WINGBEAT!

January 2007

    1  We Moved!
    2  Bird Observatory Events
    3  Coyote Creek Field Station Update
    4  Migrations
    5  News on the Fly
    6  Recent Publications
         

We Moved!
Welcome to a New Year and a New Office

Thanks to the Sobrato Foundation and the help of our volunteers, the Bird Observatory has moved into its new headquarters in Milpitas. We look forward to welcoming you at our open house in March 2007. Please update your address books with our new address information: 524 Valley Way, Milpitas, CA 95035.
Sobrato Center for Nonprofits
Special thanks to volunteers Juliette Bryson, Gerry Ellis, Leslie Flint, Phil Lacroute, Va Landschoot, Spike Marlowe, and Ken Phenicie, Jr.

Bird Observatory Events

Coyote Creek Tour and Bird Banding Demo (Milpitas), Jan. 20, 8:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Rescheduled to February 10
Visit the Bird Observatory’s field station and experience conservation science in action. Tour mist nets, watch a bird banding demonstration, and explore a restored riparian habitat. Meet at the Borders bookstore parking lot in McCarthy Ranch, Milpitas. Please remember to RSVP to outreach@sfbbo.org by the Friday before the tour. In the event of rain, the tour is cancelled.

New Volunteer Orientation (Bird Observatory office), Jan. 24, 7 - 8 p.m.
 Interested in volunteering for the Bird Observatory? Come to our New Volunteer Orientation to hear about all the opportunities available in the field, at the office, and out at events. You'll also fill out an application and have a chance to ask questions. RSVP to outreach@sfbbo.org.

San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival (Mare Island), Feb. 3, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Attend the Flyway Festival celebrating the natural, recreational, historic, and cultural treasures of San Francisco Bay. Family activities, walks, and presentations all about birding! The Bird Observatory will be hosting a table and Board Vice President Lisa Myers will be leading a walk. See event website for more details.

Birding the Bay Trail with Bob Lewis (Hayward Regional Shoreline), Feb. 11, 8 - 10 a.m.
 Join Bob Lewis on a bird walk at the Hayward Regional Shoreline where retired salt production ponds and tidal marsh provide unique birding experiences along the Bay edge heavily modified by human activity. RSVP to outreach@sfbbo.org. General walk information available here.

Waterfowl Workshop with Al Jaramillo, Feb. 6, 8, and 11
 One space remaining
 This course aims to give a background to the biology, migration and behavior of ducks with a strong emphasis on habitat choice and understanding why the Bay Area is a wintering duck Mecca. Throughout we will summarize identification of the various winter ducks, with greater attention to the more troubling identification puzzles we encounter here. More information.

Coyote Creek Field Station Update
Notes from Biologist Gina Barton


Oak Titmouse		 Despite not catching any new birds for 2006 and banding only a few days during December, it was quite an exciting month at CCFS.  We had one new and one recaptured (banded Nov 26) Sharp-shinned Hawk in one day – both young males...We also had a two-time reappearance of the Oak Titmouse banded in November. Read more...
Migrations
Notes from Biologist Cheryl Strong
At the end of January, Cheryl will be moving across country to Knoxville, Tennessee where her husband will pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee in wetlands in the Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries. While she is not certain what she will be doing yet, it will be related to bird conservation. Cheryl says, "In the meantime, spring migration in the Great Smoky Mountains should be really nice."
She adds, "I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed so much to the Avian Disease, Snowy Plover and Colonial Waterbird programs. My five years here have been a great learning experience and it has been my pleasure to work with some great volunteers! Keep up the great work."
News on the Fly
Bird Observatory's Salt Pond Surveys in the News

Ducks, ducks, and more ducks!  We opened the new year dabbling into headline news with the San Jose Mercury News and CBS5 Evening News.  Read and hear all about our scientific contributions to the South Bay Salt Pond Project:

"Ducks flock to restored salt ponds, delight fans" by Patrick May (Dec. 31, 2006)
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/16356603.htm

"Mountain View Wetlands Restoration Project Shows Early Success" by Thuy Vu (Jan. 3, 2007)
http://cbs5.com/video/?id=19698@kpix.dayport.com    

Recent Publications

Churchwell, R.T., and G. Barton. 2006. Predation of mist net birds and an investigation of a solution. North American Bird Bander 31: 115-120.
Predation of birds in mist nets can become a problem during banding efforts, especially at long-term, year-round banding stations. The San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory started patrolling net lanes between net runs to deter grey fox and house cats from taking birds captured in nets. 

Read the full article in the North American Bird Bander, which is available through membership in the Western Bird Banding Association. To obtain a copy of this issue of the journal, or to learn more about the association, please visit WBBA's web page at: http://www.westernbirdbanding.org. A copy is also available at the Bird Observatory's ornithology library, which is open to members.

If this e-newsletter has piqued your interest in the Bird Observatory, consider taking the next step. If you are not already a member, please join us! Be a part of our bird conservation science and outreach programs in the Bay Area as a member and volunteer. To our current members, we greatly appreciate your continued support. Looking for other ways to support the Bird Observatory? Check out our Wish List. 

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