Special Event: California Biodiversity Day, Improve Your Birding Skills in The Tilden Nature Area

Trip Leader: Zac Denning

Date: Sunday, Sep 7th – 7 to 10 a.m.
 
Description: Celebrating California Biodiversity Day, our goal is to work together to improve our birding skills, starting from where we are now. We’ll start by finding out what each person wants to improve on. We’ll then walk slowly and sometimes in silence, listening, observing and periodically pausing to discuss what we’re observing. In addition to covering ID tips, we’ll practice some different techniques, including stationary observation, sky watching and distance scanning, ear birding, ‘pishing’, watching for behavioral clues and more.

Throughout, we’ll use the birds we find to build our knowledge and familiarity through close observation. What can we observe from a bird’s flight style?  What do we notice when we watch one individual for a longer period of time? We’ll focus not just on identification, but also talk about the context of a bird’s biology, habitat, seasonal movements and habits. We’ll pay attention to calls or behavior to see what stories they tell, such as mobbing, alarm calls, wing fluttering or food caching. We’ll also touch on how to use tools like eBird and Merlin, as well as other resources. But mostly, we’ll move slowly with a focus on close observation.
This will involve 1-2 miles of easy to moderate walking. We’ll walk on both wide unpaved fire roads, as well as shorter distances on narrower paths, with uneven footing, moderate up or down grades or steps. We’ll do our best to avoid poison oak along the trails. Dress in layers, bring water & snacks.
 
Trip size: 15 Participants Max
 
Directions: We’ll meet in the Parking lot for Big Leaf Picnic Ground, on Central Park Drive in Berkeley.  – it’s very close to the main Tilden Little Farm / Nature Area parking lot, which is closed to cars early Sunday morning. 

Google map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/iCs1Wg6WdeiMmM8r6

This event will open at 1 pm on Tuesday, August 19 and close at 11 pm on Thursday, September 4