Curious about the ecology of San Francisco's seldom visited Farallon Islands? Here's a chance to learn more about one of the most productive seabird islands in the north Pacific from a biologists who

September 3: Noreen and I had fun showing a visiting American Bird Conservation biologist some local sand and not so local birds while yakking about conservation issues and strategies. We met at the C

July 3: Did a mini-Bio-blitz at Pier 94 and Yosemite slough with Bob Hall and Brent Plater this morning Pier 94 highlights included a LEAST SANDPIPER that circled us calling, briefly landed in the mar

Noreen and I took a spin around the waterfront on Friday with a Netherlander birder. He had happened upon Skimmer admirers Thursday and, upon seeing he was with binoculars, these birders pointed out t

Jan. 12, 3-4 PM, Lake Merced concrete bridge: perhaps the pressure drop, songbirds were mostly silent during walk when suddenly, nearly all of the ducks & gulls and even coots lifted from the lake. We

Heron’s Head Park: the very clean looking BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER that David found earlier was very active just before the marsh overlook. According to Ebird this is a first-sighting of this speci

Before and after some Pier 94 GGAS work party stuff did a quick census at Pier 94 then another low tide walk out to Heron’s Head. Pier 94: 30 bird species, very few ducks or shorebirds during the visi

Please do keep on the lookout for unusual or unexpected sightings. A friend sent a photo of an uninjured looking Common Poorwill that ended up in a private garden in El Sobrante two days ago. No way t

May 10, 5:10 PM: as we were leaving for a class a single BLACK SWIFT flew within 100 feet of our kitchen window on north Potrero Hill. Noreen saw it first, approximately over 16th. & Rhode Island and

March 18 8:30 11:30 AM: About 20 birders participated in the first Mt. Sutro Bio-blitz yesterday organized by the good folks at Sutro Stewards in partnership with UCSF, Cal Academy, CNPS-Yerba Buena C

March 9, about 9:30 AM - SF Botanical Garden: a female BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER was feeding in crabapple trees (Rosaceae). South side of meadow, about 50 meters west of the rest rooms, the young trees

Science Saturday walk at Heron’s Head Park, Feb. 17, 2018, ~ 1 - 2 PM, post high tide: a group of 15 saw the continuing RIDGEWAY’S RAIL east end of the marsh (about the “eye” of the heron’s “head”, lo

Feb. 9, 2018. Mid 60’s to low 70’s, another mostly sunny summer day. Visitacion Valley Greenway, ~10 – 11:30 AM: Bob Hall, Noreen and I got an eye opening tour of this surprisingly wild hill strip wit

Feb. 5, 2018: Very nice time birding with some Ohioans on this beautiful summer day. Photographers so slow study mostly. Fort Mason was lovely but nothing notable, then Crissy Lagoon then where we saw

Greetings SF Birders, After spending early January birding the lovely Palm Deserts (super-fun was 18 GGAS birders at the Salton Sea) it’s good to be back in SFs somewhat more humid environs. A few not

King Tides are a great time to explore bay marshes and Heron’s Head was a good example of that today. Almost no breeze and a 100% cloud cover giving excellent below horizon light I censused the head,

November 28, 2017, about 10:00 AM – interestingly a female Anna’s Hummingbird was (presumably) gathering nesting materials from our Potrero Hill garden this morning. Dead heads of Erigonum latifolium

9/10/17: The Wild Birds of San Francisco class enjoyed some dramatic fog and sunlight interactions at Land’s End today plus a few neat birds too. WESTERN WOOD PEWEE, TOWNSEND’S & WILSON’S WARBLERS alo

Out for a few hours in the Land’s End area today and had some nice birds. Seal Rocks: at least 8 BLACK TURNSTONES and 3 SURFBIRDS. Two PARASITIC JAEGERS harassing about 20 ELEGANT TERNS, another Jaege

In between chores arrived at Mt. Davidson not until almost 9:00 AM and like everywhere it was very warm with skies as smoggy as I’ve ever seen them here in SF. Ughh! Quiet too on the trail up from Myr