Wingbeat Blog

​First and foremost, I want to express my sincere gratitude to all of the SFBBO donors who sponsored the Diurnal Raptor ID workshop scholarship for students from underrepresented communities in ecology.

The workshop allowed me to connect with and learn from experts, avid birders, and raptor enthusiasts from all walks of life. Our guide, Alvaro Jaramillo was engaging throughout the entire workshop. Mr. Jaramillo presented information that was accessible to all skill levels and even answered every single question that came up! I really …

​“Red-tailed Hawks have red tails… I think most of the time? 
Falcon! Well, it’s either a Merlin or a Prairie…

Coopers are like crow size and Sharp-shins are closer to jays.”

Before Alvero’s Diurnal Raptor Identification Workshop with SFBBO, I could name all of the common raptor species in the Bay Area and identify most of them for my eBird checklist– good enough. But Alvero’s workshop rightfully said otherwise.

​Why do I like birds? I ask myself this sometimes when I reflect on the arguably strange hobby of birdwatching. But then I see a bird—it doesn’t matter what kind—and I’m reminded why millions of people have fallen in love with birding. Birds are incredibly complex and simply beautiful all in one. They are such a diverse group of fascinating and often flat-out adorable creatures, that the answer to “why?” feels pretty much like a given. I like birds because they make me happy.

​I first got into birding when I was in high school. I volunteered in the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center …

​In late September I heard, for the first time in ages, a Great Horned Owl somewhere nearby. Two mornings later, just before first light, another one called; and when I went to the window to listen more closely, there were actually two, giving the call-and-response sounds that indicate the beginnings of true fall and, if we’re lucky, the possibility of a nest nearby come early spring.

That, coupled with the approach of Halloween and all of its symbols (including that sometimes eerie call), reminded me of a new book from the author of Hawk Rising and Coyote Moon – Whoo-Ku: A Great Horned Owl Story by Maria Gianferrari and illustrated by Jonathan Voss. 

​In September 2004, a new, enthusiastic instructor took over the Beginning Birding class at Palo Alto Adult School, teaching novice birders the art of finding and identifying common birds of the San Francisco Bay Area. The real learning took place on our weekly field trips to local parks, beaches and yes, water treatment plants. Our class went to a bird banding demonstration offered by SFBBO. Some signed up for Alvaro Jaramillo’s SFBBO classes on shorebirds, seabirds and gulls. 

​First of all, I would like to thank the SFBBO donors for providing the Advanced Shorebirds Workshop for those that are from underrepresented backgrounds. I appreciate the time and effort that Mr. Alvaro Jaramillo has put into preparing this educational Shorebirds Workshop. I found this workshop to be informative and it has contributed to my California shorebirds identification skills.

Shorebirds can often be tricky for birders to identify. The type …

​After falling in love with birds at three years old, I discovered birdwatching, a wonderful way for me to experience nature and observe the beautiful diversity and behaviors of birds. As I have gotten older, my love for birds has only increased, along with my thirst for knowledge about them. 

Having grown up in coastal California all my life, I had the chance to appreciate the birds on our shores and waters. This workshop gave me a further opportunity to expand my knowledge about them. Shorebirds have always been a challenging subject for me, considering that their behavior …

​I am a proud graduate of SFBBO’s Introductory Shorebird ID Workshop with Alvaro Jaramillo that took place on the cusp of July and August. Over the course of three days, Alvaro covered the shorebirds (or “waders,” as they’re known in Europe), consisting of Sandpipers, Plovers, Oystercatchers, Avocets, and Stilts.

​More than just their physical characteristics, we learned about the migration patterns of migrating birds such as the Western Sandpiper and other behavioral characteristics, such as nesting patterns relative to the shore. It was powerful to put a name to the birds I had already encountered, and even more so to be introduced to the other members of the shorebird family.

​Identifying shorebirds has long been the bane of my birding existence (other than immature gulls of course). Usually all you have is a fleeting glimpse at a pale colored bird with long legs, taking off on stiff wing beats only to disappear above the waves. More often than not I’d return home with just “shorebird sp.” on my eBird list. However, after getting the opportunity to attend the Shorebird ID workshop hosted by SFBBO and Alvaro Jaramillo on a scholarship, I think I am a lot better equipped to start putting names to many of Nor Cal’s regularly occurring shorebirds!

​Alvaro is a Senior Biologist at SFBBO and runs his own birding tour company, Alvaro’s Adventures. Being the author of several field guides and a published researcher, Alvaro is an internationally recognized ornithologist and the recipient of the Eisenman Medal of the Linnaean Society of New York. It was an absolute pleasure to get the chance to learn from him.

​Shorebirds are a fascinating group which have enlightened me to the importance of wetland and estuary habitats and have informed my understanding of ecological concepts like niche partitioning. Despite my appreciation of these birds, the fact remained that my ability to tell a Lesser from a Greater Yellowlegs was far less than great. If I were to come across a Whimbrel or a Long-billed Curlew, there wasn’t much I could do but begrudgingly write “Numenius sp.” into my notebook. Shorebird identification was not my forte…

Luckily for student naturalists like myself, there are talented educators like Alvaro Jaramillo who can help with this sort of ornithological shortcoming. My mentor and former instructor, Leticia Gallardo, who had guided me through West Valley College’s Ecology, Biodiversity, and Conservation program told me that Alvaro’s Shorebird ID Workshops would be an …