Wingbeat Archives - Page 7 of 16 - San Fransisco Bay Bird Observatory

Artistic Middle School Student Focuses on Bird Photography

By Guest Blogger Anastasia

I started birding early last year. Ever since then, birding has become one of my favorite things to do. Birds are always doing something interesting. Sometimes they are eating, flying, or singing. It is so wonderful knowing that every time I go birding, I am going to see something different. It could be a different bird, or a new behavior, but I know that it will be new and interesting every time. I enjoy both drawing and crocheting birds, and I just love birds in general. With my love of birds came a love of bird photography. Capturing fleeting moments with the push of a button (or in this case, a click of the shutter button) is super fun for me. With birds, they are literally …

here one second and gone the next, so having something to look back on to remember the moment is helpful.

In the past year, bird photography has become one of my favorite hobbies. It has helped me go outside and spend more time in nature. I also enjoy bird photography because I like to draw birds and drawing from my own photographs is so much more meaningful than just sketching a random picture on the internet. Photographing birds (and the occasional squirrel, rabbit or deer) brings me so much joy. Sometimes I just take “documentary” photos, and for those I don’t worry about composition or lighting. But other times, I am looking to make a statement photo; a photo that conveys a strong message or that artistically showcases the bird.

I always want to improve, and SFBBO’s photography workshops with Sebastian Kennerknecht really helped me to give my photography an upgrade. I learned about how to underexpose or overexpose images to enhance them. I learned how to compose images to make the message that I wanted to convey more clear. I also learned about some composition rules and when to break them. Focusing is always hard, and thanks to the Focusing Workshop, I now have some more tips on how to get sharp images. My favorite workshop that I attended had to be the Critique Workshop. I have never had anyone give constructive feedback on my photography before, and it was really cool to get personalized feedback on how to improve my photography. I am excited to use what I learned at the workshops to boost my photography.

I am grateful to Sebastian Kennerknecht for teaching these wonderful workshops. I am so thankful to SFBBO for creating a scholarship program for underrepresented groups. And a HUGE thanks goes to all of the wonderful, kindhearted donors who donated to SFBBO’s scholarship fund. I am blown away at how generous all the donors were, making it possible for me to attend these photography workshops on a scholarship.

Anastasia is a middle schooler who is currently homeschooled. In addition to birds, she enjoys drawing, crocheting, nature journaling, and other forms of art.

admin

February 3, 2022

Wingbeat
Holiday Bird Book Recommendations for Kids

By Guest Blogger Dudley Carlson

The season of gift-giving, for me, is an excuse to think about each of the children on my mental list of family and friends. What are their interests? How have they grown in the last year? What would help to stretch their imaginations, their curiosity, their knowledge?

For the youngest on my list, one of this year’s books will certainly be Robin Page’s The Beak Book (Beach Lane, 2021). Oversized, detailed illustrations by the author show a variety of bird beaks and their uses, from straining (ruddy duck) and sniffing (kiwi) to prying (red crossbill) ..

and drilling (pileated woodpecker). Full-page illustrations of each bird’s head and beak are accompanied by small drawings of the whole bird doing the activity described, with a sentence or two detailing the specific use of that bill design. Back pages show the relative size of each bird and its place on the map, with a brief list of its primary foods. While the focus is on visually exciting looks at a wide variety of bills and beaks, there is also a satisfying amount of information to help young children notice and think about differences and the reasons for them. Global in scope, this book includes few backyard birds but will help stimulate conversations at the bird feeder about such differences as the siskin’s needle-sharp bill versus those of the thicker-billed finches, or the woodpeckers’ hammers versus the hummingbirds’ probes.

On the upper end of the age spectrum are two books for science-minded teens who are already serious about birds. Marianne Taylor, in How Birds Work; An Illustrated Guide to the Wonders of Form and Function from Bones to Beak (Unipress, 2020), begins with “Ancestors and evolution” before exploring each of the bodily systems (from skeletal, muscular and nervous to feathers, skin and pigmentation). Each topic or sub-topic is presented, with photos or drawings, on a double-page spread, so that the highly detailed information can be sampled in small bites or larger chunks.

An even deeper look at one aspect of bird life comes from British scientist Richard Dawkins, whose Flights of Fancy; Defying Gravity by Design and Evolution, illustrated by Jana Lenzová (Head of Zeus, 2021) is currently available only online but scheduled for book publication in the US in March. Beginning with “Dreams of Flying” and looking from ancient myths to Leonardo’s drawings, Dawkins asks such questions as “What is flight good for?” as he explores the evolution of flight in birds, insects, and a few other animals. He includes the development of human flight, from Leonardo’s imaginings to early balloon flights and on to “The Outward Urge” and reasons for exploring space. The physics of flight – what it takes to get off the ground – and the evolution of means of guiding flight include both avian evolution and the reasons for losing wings (as in ostriches and penguins) and the wide variety of adaptations related to flying. For the future ornithologist, engineer or pilot, this book provides a wealth of stimulating ideas and speculation.

Finding the right book at the right time for a specific child can be a daunting task. Even the best books can be difficult to find, and there is also the challenge of finding the good ones among the many others. Your local library can be a great source of ideas, and SFBBO’s booklist for children includes all of those mentioned over the past eight years in Wingbeat or on this blog. Happy hunting!

SFBBO member Dudley Carlson, a biologist’s daughter, grew up in a family of birders and was Manager of Youth Services at Princeton (NJ) Public Library for 25 years. She believes that if children enjoy learning about birds and understand how important they are to our environment, then birds, nature and people will have a better chance at a healthy future.

admin

December 17, 2021

Wingbeat
Student Explores the Wonder of Winter Sparrows

By Guest Blogger Alex Cho

I am an avid sixteen-year-old birder living in the Bay Area. I began paying attention to birds over a decade ago, but really started birding when I was eight after picking up a bird guide at my local bookstore. I attempted to make my own bird guide, which was quite a challenge for an eight-year- old. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out like a Sibley’s Bird Guide. Since then, birding has been a passion for me.

Today, birding has become a family affair. My family …

and I explore many different areas looking for birds, and appreciate to be able to enjoy the outdoors.

As I have only been living in the Bay Area for close to five years, I am still discovering new places and bird species, behaviors, and patterns. That is why I was excited to attend SFBBO’s Winter Sparrows Workshop with Alvaro Jaramillo. Alvaro is a world-renowned ornithologist with many accomplishments; probably too many to list! I have attended some other workshops led by Alvaro, and I always learn so much. He is a great teacher and explains things in a very relatable way that is easy to understand and allows me to connect them to real world situations. One of the things that I wanted to learn about was the different types of sub-species of White-crowned Sparrows seen in the Bay Area, which Alvaro clearly explained. He broke it down in a way that was easy to understand. I have been out in the field since the workshop and can now identify them much better! It has been so much fun to put what I had learned into practice. I also learned about the two different types of White-throated Sparrow (a tan-striped morph and a white-striped morph), which I did not know about before the workshop. Alvaro also covered several winter sparrows in his webinar, which further expanded my knowledge of these magnificent birds. Because of the workshop, I have become more familiar with our local sparrows, and have found a new appreciation for them.

I was fortunate enough to attend this workshop through a scholarship offered by SFBBO with the help from generous donors. I am very grateful to have been selected for the scholarship, and I would like to say, “Thank You!” I look forward to attending many more workshops and learning more about my favorite things: conservation and birds!

Alex Cho is a sixteen-year-old avid birder living in the Bay Area. He has been birding for over eight years and is an active member of several organizations including Los Angeles Birders, Western Field Ornithologists, North American Nature Photography Association in addition to several local Audubon societies. Although birding is his passion, he is very interested in conservation as well. To this end, he has participated in several bird surveys, conservation work involving California Condors and Western Bluebirds, and has presented on various topics related to birds. Alex hopes to study ornithology and use his knowledge to help birds in our rapidly changing world. Aside from birds and conservation, he is a fervent pianist, which he has been doing for over a decade.

admin

November 30, 2021

Wingbeat
2021 Kids Bird Art Contest

By Education and Outreach Specialist Sirena Lao

The Kids Bird Art Contest is a fun annual contest that brings science and art together. We typically invite kids ages 3-17 to spend time outside recording information about birds in their neighborhood or at a nearby park and then to create a scientific drawing with notes in the style of a nature journal or field guide. This year, in the spirit of SFBBO’s 40th Anniversary, we instead asked kids to recall a memorable experience they had with birds in nature and create a drawing and written story that reflects that encounter.

We were amazed by the response this year! We received 114 submissions, and since this is the first year we have accepted online submissions, we had entries from as far away as Turkey and Singapore! Our judges loved seeing everyone’s artwork and reading the kids’ stories. It was truly heartwarming and inspiring to see that so many kids are making meaningful connections with birds and nature, and it gives us hope for the future.

We are very excited to share this year’s winning entries! Johanna Longley won first place in the Age 3-7 category with her illustration (above) and story (right) about a Wood Duck.

Ria Iyer won first place in the Age 8-11 Category with her illustration and story about a California Scrub Jay (below left). Anastasia Nguyen won first place in the Age 12-17 category with her illustration and story about a Killdeer (below right).

In addition, we awarded four honorable mentions to the following entries (pictured below): Age 3-7: Alyssa Bac – California Scrub Jay; Age 3-7: Arfa Mohamed – Bushtit; Age 8-11: Kashvi Agarwal – Great Egret; and Age 12-17: Eiya Lee Miller – Anna’s Hummingbird.

To check out all the great artwork we received, you can browse this album. Thank you very much to everyone who participated in the contest, to the judges who donated their time, and to Christine Zack and Compass Point Mentorship for donating the prizes!

admin

November 18, 2021

Wingbeat
SFBBO’s 2021 California Fall Challenge T-Shirt Design Celebrates 40 Birds for 40 Years!
By Environmental Education and Outreach Specialist Sirena Lao

Each year for SFBBO’s California Fall Challenge (CFC) fundraiser, we unveil new CFC T-Shirt design as part of our efforts to raise money to support our science and outreach work.

With this year being SFBBO’s 40th anniversary, we knew we had to do a special shirt to celebrate 40 years of conserving birds and their habitats and educating the community.

What better way to do that than by featuring 40 bird species? Science illustrator and graphic designer Julie Ho Sung was up for the challenge.

With so many Bay Area bird species to choose from, we ultimately decided to include these 40, read below to learn about these birds and their connection to our work!
1. Ridgway’s Rail (Rallus obsoletus): The Ridgway’s Rail, formerly known as the California Clapper Rail, is an endangered species. Our tidal marsh habitat restoration work is an important part of helping this species recover.
2. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica): Barn Swallows are abundant around the levees where we monitor salt ponds. Our ecologists also see them nesting in the native plant nursery at the Environmental Education Center at the Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
3. California Least Tern (Sterna antillarum browni): The California Least Tern is an endangered subspecies we work with as part of our plover and tern recovery program. We monitor their nests and enhance habitat at Eden Landing Ecological Reserve in an effort to improve their breeding success.
4. California Gull (Larus californicus): California Gulls are the most abundant nesting waterbird in the South San Francisco Bay. We’ve been monitoring their breeding population size since 1980 by conducting nesting surveys each year and have documented a dramatic increase in their populations.
5. Wilson’s Warbler (Cardellina pusilla): These handsome little warblers are one of the species we frequently band at Coyote Creek Field Station (CCFS). They are one of several migratory warbler species whose captures have been declining recently.
6. Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus): The Western Snowy Plover is a threatened subspecies we work with as part of our plover and tern recovery program. We monitor their breeding success, color band adults and chicks, and enhance habitat in an effort to help populations meet recovery goals.
7. Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas): We often band Common Yellowthroats at CCFS. The salt marsh subspecies (G. t. sinuosa) is endemic to the Bay and is a CA Species of Special Concern that inhabits tidal marsh transition zones.
8. Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus): These distinctive birds are often seen and counted as part of our salt pond surveys and annual shorebird surveys.
9. Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis): The South Bay supports the most Ruddy Ducks within the San Francisco Bay. These ducks are a focal species for our salt pond work.
10. American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana): American Avocets are one of the species that we and our volunteers monitor as part of our Colonial Waterbird Program, and we see them often during Snowy Plover, salt pond and shorebird surveys.
11. California Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica): These raucous, curious birds are one of the main corvids we see at CCFS, and many banders have learned to respect their sharp claws.
12. Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata): These ducks are one of the most common waterfowl we count in salt ponds surveys.
13. Common Poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii): We occasionally catch these enigmatic nocturnal birds during fall migration at CCFS.
14. California Towhee (Melozone crissalis): CCFS biologists recently participated in a collaborative study on the spatial genetics of California Towhees to inform conservation strategies.
15. Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa): We commonly see Marbled Godwits as part of our annual shorebird surveys and salt pond surveys. They (and curlews) are some of the more striking shorebirds we see.
16. Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus): We band these adorable little owls at CCFS in the fall.
17. Nuttall’s Woodpecker (Dryobates nuttallii): This species is the most common woodpecker we see and catch at CCFS.
18. Great Egret (Ardea alba): One of the primary species we monitor for the Colonial Waterbird Program. Great Egrets are emblematic of the start of avian conservation; they were nearly hunted to extinction for their feathers, precipitating some of the first laws to protect birds.
19. Bonaparte’s Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia): Although Bonaparte’s Gulls are not especially abundant in the Bay, they are a species of interest for salt pond surveys.
20. Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia): The most common bird we band at CCFS! We have done research on their wintering survival rates and social behavior, and they are an important indicator species for tidal marsh transition zone restoration.
21. Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus): Our logo bird! They are one of the species we monitor for the Colonial Waterbird Program and we see them often during Snowy Plover, salt pond and shorebird surveys.
22. Western Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea): These unique owls are a CA Species of Special Concern. We have conducted breeding and wintering surveys for them at several sites and worked with partners to monitor and restore habitat for them.
23. Tricolored Blackbird (Agelaius tricolor): A CA Species of Special Concern and listed as endangered on the IUCN red list, these birds have been caught at CCFS on rare occasions.
24. Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri): We count Western Sandpipers for salt pond surveys and they are a focal species for shorebird surveys.
25. Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis): These waterbirds are a species of interest for salt pond surveys, as they rely on salty ponds for foraging.
26. White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys): We commonly catch two subspecies of White-crowned Sparrows at CCFS and have published peer-reviewed studies on them.
27. Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus): With so little known about the status of phalarope populations, we recently started a community science project to survey their presence in the Bay during fall migration.
28. Forster’s Tern (Sterna forsteri): One of the primary species we monitor for the Colonial Waterbird Program. We also count them during salt pond surveys and worked with the US Geological Survey to conduct a social attraction study to help reestablish breeding colonies on islands in managed ponds.
29. Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias): One of the primary species we monitor for the Colonial Waterbird Program.
30. Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus): One of the primary species we monitor for the Colonial Waterbird Program. We have published a study on their populations in the San Francisco Bay.
31. Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata): The Wrentit represents the expansion of our banding program: while we do not catch Wrentits at CCFS, we do band them at our two new satellite locations at Los Trancos and Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve.
32. Bewick’s Wren (Thryomanes bewickii): Bewick’s Wrens are common at CCFS, and captures of them have increased over the past few decades.
33. Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans): These attractive flycatchers are common in tidal marsh transition zones and like to perch on the mist net poles at CCFS. They have also begun nesting in the native plant nursery this year.
34. Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus): These are the smallest birds we regularly band at CCFS, but they make a big impression with their variously-colored eyes and tendency to be captured in large flocks. We have studied their social behavior.
35. Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus): Researchers banded Hermit Thrushes at CCFS and affixed geolocators on them as part of a study on the migration patterns of different populations in the San Francisco Bay.
36. Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor): Wilson’s Phalaropes are vulnerable to climate change due to their habitat preferences, and their population status is unknown. They are therefore included in our community science project to survey phalarope presence in the Bay.
37. Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus): Short-eared Owls are historically a tidal marsh transition zone species. We frequently see them in the spring months during Snowy Plover surveys and occasionally see them on the levees where we do our habitat restoration work.
38. Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger): These striking birds are one of the species we monitor for the Colonial Waterbird Program. Breeding activity has been observed at Alviso and Ravenswood in recent years.
39. Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis): We often see these sparrows while restoring tidal marsh habitat, and they occasionally show up at CCFS.
40. Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca): We often catch the Sooty variety of Fox Sparrows at CCFS during the winter months
As a bonus, we also included a salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris) on the shirt. Like the Ridgway’s Rail, these rodents are endangered and stand to benefit greatly from restoring tidal marshes. Julie is also creating and will sell items decorated with her 2021 CFC T-Shirt artwork, including posters, stickers, canvas tote bags, and more, to help our community commemorate our anniversary and she will donate part of the proceeds to SFBBO. Visit our CFC website section to learn more.

Donations of $75 or more to our 2021 California Fall Challenge (CFC) are eligible to receive our 2021 SFBBO 40th Anniversary California Fall Challenge T-Shirt. Check out our CFC events for fun ways to get involved while supporting our science and outreach work!
admin

September 3, 2021

Wingbeat
Plover Rescue Kicks Off SFBBO’s 40th Anniversary – “Forty from the Field”

By Outreach and Communications Director Kristin Butler

The birds were 40 days old.

It was August 20th and I was at Eden Landing Ecological Reserve in Hayward, a haven for many bird species, including the three Western Snowy Plover juveniles patiently waiting in a plastic pet carrier that was their temporary home.

My colleague Ben Pearl, a biologist, held the carrier in one hand, a spotting scope slung over his other shoulder. He walked slowly across the moonscape ground, eyes peeled for movement that would let us know where the older plovers were hiding among white algae and shells. I followed a half step behind, our boots crunching softly on the dried earth.

SFBBO’s 40th Anniversary

The symbolism of their age was not lost on us. This fall the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory …

is celebrating our 40th Anniversary. For almost half that time we have worked to help these birds.

Western Snowy Plovers are a threatened species, their numbers declining across the Pacific coast because they are displaced from the beaches they like to live on by human activity.

For 18 years, SFBBO biologists have studied the population of plovers that live on the Bay’s dry pond beds, searching and banding, and stomping in wet March mud to make depressions that dry into camouflage. We are part of a range-wide effort determined to increase plover population numbers and awareness about this little bird’s plight.

A Scientist’s Dedication to Birds

Since 2013, Ben has worked in our plover program. As a graduate student at San Jose State, he studied what they ate when they wintered here. Later, he arrived in the field before dawn to direct crews doing construction on the nearby South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project away from plover nests. He’s taken Scouts to the area to remove man-made structures where predators perch, and has given talks to the employees of Silicon Valley tech giants about the importance of the species to gain their support.

During his first year with SFBBO he encountered a banded adult male and has caught sight of the bird every year since, faithfully raising a new brood of chicks. Over time this fathering bird became a kind of touchstone for Ben, a partner in his work to increase plover numbers along the Bay.

The work can be disheartening because plovers face so many threats, including predation by raptors, corvids, and mammals such as red foxes, coyotes, and skunks.

But this year, a hard one for people, has been a good one for these birds as Ben’s team banded the largest number of plovers since our work began – 152 chicks, and 20 adults.

A Human Corridor of Help

The juveniles in the carrier had had a rougher start than most when, still in their eggs, they were abandoned by their parents.

Ben, who works with his team each spring and summer to find plover nests and band chicks before they race into the world, discovered them on a routine visit to Ravenswood ponds in Menlo Park, struggling to hatch.
He transported the eggs to the Ohlone Humane Society Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Newark, where they were kept safe overnight, and then SFBBO Biologist Josh Scullen drove them to our partners at International Bird Rescue, who accomplished an impressive feat by helping them break free of their shells and nursing them into health.

Ben and I were here to take them to Eden Landing to join the largest group of plovers in the Bay Area, serving as just one section of a kind of “human corridor” of groups that coordinate with one another to help wildlife negotiate the urban world.

Ben had driven up to Fairfield to retrieve them, and attached tiny black, orange, white, and aqua bands in various combinations to their delicate legs so that he or others might re-sight them someday and know if they had moved, become parents, were Ok.

The Release

Ben stopped walking and pointed to a subtle line where the tan dirt met white. As I stood still I could just barely see them – dozens of round birds skittering to the side and watching our approach. His goal to steer the youngsters toward the group, Ben laid the carrier facing the line and we readied our cameras for the birds’ release.

At first the juveniles hesitated, then moved out of the carrier, and stood looking around them, and at us.

Then suddenly they took to the sky – the three of them circling higher and higher, together above our heads. The hazy smoke from summer wildfires worked strangely in our favor as the birds’ bodies stood out clearly against the gray.

In all his years at SFBBO, Ben had only participated in one other plover release and he’d expected the birds would immediately join the flock.

“What do you make of that?” he said as he watched them soar.

As I watched, the only word that came was “Joy!”

This story is the first in SFBBO’s 40th Anniversary series “Forty from the Field.”

SFBBO is looking for people with excellent bird ID skills to volunteer in our plover and tern community science program to survey for plovers so we can learn how these and other Bay Area plovers are doing. Please visit our website and fill out a volunteer application.

admin

September 2, 2021

Wingbeat
Biologist Reconnects with Nature Through Bird Photography Workshop

By Guest Blogger Johanna Rivera

There is so much to learn from our more than human kin. I am fascinated by our feathered relatives. In the morning when I first wake, before I open up the curtains to take a peek at the day, I enjoy guessing what the weather is like outside according to the bird sounds. As a California Naturalist and Field Biologist, I love spending time outdoors observing wildlife. Living amongst the coastal redwood giants, surrounded by wetlands, rivers, beaches …

and forest. I’m situated in such a unique place that attracts many migrating birds throughout the year. This is why I’m interested in learning about bird photography, what I see outside my house is picturesque!

I took my first photography class 18 years ago as a teenager, another course about five years ago and up to this day I still consider myself a beginner photographer, always eager to learn more! I am so grateful for the donors who contributed to the scholarship fund and made it possible for me to be part of the Mastering Bird Photography Workshop by Sebastian Kennerknecht. This workshop was the booster I needed to be inspired to go outdoors and photograph birds, especially during the pandemic when many of us are spending more time inside than usual. Research has shown that bird watching is good for our mental health. Combine that with practicing photography skills and this creates an enriching experience for many of us.

I learned so many valuable tips and tricks during this workshop. When I am out there birding in the marsh, getting ready to snap a photo, I will ask myself “What is the story I am trying to tell here?” Am I showing where the bird lives or a specific behavior? Where do I want the viewer to focus attention in my photograph? Am I shooting at eye level? Combining these questions and experimenting with camera settings will keep me motivated. Thank you so much SFBBO, Sebastian and donors for the opportunity to learn!

Johanna Rivera is a biological assistant at Pinecrest Environmental Consulting and an Outings Leader with Latino Outdoors where she enjoys helping people reconnect with nature.

admin

August 11, 2021

Wingbeat
Middle School Student Fascinated by How Our Brains Recognize Birds

By Guest Blogger Anastasia

I started birding a few months ago, and it has quickly become my favorite hobby. I have always loved animals, but birds are definitely my favorite. Something about them just captivates me. The fast flutter of a hummingbird’s wings. The steady soar of a raptor. The cheerful “cheeps” of a baby killdeer. I love observing and identifying birds, and I am always thrilled to see a “lifer”! Photographing birds is another hobby of mine, as well as drawing and painting birds.

When I heard about the Bird ID Techniques Workshop with Alvaro …

Jaramillo, I was excited to elevate my bird identification skills. It was fascinating to learn Alvaro’s tips for bird ID-ing and hear his birding stories. I learned how to use the shape of birds to identify them instead of the colors. I learned how to differentiate a House Finch from a Purple Finch, a pair of birds that I have a hard time telling apart. I also enjoyed his segment on common bird ID mistakes, as well as the interactive sections where I could guess the bird. The part when he shared about how our brains recognize birds was really interesting, and might have been my favorite portion of the workshop.

I am so grateful to all of the kind donors, and SFBBO who gave me the unique opportunity to attend the Bird ID Techniques Workshop with Alvaro Jaramillo through a scholarship. It really means a lot to me and I am super thankful!

Anastasia is a middle schooler who enjoys many types of arts and crafts. Her latest hobby is bird photography and now she notices birds everywhere she goes.

admin

July 11, 2021

Wingbeat
Artist Turned Naturalist Deepens Appreciation for Birds at ID Workshop

By Guest Blogger Jose Barrientos

I have always had a fascination with birds, growing in Arandas, Jalisco Mexico my Abuelito kept many birds, he fed them, cared for them and I would help him with his daily tasks. But later in life, birds became part of my art inspiration, birds were my subjects and my muses but it was last year that I really started to learn and to be able to identify, both visually and auditorily, many species of birds.

When my family and I moved to the states we …

moved to Amarillo, Texas, and we didn’t really participate in many outdoor activities besides hiking the Palo Duro Canyon on 100 degree days as a high school field trip. It wasn’t until I was in my mid-twenties that I started hiking and camping with my girlfriend (now wife of many years) who had grown up as a Girl Scout. She was the one who really introduced me to the outdoors. Over the years, I have taken it upon myself to continue to learn and participate in the outdoors, so much so that I have changed my career path.

My background is in art so I find the patterns and colors of birds fascinating. Before diving into a career in the outdoors, I was a designer/art director for over 16 years, working for many local advertising and design studios around the Denver Area and I have been working on some type of art medium pretty much all of my life. I love design and art but I wanted to try something different where I could make an impression on other people’s perception of who and how one should interact with the outdoors. I am bringing my passion for art into the outdoors with plein-air painting and nature journaling. I am also halfway through a Park Ranger Certificate with a focus on Nature Resource Interpretation, and this season I am working as a Park Ranger for Boulder County.

Taking the Bird ID class taught by Alvaro Jaramillo was really great. I had just taken a Naturalist Certification course through my college and the workshop added some really great insights. One thing that really blew my mind was the idea of learning how to identify birds by shapes and silhouettes and not to rely on colors. That was my favorite part. I want to thank the donors for providing funds for these scholarships and also SFBBO for putting together this great program and classes. I hope to participate in many more.

Jose Barrientos attends Red Rocks Community College and is working on a Park Ranger Certificate for Park Ranger Natural Resource Interpretation.

admin

July 11, 2021

Wingbeat
Dudley Carlson’s Kids Bird Book Recommendation – Across the Pond

By Guest Blogger Dudley Carlson

What is it that draws people to birding? For some of us, it’s a single, unforgettable encounter; for others it’s more gradual, perhaps even accidental. For Callie, in Joy McCullough’s Across the Pond, it’s part of the completely new life she discovers when her family moves from a small apartment in San Diego to a castle they have inherited in Scotland.

Shy and uncomfortable in new situations, Callie discovers that seventh grade (hers) at her new school will be “high school.” Fearful of being an outsider among older students, she persuades her parents to …

home-school her for the first year, which they agree to do on one condition: she must find one social activity on her own that provides the chance to meet new people and make friends.

At the village library, she meets a friendly librarian who mentions that a “twitching” club meets there, and as she’s found nothing else, she decides to try it, quickly discovering that it consists only of boys and a decidedly unwelcoming male leader. Told that seeing a new bird counts only if it’s a male, Callie rebels; and that marks the beginning not only of her birding adventure, but of her gradual transformation from shy outsider to can-do twitcher. She’s helped along by evolving friendships with Raj, a boy whose small size and ethnicity have marked him as “different” and made him a target for teasing, and Sid, a girl whose family circumstances and an unusual disease make her seem less interested than she really is.

Callie also finds an early diary of the castle’s former owner who, as a young girl, was sent away from home for safety during World War II. Philippa Spence was also a “twitcher,” and in her diaries Callie learns more about birds and discovers another outsider faced with difficult circumstances. As their parallel stories begin to intertwine, we see both young women finding their strengths.

This is not a flawless book. One of Philippa’s bird lists includes North American species that would not have been seen in Scotland, including a Black-capped Chickadee that eats from her hand. But it nicely captures the joy of finding new birds and the challenges of developing new friendships, and there are important parallels with today’s need for inclusiveness in birding and elsewhere.

SFBBO member Dudley Carlson, a biologist’s daughter, grew up in a family of birders and was Manager of Youth Services at Princeton (NJ) Public Library for 25 years. She believes that if children enjoy learning about birds and understand how important they are to our environment, then birds, nature and people will have a better chance at a healthy future. Check out all of Dudley’s book recommendations.

admin

July 11, 2021

Wingbeat