|
May 2009: Wingbeat
Monthly enewsletter of the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
Special Events
Volunteer Appreciation Party!
WHEN: Fri. May 15th, 6:30pm-8:30pm
WHERE: Palo Alto Baylands Nature Center 2775 Embarcadero Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94303
If you have not signed up already, it is still not too late to RSVP for our Volunteer Appreciation Party. Join the Bird Observatory in celebration of another year of valuable volunteer time spent on Bird Observatory fieldwork and projects! This is our day to celebrate YOU and all of your hard work!
Top Reasons Why You Should Join Us:
1. Sunset at the beautiful Palo Alto Baylands!
2. Enjoy some tasty hors d’oeuvres and FREE drinks.
3. Good company! It will be a good opportunity to meet some neat people who share your passion for birds. Plus, meet some of the new Bird Observatory staff and mingle with those you already know.
RSVP at outreach@sfbbo.org or at 408-946-6548.
A Bird in the Hand: Banding Demo Sat. May 30th from 8:00am-10:00am at the Coyote Creek Field Station
Western Bird Banding Association Conference
WHEN: Fri.-Sun. Aug. 28-30th
WHERE: Sobrato Center for Non-Profits, 600 Valley Way Milpitas, CA 95035
This year the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory is hosting the Western Bird Banding Association (WBBA) Meeting. WBBA is a great opportunity for bird banders and those interested in bird banding to exchange of information on banding. The 2009 WBBA registration fee will include several field trips, banding demonstrations, and scientific paper presentations. Some of the highlights of this year will be Keynote Speaker Dr. John Y. Takekawa, Research Wildlife Biologist USGS Western Ecological Research Center San Francisco Estuary Field Station, banding demonstrations and workshops at the Coyote Creek Field Station, a field trip with Alvaro Jaramillo along the San Mateo Coast, a field trip with Acting Executive Director / Science Programs Director Jill Demers to observe Waterbirds at South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project sites, and much more! More information about this event will be posted on our website. If you have any questions feel free to contact Lindy at outreach@sfbbo.org.
Workshop for Birders and Naturalist with Alvaro Jaramillo
These workshops incorporate ecology, evolutionary biology, behavioral ecology, and natural history to complement bird identification information taught in class. There are two evenings of instruction and a weekend all-day field trip. Put your birding into an ecological context!
Bird Sound Workshop June 2nd & 4th (instruction); June 7th (field trip)
There is still a few spaces left! Hurry and reserve your spot!
California Fall Challenge 2009
We are getting geared up for our 13th annual California Fall Challenge.
What is it? The California Fall Challenge is the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory's only fundraiser. This is the most important fundraising event for the Bird Observatory, as funds raised help us to continue our efforts to apply science to the problems of saving birds and their habitats.
It is a classic "bird-a-thon" event, much like a walk-a-thon. Participants gather pledges from friends, family and co-workers and then count the number of bird species they hear or see in a 24-hour period. Our goal this year is to raise $25,000. In this belt-tightening economy, your support is vital to help the Bird Observatory reach this goal and keep our science programs running!
Helping out is easy!
We are in the initial planning phases of the event, and we need help obtaining donatee prizes to be awarded to those who raise the most money, or become the most successful first time fundraiser, or see the most species, etcetera. Prizes from previous years have included gift certificates to various businesses, birding paraphernalia, outings, artwork, wine, outdoor gear, or pretty much anything you can think of. If you would like to support the Bird Observatory by donating an item or requesting a donation from a business you love, please let us know. If you aren’t sure how to help, feel free to contact Lindy at outreach@sfbbo.org or by phone at 408-946-6548.
Request for Volunteers
Gull Band Hunt
SFBBO needs your help! Next time you're out birding around the Bay; don't ignore those gulls, check to see if they're part of some important research for the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project. Last year we tagged almost 300 California Gulls with field-readable number bands as part of an effort to determine what will happen when the salt pond used as their colony is flooded to restore the coastal marshes. These bands are in addition to the regular metal bands used by other projects, and consist of three white numbers on a black background which should be readable through a scope. We need information about the date, location, the number on the band (if you can read it), and anything else you can tell us about what the gull was up to.
If you see one of these gulls (even if you can't read the exact numbers on the band), or if you have more questions about the project please email Carley Schacter at cschacter@sfbbo.org.
Volunteers Needed for Gull monitoring Projects
California Gull breeding season is upon us, and that means lots of exciting volunteer opportunities as we continue our efforts to monitor the local populations and mitigate their negative effects on other nesting shorebirds (such as the threatened Western Snowy Plover). In the coming months we will be doing colony walk throughs, counting nests and eggs to track the breeding gull population in the South Bay. We will also be trapping, banding, and re-sighting adult gulls to investigate the dispersal of gulls once the main colony site is flooded as part of the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project and to inform future management decisions.
Specifically, we are looking for volunteers for the following projects:
1.
Gull trapping and banding
This work is a lot of fun, but can be physically strenuous. Volunteers must be able to do an easy climb down the boardwalk to the salt pond, and run short distances through the mud. You WILL get dirty. If interested you will be given the opportunity to learn to extract gulls from the noose mats. We generally start at 7/7:30am and go until ~1-2pm, but end times are flexible depending on gull cooperation, weather and volunteer availability.
2.
Banded gull re-sighting surveys
Volunteers will use binoculars and spotting scopes to check all California Gulls in their assigned area for bands 2-4 times a month during the breeding season, and 1-2 a month after that. Surveys generally take between 30 minutes and 2 hours depending on the location and time of year. Many of the survey areas require a high clearance vehicle (i.e. pickup truck or SUV) to drive on bumpy levees, but some are accessible by car and/or bicycle. We especially need help with surveys in Alviso, and Warm Springs.
To volunteer, or request more details about any of these projects, please contact Carley Schacter at cschacter@sfbbo.org.
A Special Thank You
The Bird Observatory recently bought a 2003 Ford F-250 truck from Mission Valley Ford. We would like cordially thank Mission Valley Ford for giving us an amazing deal!
| 
