Wingbeat Blog

​I often feel like a late bloomer when it comes to my love for birds. Throughout my undergraduate career, birds would pop up in my classes every so often and I always thought they were interesting.

​But it wasn’t until my last spring quarter at Stanford when I took the introductory Ornithology course that I realized how much I loved learning about birds. In every lesson, I felt engaged and enthusiastic to soak in as much knowledge …

​When I walk around local city and state parks, I take in a plethora of information: amazing sceneries, new terrain patterns, and rest spots up ahead. When I decide to stop and remain stationary, I realize that bird calls and songs are the most prominent signals I receive. Bird calls and songs truly do tower many of our environments. I can even hear some right now …

If you’re reading this, you’re probably already a birdwatcher.  But what got you started? Do you remember wondering what made a certain sound or where a feather came from, or noticing a bird behaving in a particular way?

​With the Great Backyard Bird Count coming up, there’s no better time for youngsters to begin thinking about where and how to find birds and make a list for Presidents’ Weekend. In How to Find a Bird, Jennifer Ward offers a great starting point with her suggestions for how to begin (“…you’ll want to blend in. ​​And move slowly. Quiet is good too.”) and where to look (“Don’t just look up to find a bird.  Look down, low to the ground…”).

Diana Sudyka’s illustrations are stylized, energetic, and simple enough to spark recognition or give a child something to remember, with plenty of humor thrown in. Together, they draw young readers along, introducing differences in feeding, camouflage, and sounds. Each bird illustrated is … 

​In August, disastrous wildfires in the Ventana Wilderness destroyed thousands of acres, including the Big Sur Sanctuary for condors, and resulted in the disappearance and presumed death of eleven California Condors.  Iniko, a chick still in the nest, was feared dead but ultimately survived, as did some other adults. In late November and early December, some survivors were released back into the wild (click here to view video of Iniko’s fledging and the release of adult condors).

In Condor Comeback, a new book in the “Scientists in the Field” series, author Sy Montgomery accompanies …

I found my love for the environment after taking an introduction course back when I was attending Ohlone College in Fremont. What I love about this field of study is that it brings together people of similar interests to help stand up for the earth. I also love being outdoors.

Luckily, I was fortunate to stumble upon the opportunity to take SFBBO’s Diurnal Raptor ID Workshop with Alvaro Jaramillo, when it was shared with students in the Environmental Studies Department San Jose State University where I currently study. I was interested in this workshop because identifying raptors has never been my strength. In fact, whenever I saw a bird in the sky …

​I would like to thank SFBBO’s donors for giving me the scholarship to their Diurnal Raptor ID Workshop with Alvaro Jaramillo. I was extremely excited to receive the news I was selected for the scholarship and could not wait to attend the workshops.

I have attended other informative talks, such as Nerd Nite, but those have always been live. I was curious what a Zoom version would feel like and found I was I was fully engrossed into the presentation. It was highly informative, and I walked away way more educated. 

​I learned the subtle and not so subtle differences between …

​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.