• Thursday, January 5 at Meeker Slough from 10:30am-12:30pm  
• Saturday, January 7 at Vincent Park  from 1:00pm-3:00pm  

Sunday, July 24, 2011, 8:30-11:00

Trip Leaders:  Steve and Carol Lombardi, hot-rock@sbcglobal.net, Cell 925/785-0130

We’ll spend the morning looking for typical summer East Bay birds in Castle Rock Regional Park in Walnut Creek. Walking distances will be short and flat. For directions, check the EBRPD website (http://www.ebparks.org/parks/castle_rock) or contact the leaders. Bring binoculars if you have them and a pen for making field notes. We’ll get started reasonably early to beat the heat and the crowds.

Beginner encouraged!

Feathers are an evolutionary marvel: aerodynamic, insulating, beguiling. Their story begins in the Jurassic period and leads through the development of flight to high fashion—from leaping dinosaurs to da Vinci sketches to showgirls on the Las Vegas Strip, they date back to the dawn of time. Yet, their story has never been fully told.
 
In FEATHERS: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle (Basic Books; June 1, 2011) biologist Thor Hanson tells a sweeping natural history of feathers, as they’ve been used to fly, protect, attract, and adorn through time and place. Applying the research of paleontologists, ornithologists, biologists, engineers, and even art historians, Hanson asks: What are feathers? How did they evolve? What do they mean to us?

Volunteers will be at Lake Merritt on these Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. until noon:

• May 14
• May 28
• June 4
• June 11

Photo: Black-crowned Night Heron by Eddie Bartley

Martha Wessitsh, 415 681 8059; cell: 415 533 4470, martha@wessitsh.com

This is a great time of year for migrants particularly around the Lighthouse and the Fish Docks at Point Reyes.  We will meet at Drakes Beach at 9:00 AM, bird around there for awhile and then caravan/ car pool to some of the other good areas available nearby (the alphabetized ranches, and of course the Lighthouse and Fish Docks).

Weather conditions, heavy wind etc, may change our destinations.   This will be a whole day trip. Bring a lunch, water and clothes in layers. Restrooms are available.

Families enjoying Earth Stroll 2011- celebrating Earth Day and the 10th anniversary of Crissy Field's transformation

Saturday, April 23, 10 AM–3 PM
Crissy Field Center at 1199 East Beach in the Presidio, San Francisco

 
Celebrate Earth Day and the 10th anniversary of Crissy Field’s historic transformation by bringing the whole family to Earth Stroll! Meet live animals, play parachute games, and test your riding skills in a bike rodeo at this beloved national park. The event is free, open to all ages, and highlights simple things you can do to create a healthier planet—and a healthy you. Donate $5 and receive a special Crissy Field 10th Anniversary Commemorative Passport.  Meet us at the Golden Gate Audubon table where we will have a bird related activity for kids.
 
For more information visit www.crissyfieldcenter.org.
 
Please note: event parking will be limited and public transport is strongly encouraged. Crissy Field Center is accessible via MUNI #28, 30 & 43 lines and you can visit www.crissyfield.org for transportation details. Overflow parking will be available along Gorgas Avenue from Halleck Street toward and behind the Presidio Community YMCA Letterman Gym and pool
 
Earth Stroll is an official event of National Park Week and is hosted by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the National Park Service, the Presidio Trust and the Presidio Community YMCA. We would like to thank Whole Foods and Red Tricycle for their in-kind and promotional support.

GGA will host a table in the REI Community Room, located inside the store at 1338 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley.  Join us to assemble your own bird box from pre-cut kits.  No experience necessary!  We will provide all materials and instructions on how to assemble the boxes, and recommendations on where to place your new nest box.

Members can take one of these beauties home for a $5 donation, non-members for $15.  People will also have an opportunity to join GGA on Saturday.

Send your friends who don’t know about Golden Gate Audubon to take part in creating a bird nest box.  And help us feather the nest for all Bay Area and migrating birds by getting your friends to take part in Birdathon, too!  Information is available on our website, at REI, and will be available at the Bird Box Building.

Oakley-Eastern Contra Costa County

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Leaders: Kathy and Blair Jarrett

Tel. 510-547-1233, e-mail kathy_jarrett@yahoo.com

Meet at EBRPD Big Break trailhead in Oakley at 9 am.

Each year, nearly half of the waterfowl and shorebirds migrating along the Pacific Flyway pass through the Delta. A paved trail has views of freshwater marsh and is an excellent place to see many species of birds.

Bring, lunch, water, sunscreen and binoculars. Dress in layers. Bicycle helmet required. All levels of birders and bicyclists welcome. Rain cancels. Trail maps online – EBRPD website.

If you have room in your vehicle for an extra bicycle or if you need a ride, please contact us at the earliest opportunity. Reservations not necessary but an e-mail or phone call would be appreciated.

The leaders will not take public transit on this trip. Contact Kathy for more info.

Directions: CA-24 E toward Walnut Creek, I-680 N, CA-242 N. Take Calif. Hwy 4 east toward Stockton/Pittsburg and do not take the Brentwood By-Pass, but take the Hwy 4 exit toward Brentwood/Stockton (instead of taking Hwy 160 over the Antioch Bridge)

Turn right (east) onto Highway 4/Main St, go 1.1 mi, turn left at Big Break Rd (where Hwy 4 turns to the right at a shopping mall), go approx 0.3 mi, passing Vintage Pkwy, and take the next right turn to the trailhead.