The Golden Gate Bird Alliance (GGBA) is an organization that has been dedicated to Bay Area bird conservation since 1917. Through environmental activism and education, it has made a significant impact on preserving regional bird habitats. The GGBA offers more than 200 mostly free local field trips annually, welcoming beginning birders to join. The guides are expert volunteers who provide an excellent education on Bay Area birds.
On September 6, we joined them for a field trip inside the SF Botanical Garden, a place we have visited many times, but never for birdwatching. On the morning of the event, we polished our binoculars and met the group. San Francisco has a thriving community of avid birders. Many of them are seasoned veterans, and you can learn a lot just from chatting with them. The group is also welcoming to newcomers with little to no birding experience. You can even borrow binoculars if you are just starting out.
Birding in a guided group sharpens your eye for spotting the color and flashes of movement of the birds in the canopy. You learn how to orient yourself and others to the location of a bird under observation. I used my Merlin Bird ID app while I practiced learning the different bird calls of those species common to this area.
We walked through each area of the botanical garden, spotting an imposing red-shouldered hawk, song sparrows, a Steller’s jay, a dapper black phoebe, robins, pygmy nuthatches, a Townsend’s warbler, pine siskins, a dark-eyed junco, vivid western tanagers, and even a pair of California red-legged frogs!
dark-eyed junco, SF Botanical Garden
red-shouldered hawk, SF Botanical Garden
California red-legged frog
Join the next field trip
Though our experiences with birding in the Bay Area have been few, each has inspired us to keep exploring and learning more about the species around us. If you would like to join an upcoming trip with the Golden Gate Bird Alliance, check out the schedule posted on the website. The GGBA also offers a wide range of classes covering raptors, bird migration patterns, local bird habitats, birding for beginners, and tools like eBird. You can browse and register for upcoming classes here.