Ohlone Audubon Society

May Membership Meeting: A Rapture Of Raptors (7:30 PM)
Date: May 1 Time: 7:30 p. m.
Place: Starr King U. U. Church
22577 Bayview Avenue
Hayward 94541
Topic: A RAPTURE OF RAPTORS
Presenter: Jenny Papka

Native Bird Connections is a small educational nonprofit based in the East Bay that became a reality in the year 2000 in response to a growing need for wholesome and real nature education. This group of professional interpreters and educators partner with live wild birds to share educational messages. The birds the Native Bird Connections bring to us are victims of permanent physical or psychological damage, rendering them unable to survive in the wild. They have been asked to accept captivity within a realm of respect and trust. Their loss of wild life is fully acknowledged while challenging them to take an active role as ambassadors and teachers.

The birds and people of Native Bird Connections offer programs for schools as well as programs for seniors, scouts, and special interest groups. They strive to provide for the audience, an intimate view of a wild bird's behavior and needs.

Be prepared to meet some raptors, learn their stories, and experience a spontaneous, entertaining, and educational evening. This is an opportunity to see these amazing birds up close, to experience who they are and to understand their behavior.

To reach Starr King U. U. Church, take Grove Way to Center Street. Turn on Center toward Hayward. Then turn left at the light onto Kelly Street. Or take B Street to Kelly and turn right. Bayview is third street on left. MLT

San Leandro Marina (8:00 AM)

May 2, Wed. 8:00 AM
Leader: Stephanie Floyd ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

San Leandro Marina in May is a great place to find shorebirds such as Ruddy Turnstones, Semipalmated Plovers, and migrating Wandering Tattlers as well as several species of terns, all pushed by the rising tide onto a rocky island. An easy, paved pathway runs around a peninsula offering great views of the bay and island. Bring your spotting scope if you have one. Beginners welcome. Take Marina Blvd. west from I-880 in San Leandro to where it turns to the left (south) at the marina; continue south on Monarch Bay Drive past the golf course and meet by the restrooms in the last parking lot where the road ends in a traffic circle before a pedestrian bridge.

Shadow Cliffs Regional Park - SPACE IS LIMITED, RSVP REQUIRED (12:00 AM)

May 6, Sun. 12:00 noon to 4:00pm
Leader: Rich Cimino, in conjunction with SFBBO.
Space limited to 10 participants from Ohlone.
Contact Rich Cimino for reservations. 925/353-0266 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . First call, first reserved.
$

Join us for an easy afternoon of birding at the Shadow Cliffs East Bay Regional Park located at 2500 Stanley Blvd in Pleasanton. Shadow Cliffs borders the Arroyo Del Valle; home of a significant Heron – Egret – Cormorant rookery which is easily viewed from the elevated levee trail, scopes will be necessary. Participants can also expect to see several species of waterfowl and we'll comb a riparian habitat trail lined with Cottonwood and Black Walnut which may yield a surprise or two. $6.00 parking fee. Directions: Take I-580 east to Pleasanton, exit right on Santa Rita Rd, left on Valley Ave., left on Stanley Blvd. The park entrance is on the right at the first traffic signal.  We will meet in the Marina View parking lot.

Oakland Middle Harbor (9:00 AM)

May 8, Tue. 9:00 AM
Leader: Stephanie Floyd ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

The Port of Oakland's Middle Harbor Shoreline Park is a great place to bird at all tides, but if we go as low tide begins to turn, we have a chance to see a lot of shorebirds. Possible sightings include Snowy Plovers, Semipalmated Plovers, Whimbrels, terns, Brown Pelicans, and others flying in to feed with the rising tide. The park has modern, well-kept facilities, including an observation tower, promenade pier, and narrow strip of beach, all offering wonderful vantage points of the birds, the bay, and the City. Bring your spotting scope if you have one. Beginners welcome. Meet at the parking lot by the gray restrooms on the northeast (Port Arnold) side of the park near the traffic circle (entrance off Middle Harbor Rd. just south of Seventh St.) Look for the tall white mast. Free. For driving directions and a park map, please refer to the park web site: http://www.portofoakland.com/communit/serv_midd.asp

Del Puerto Canyon Road (8:30 AM)

May 13, Sun. 8:30a.m.
Leaders: Phil and Pat Gordon This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Join us this Mother's Day for spring birding along Del Puerto Road. We will start at the I-5 end in Stanislaus County and end up on Mines Road into Livermore. We expect to see many nesting migrants, including Bullock's oriole, and specialties to the area, including Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Blue Grosbeaks, that special hummingbird, and maybe the Phainopepla we found last year! We constantly scan the sky for predators, including Golden Eagle and Prairie Falcons. If we are lucky, we should find Lawrence's Goldfinches near the junction with Mines Road. This is mainly a driving and short walk trip. Prepare for a warm day and bring your lunch and a full gas tank. Restrooms will not be available until lunch time. Meet at the intersection of Del Puerto Canyon Road and Diablo Grande Parkway. To reach the meeting area, take Hwy 580 East, then proceed South on I-5 to exit #434 – Diablo Grande Parkway/Sperry Avenue, near the town on Patterson. When exiting the freeway, take the first right, then another right onto Del Puerto Canyon road. The meeting place is about 57 miles from Hayward.

Garin-Dry Creek Regional Park (7:30 AM - 11:00 AM)

May 16, Wed. 7:30 a. m. to 11:00 a. m.
Leaders: Brenda Senturia 510-581-1997, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and Mona Brauer, 510-537-0311, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

We'll explore Garin/Dry Creek Regional Parks from the Dry Creek entrance on this relaxed mid-week trip. May is an excellent time to see a wide variety of birds. Residents and newly arrived migrants will be courting and setting up nesting territories. There is excellent riparian habitat, oak woodland and grazed pasture accessible from this entrance. We'll be looking closely at bird behavior: setting up breeding territories, courtship displays and signs of nesting. Birds will be in their finest plumages and we should find quite a variety: woodpeckers, flycatchers, warblers, wrens, sparrows, and thrushes.

We'll meet at the Dry Creek Regional Park parking area. Take Mission Blvd. in Hayward south to Whipple Rd. Turn east toward the hills on the continuation of Whipple (May Rd.) past apartment complexes to a parking area on the right. Be prepared for moderate walking.

Niles Hotspots (9:00 AM)

May 22, Tue., 9:00 a.m.
Leaders: Kathy Robertson and Stephanie Floyd ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

We will visit several great birding spots in the Niles area along the Alameda Creek channel and in the woods in hopes of seeing spring migrants and nesting birds including Hooded Orioles, warblers, and waterfowl. Meet at Niles Community Park. To reach the park, from I-880, take Decoto Road northeast about 2 miles. Turn right (east) on Alvarado-Niles Blvd. and stay on it for about 2 1/2 miles (it becomes Niles Blvd.). Turn right on H St. The park is at the end of H St. From I-680, take Niles Canyon Road (Hwy 84) southwest to Fremont. Cross Mission Blvd. to reach Niles Blvd. and bear right on Niles Blvd. to go through the main part of Niles. Turn left on H St. The park is at the end of H St. From Mission Boulevard north or south, turn onto Niles Blvd. and follow the directions above. Free. Heavy rain cancels.

Leona Canyon Regional Open Space Preserve (9:00 AM)

May 30, Wed., 9:00 a.m.
Leaders: Kathy Robertson and Stephanie Floyd ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

Leona Canyon is a pristine woodland preserve in the Oakland Hills near Anthony Chabot and Redwood Regional Parks. This is a great place to see warblers, flycatchers, and nesting birds such as Hairy Woodpeckers. We will walk gently uphill on a shady trail for about 3/4 mile and then return downhill, birding along the way. Please note that no facilities are available. To reach the park, from I-580 in Oakland go east on Keller Avenue, turn left onto Campus Drive, and make a quick right on Canyon Oaks Drive into the apartment complex. Parking for the trail is at the north end of the apartment complex. Free. Heavy rain cancels.