March 2010: Wingbeat

Monthly enewsletter of the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory

In This Issue....

Workshops with Alvaro Jaramillo
The Stilt Society
Upcoming Events
Volunteer Opportunities

Workshops with Alvaro Jaramillo

These workshops incorporate ecology, evolutionary biology, behavioral ecology, and natural history to complement bird identification.

RSVP
DIURNAL RAPTORS
Monday, March 8th and Wednesday, March 10th (instruction), 6:30–9:00 pm
Sunday, March 14th (fieldtrip) - Space is available!
There is no doubt that if you were to pick the birds with the most intense fans, it is the hawks, eagles, and falcons: the diurnal raptors. You may remember the Gary Larson cartoon with hawks sitting on a tree, wearing shades, which reads “Hawks know they’re cool.” Well, we agree, and we have designed this workshop to both teach you how to identify the raptors, as well as to understand more about their behavior and biology. The close relationship that raptors have to prey, and therefore to habitat will be explored, in addition to their migration and population booms and busts. The Bay Area is rather diverse for raptors, particularly in winter, and this workshop aims to give a richer appreciation for these amazing hunters who share their home with us.

RSVP
UNDERSTANDING & ENJOYING MIGRATION - new workshop!
Tuesday, April 6th and Thursday, April 8th (instruction), 6:30 – 9:00 pm
Saturday, April 10th (fieldtrip)
Nothing in birding and ornithology is perhaps as exciting as migration. Throughout the world, birds move, capturing our imaginations from ancient times until now. Today we have many technologies at our disposal to understand migration, and scientists are beginning to explain how birds do it. This course is an introduction and summary of bird migration, with a focus on recent techniques and what they are teaching us. The how’s, why’s, and wow’s of migration is what this workshop is about! The field trip will take us to places we can see some local migrant birds, landbirds and shorebirds.

RSVP
BIRD SOUND
Tuesday, June 8th and Thursday, June 10th (instruction), 6:30 – 9:00 pm
Sunday, June 13th (fieldtrip)
Birders are attracted to birds for many reasons: aesthetics, the thrill of the chase, their behavior, amazing flying powers and migration….but one aspect of birds that transcends all is their ability to sing. One can just sit back and enjoy bird song. But it is also interesting to learn how to differentiate songs. SFBBO has developed a workshop that does just that. This is not a workshop solely devoted to identifying birds by song, but also focuses on understanding the ecology and behavior of bird vocalization. We will cover topics on the development of song, song variations, and the purpose of song as well as how to visualize, learn, and study bird sounds. The field trip will not only aim to listen to bird sounds in nature, but also attempt to do some simple experiments to see what we learned in the class.

The Year is Still Young: Become a Monthly Donor

Our monthly givers' program, Stilt Society, is a wonderful way to make a monthly gift and provide the reliable support vital to protecting birds and their habitats.

Protecting sensitive habitats requires long-term, innovative, science-based work. Effective conservation is a long-term process; and to successfully accomplish that, we rely on steady, predictable funding. When you make a small monthly commitment to the Bird Observatory, it means SFBBO scientists and field staff can remain focused on critical conservation priorities.

What's more, the Stilt Society helps the Bird Observatory reduce fundraising expenses by eliminating the need to send paper reminders to renew your commitment.

Here is how it works:

• You determine the amount of your monthly donation and select "I want to make a recurring donation" on our online form.
• We will charge your pledge to your credit card each month (charges are made on or around the same date each month).
• We will send you an e-mail each month, confirming the charge was made.
• Each January, we will send you an annual giving statement which can be used for tax purposes.
• Your membership will automatically renew each year, ensuring that you will never miss an issue of the Bay Bird Review newsletter.

It's simple, secure and one of the best ways that you can support the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory. Plus, it saves postage and paper!  

You can use our safe and secure online form to join the Stilt Society with a credit card today. Visit our website to learn more about the Stilt Society.

Upcoming Events

Saturday, April 24, 2010, 8:30 – 10:30 am
RSVP
A Bird in the Hand
SITE: COYOTE CREEK FIELD STATION (MILPITAS)
Tour the Bird Observatory's banding station and meet the Coyote Creek Field Station Manager, Josh Scullen. Learn about the Bird Observatory’s bird banding research and see several bird species up close. We will tour mist nets, watch a bird banding demonstration, and explore a restored riparian habitat. Please join us and learn why bird banding is so important for protecting birds and their habitats. RSVP required. In the event of rain, the tour will be cancelled.

Thursday, May 13, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
RSVP
VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION PARTY
Save this date for the Bird Observatory’s Annual Volunteer Appreciation Party. This  is our day to celebrate YOU and all of your hard work! We couldn’t complete our work without our volunteers. Please come and celebrate all of our shared achievements with the Bird Observatory staff and fellow volunteers. Enjoy good food, great people, and of course, our local birds. Location to be announced.

Volunteer Opportunities

Colonial Waterbird Volunteer: SFBBO & Golden Gate Audubon
The Bird Observatory is teaming up with Golden Gate Audubon to survey the breeding birds along the piers of San Francisco’s South Waterfront. The piers, which contain creosote (a toxin), will eventually be removed by the Port of San Francisco. However, these piers are also used by a variety of roosting and breeding birds. We’re looking for volunteers to count the species and numbers of birds using the piers, from late March - August. If you’re interested in joining us, please contact Caitlin Robinson-Nilsen (cnilsen@sfbbo.org).
For more information on the project and to read past reports, visit:
http://www.goldengateaudubon.org/conservation/make-the-city-safe-for-wildlife/san-franciscos-southern-waterfront/

Accounting Advisor
The Bird Observatory's Board of Directors is looking for an individual with accounting experience (CPA preferred) to advise to the Board by serving on the Finance Committee. For more information please see the our volunteer opportunity website or contact Board President Patricia Rouzer, D.C. (prouzer@sfbbo.org).

Great American Litter Pick-Up 2010
Saturday, March 20, 8:30am-12:30pm
Help keep the town of Alviso and the nearby wetlands clean for people and birds. Join the Bird Observatory in our second year contributing to this community event. We will meet at the Alviso Youth Center and the City of San José will provide the litter clean-up supplies – gloves, pick-up sticks, safety vests, and trash and recycling bags. Lunch will also be provided for volunteers that day. Contact Kathi Kendrick (kkendrick@sfbbo.org) for more information. RSVP is not required to attend.

The San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to the conservation of birds through science and outreach.

Please click here to donate to the Bird Observatory!