pricing for our LIVE STREAM ONLY PASS or the LIVE STREAM + VIDEO PASS. Stay tuned for more info, our schedule and registration details in early March 2021.
Sponsors are encouraged, and receive special perks including (4) additional exclusive, Live-Only Keynote Meet & Greets Zoom meetings, plus chances to win special prizes. Each sponsor gift or additional donation to the cause will be matched up to $10,000 by our Albatross sponsor!
Gifts are 100% tax-deductible minus any benefits received. This a great way to support our annual mission, and helps us to keep our pricing low, and provide scholarships when needed. Learn More.

Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour
2021-04-25 10:00 - 15:00, 2021-05-02 10:00 - 15:00, 2021-05-16 10:00 - 15:00 | Online
In a series of live garden visits passionate garden owners and the talented designers of the Bay Area’s most beautiful and inspiring landscapes will show us what’s happening in the garden now, feature their favorite natives, describe their great native plant gardening resources, and more.

Magic Of Mitchell Canyon
2021-04-27 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
Magic Of Mitchell Canyon with Maureen Lahiff
Since riparian habitat is scarce in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mitchell Canyon, on the north side of Mount Diablo, is a magnet for migrating birds seeking a refueling stop. In addition to migrants, we’ll also see and hear a number of permanent residents and summer nesting birds. We’ll look for warblers and flycatchers and enjoy early wildflowers and butterflies while walking along Mitchell Creek, traversing chaparral, and spending some time under a variety of mature trees.
Maureen Lahiff was part of the first cohort of the Golden Gate Audubon Society/Cal Academy of Sciences Master Birder Program in 2013 and is a California Naturalist. She is a Lake Merritt docent and leads field trips and teaches classes for GGAS adult ed. She’s been leading trips at Mitchell Canyon for GGAS and for Birdathon for several years.
This event will take place online via Zoom and last approximately 60-75 minutes. Registrants will be sent a link and password to access the Zoom. The session will be recorded, and registrants will have access to the recording on the web for two weeks after the event, regardless of whether they attend the live presentation.

Monthly Program: May 2021
2021-05-06 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom, CA, United States
Photo by Ivan Phillipsen

Picture from one of the YES Nature Day Outings at a local Regional Park. Photo credit to YES N2N
Birding Info: In partnership with nature, YES Nature to Neighborhoods nurtures leaders who champion the wellbeing of our community. Eric Aaholm, Executive Director, and Luis Pacheco, YLP Program Manager for YES will discuss its role in developing strong youth and adult leaders starting as young as age eight via engagement in both nearby nature and backcountry settings.

Rufous-capped Warbler, photo by Ivan Phillipsen
Main Program: Birdlife of Oaxaca with Ivan Phillipsen

The Mexican state of Oaxaca (pronounced “wuh-HOCK-uh“) is incredibly rich with biodiversity. From high-elevation interior valleys, to mountains, rainforests, and tropical coastlines, Oaxaca has a wide variety of natural habitats. This region is a great destination for birding and for enjoying cultural wonders. There are ancient pyramids and temples to explore just outside Oaxaca City. The ethnic cuisine of the city is world-famous. Other cultural delights include elaborate wood carvings, pottery, and a vibrant mescal industry.
Birdlife includes neotropical migrants and charismatic resident species. Oaxaca has a few wonderful endemic species and near-endemics, including the Oaxaca Sparrow, Dwarf Jay, and Blue-capped Hummingbird. In this presentation, Ivan Phillipsen will describe the ecoregions and habitats of Oaxaca and present some birding and wildlife highlights of the state. He’ll also touch on some of the cultural aspects that travelers can enjoy there.

Ivan Phillipsen is a professional naturalist guide with a background in scientific research. He’s the co-owner of a small birding/nature tour company, Wild Latitudes. He is also the creator and host of a podcast called The Science of Birds.
Ivan has loved animals and nature his whole life. His first obsession was with amphibians and reptiles. This interest led him to graduate school, where he studied amphibians. After earning a Masters degree in Biology and a PhD in Zoology, he did postdoctoral research on aquatic insects.
Along the way, his love of nature expanded to include plants, fungi, and all animals, including birds. Birds have become Ivan’s greatest passion. He’s an avid birder and loves sharing in the joy of birds with his tour participants. Some places where Ivan leads natural history tours are Mexico, Iceland, Alaska, Uganda, and Fiji.
