Save Point Molate, a Natural Treasure by Ilana Debare

the newsletter of the golden gate audubon society // vol. 105 no. 3 summer 2021

Save Point Molate, a Natural Treasure by ilana debare

oint Molate in North Richmond may be the most important P San Francisco Bay development battle you’ve never heard of. These 413 acres include the last undeveloped, unprotected headland along the Bay. The point’s hillsides and shores are home to 600 plant and animal species, including over 140 bird species and four active Osprey nests. They also host Ohlone sacred sites and the Bay’s most pristine eelgrass bed. And they’re on track to be turned into luxury housing.

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Point Molate. Alan Krakauer by orders of magnitude. I see more people outdoors in our parks than ever before—a trend that is unlikely to reverse even as our economy opens up again. As a teen, I rarely encountered another hiker once I got past the first mile from the trailhead in almost any California park, even iconic ones like Yosemite. Now trailhead parking lots are overflowing. During Golden Gate Audu- bon’s recent Christmas-in-May Bird Count, I passed over forty hikers, a dozen mountain bikers, and a foursome on horseback during my four-mile bird walk. Last October, Governor Newsom announced his ambitious 30 x 30 initiative: By 2030, to set aside 30 percent of state lands primarily for the conservation of biodiver-

Sandhill Cranes. sity and nature-based solutions for climate Ilana DeBareIlana Glenn Phillips (right) visits Point Molate Beach with Golden Gate Audubon member Tony Brake. change. It could not be more timely. This coming year will mark critical milestones in the protection—or loss—of important Bay T he Time is Now Area open spaces including Point Molate to Preserve Open Space in Richmond, Tesla Park between Liver- more and Tracy, the N3 Cattle Ranch near by glenn phillips, executive director Livermore, and over 550 acres of wetlands slated for luxury housing alongside the moved east for college in 1986 and Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline pro- Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge in i returned with my family to the East vides improved habitat for wetland birds, Newark. We must hold our elected officials Bay in 2020. During that time, the Bay Area and expansion of Sibley Volcanic Regional accountable and see that our landscape is changed dramatically. The population grew Preserve in Oakland and Orinda protects a protected in ways that are equitable and by over two million, tech industries came crucial wildlife corridor along the East Bay reparative—not just of the ecological sys- to dominate the local economy, and houses Hills. Thousands of all-electric vehicles tems, but also of the human systems. spread over hillsides once reserved for cattle drive our roadways, solar panels cover acres Returning to the Bay Area after forty and wildlife. At the same time, some places of rooftops, and the Altamont wind farm, years, I’m thrilled to join with you, our val- changed very little or even changed for the once visible out the window of my child- ued Golden Gate Audubon members, to better. Natural habitats are now being nur- hood home, has shrunk. continue our fight to protect the Bay Area’s tured around India Basin in San Francisco, But no new state parks have opened in lands for future generations of birds and restoration of the “New Marsh” in Martin over a decade, even as park use increased people.

news briefs

Travel with GGAS in 2022-23 Birdathon 2021—Success Despite Covid Many Ways to Connect Satisfy your pent-up craving for birding travel Birdathon couldn’t include in-person field trips this The Gull comes out quarterly, but so much happens with us. Choose from expert-led birding trips to year, but we made up for it with ten Virtual Field between issues! Contact ggas@goldengateaudubon. Oaxaca, Chile, Ohio, Kentucky, Uganda, Brazil, Trips, a first-ever Christmas-in-May Bird Count org to receive our monthly email newsletters that and Namibia/Botswana in 2022. Plus we’re timed to coincide with eBird’s Global Big Day, and list upcoming field trips and other events. Join starting to add trips for 2023, including a Birding an online auction. Over 400 people watched the our friendly and informal email discussion group and Culture in Southern Portugal trip. Travel with Virtual Field Trips and 140 joined the Christmas- at groups.io/g/GGAS-Chat. Or subscribe to our GGAS is a great way to experience new parts of in-May count. Top fundraisers were Susan blog, Golden Gate Birder, for inspirational weekly the world while adding to both your life list and MacWhorter, Dan Harris, and the San Leandro Bay essays about local birding and conservation issues: your friend list. Dates and detailed itineraries at and Claremont/Temescal count teams. Overall we goldengateaudubon.org/subscribe. And you can also goldengateaudubon.org/travel-with-ggas. raised more than $53,000. Thank you, everyone! follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

2 THE GULL summer 2021 bay area hotspot

At left, Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline; above, Ridgway’s Rail. Photos courtesy Rick Lewis.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline: Birding Hotspot by blake edgar

edged between Interstate 880 and Oakland Your odds improve if your trip coincides with a high w International Airport along San Leandro Bay, tide, when the rails have fewer places to hide. During location Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline protects a one king tide, I felt fortunate to observe a flying Vir- Swan Way near remnant of a once-extensive tidal marsh that maintains ginia Rail, a paddling Sora, and four Ridgway’s Rails, Dootlittle Drive, a population of endangered Ridgway’s Rails and serves including one that walked right beside the dock. Such Oakland many shorebirds and water birds. encounters can make the existence of this urban oasis, More than 200 avian species have been reported hemmed in by bland business parks, seem like a minor here on eBird. For birders, the primary attraction is miracle. often 50-acre Arrowhead Marsh, the park’s centerpiece Opposite Arrowhead Marsh is New Marsh, 73 acres GGAS and a central location for many Golden Gate Audubon of restored wetland that resulted from litigation by Society activities, from Eco-Education and adult educa- GGAS against the Port of Oakland. You can see New succeeded tion field trips to long-term restoration efforts. Marsh from the first bridge just past the parking lot or 50 years After much of the marsh here was lost to make way explore along its eastern edge from San Leandro Creek ago in for the airport and other development, GGAS suc- Trail West. ceeded 50 years ago in protecting Arrowhead Marsh as For a longer jaunt, cross over San Leandro and Elm- protecting a refuge. For a broad perspective on the aptly named hurst Creeks and continue for a little over half a mile Arrowhead marsh, visit the viewing deck at the observation tower to Garretson Point. This spot is known for offering a beside the parking lot. trifecta of teal in winter, when you can find Cinnamon, Marsh as Then go out on the dock that extends over pickleweed Blue-winged, and Green-winged species. Continue a refuge. and cordgrass to seek some secretive denizens, like the another mile along the Damon Marsh Trail, spotting furtive and rare Ridgway’s Rail, which is restricted to shorebirds in the mudflats. If you become inspired to tidal and brackish marshes rimming San Francisco Bay. lend this park a helping hand, GGAS sponsors restora- You may hear its distinctive territorial clapping call, but tion work sessions on the third Saturday of each month: setting eyes on the bird is more challenging. Sign up through the Volunteer page of our website.

Have a favorite birding site you’d like to share? Contact [email protected].

sm um er 2021 THE GULL 3 features

G olden Gate Audubon Launches Climate Watch Surveys by david robinson

ational Audubon’s landmark 2018 report brought the dangers n of climate change home to birders. The sobering news was that nearly two-thirds of North American birds—389 species—are at risk if global temperatures rise by three degrees Celsius. But the report offered hope too: Limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C would help over three-fourths of the most vulnerable species. Spurred by this and other studies, Golden Gate Audubon Society has begun to focus on climate change in addition to our longstand- ing local conservation work. Many of our most important efforts will involve advocacy. Our latest initiative, though, involves community science: Taking part in National Audubon’s twice-yearly Climate Watch. Climate Watch aims to document species’ responses to climate Rick LewisRick change by having volunteers in the field look for birds where Audu- Spotted Towhee. bon’s climate models project they should or shouldn’t be. National Audubon chose a dozen target species: Eastern, Mountain, and focused at least one survey on each of the other locally occurring Western Bluebird; Brown-headed, Pygmy, Red-breasted, and target species. White-breasted Nuthatch; American and Lesser Goldfinch; East- The most challenging part was planning each survey route, which ern and Spotted Towhee; and Painted Bunting. All of these are had to include 12 locations at least 200 meters apart where the tar- easily identified, charismatic, geographically widespread, and pre- get species would likely be found. The goal is to return to these dicted to be strongly impacted by climate change. specific locations twice a year throughout the 2020s and document As a new member of the GGAS Board of Directors, I took changes in the target population. responsibility for organizing our first foray into Climate Watch. Alan As The Gull went to press, GGAS was on track to conduct almost Bade—a GGAS member and Mount Diablo Audubon board mem- 20 population surveys across the Bay Area. Many thanks to the par- ber who participated in Climate Watch last winter—filled me in on ticipants, mentors, and coordinators who made this happen! the basics and connected me with our regional coordinator for fur- Propelled by the success of this first venture into Climate Watch, ther training. I in turn recruited two of my fellow Master Birding we’ll be recruiting and training more birders to take part in the students, Bryan Flaig and Anderson Yun, as GGAS’s Climate Watch upcoming winter round, January 15 to February 15, 2022. The co-coordinators. global nature of climate change can feel overwhelming, but pro- Together we mobilized fifteen GGAS members to undertake bird viding field data to shape conservation strategies is both personally surveys between May 15th and June 15th. Our prime target was empowering and scientifically useful. If you’d like to take part in the Spotted Towhee (the focus of ten surveys), although we also the winter survey, email me at [email protected].

U pcoming events

Restore Habitat—SF and Field Trips Resume Virtual Field Trips Fall Classes Oakland As the Bay Area reopens from the Our series of ten Virtual Field Trips Our fall lineup of birding classes Our volunteer habitat restoration Covid shutdown, we’re excited to during Birdathon got rave reviews. If includes new offerings on events are up and running again! resume in-person field trips. To you missed them, video recordings migration and finding rarities, Join a monthly work session at protect everyone’s health, trip size are available online. Call our office plus introductory classes and MLK Jr. Shoreline in Oakland is currently limited and advance at (510) 843-2222 on Mondays classes on shorebirds, diving or at Golden Gate Park, Pier 94, registration required. Check out through Thursdays with a $15-per- birds, and birding by ear. Treasure Island, and Heron’s Head the calendar of upcoming trips at trip credit card payment. See a list of Instructional sessions via Zoom Park in San Francisco. Advance goldengateaudubon.org/fieldtrips. all the trips at goldengateaudubon. with in-person field trips. Check registration and masks required. See See you (and your mask) in the org/birdathon-main-page/ our website and e-newsletters in goldengateaudubon.org/volunteer. field! birdathon-field-trips. July for details.

4 THE GULL summer 2021 features

POINT MOLATE from page 1

The City of Richmond has contracted with a Southern California developer to build over 1,400 upscale townhouses at Point Molate, which occupies 1.4 miles of Bay shoreline north of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Richmond citizens voted down a previ- ous plan to turn Point Molate into a casino. The current City Council majority opposes the luxury-housing plan. The Point Molate Alliance, a grassroots citizens group, has been fighting the development for years. Yet this ill-conceived scheme barrels on—fueled by outdated notions of shoreline management and a series of convoluted,

constricting legal contracts. Naumovich Lech Point Molate originally held Ohlone These slopes are slated for luxury townhomes. settlements and burial sites, a 19th century Chinese shrimping community, and a pre- Prohibition wine distribution facility built The City of Richmond has contracted with a developer to build like a red brick castle. It later became a over 1,400 upscale townhouses at Point Molate. naval fuel depot until the nationwide base closures of the 1990s. The San Francisco Presidio, with wealthy dum, the developer sued the city for $750 belongs to Richmond, but Richmond’s resi- and influential neighbors, was decommis- million in alleged lost profits. So the city dents won’t benefit from it. sioned in that same wave and became a then contracted with a Southern California And environment. world-class public park, part of the Golden developer to build luxury housing, agreeing The developer claims that 70 percent of Gate National Recreation Area. to split proceeds from the sale with the dis- the land will remain open space, but they’re Point Molate—located in the work- gruntled casino developer. counting parking lots and spaces between ing-class, majority-nonwhite city of The Point Molate Alliance filed law- buildings: Point Molate Alliance says the Richmond—faced a very different fate. suits challenging both the Environmental real figure will be about 40 percent. Hill- City leaders contracted with a developer Impact Report for the project and the side grassland and scrub habitat will be to build a casino there. When Richmond secrecy with which the deal was made. lost. Runoff, construction, and ferries will voters rejected the casino in a 2010 referen- Meanwhile, the 2020 election ushered in a destroy its renowned eelgrass beds, which new City Council majority that’s skeptical shelter spawning fish, reduce erosion, of the development plan. But city attorneys sequester carbon, and provide seed plants say they are legally bound to move forward, for Bay restoration. and in June sent the plan to the regional The Point Molate Alliance has a bet- Bay Conservation and Development Com- ter idea: Make the area part of the East mission for approval. Bay Regional Park District, with historic The plan is flawed from multiple per- structures turned into a conference center, spectives. Safety: With only one two-lane sports fields for Richmond’s youth, and hik- road into the area, it would be a nightmare ing trails for all. evacuating thousands of residents during a It’s not too late! You can help. Learn wildfire or explosion at the Chevron refinery more at ptmolatealliance.org. Email the directly next door. Finances: Tax revenues Bay Conservation and Development Com- from housing sales may not cover the costs mission at [email protected] urging of necessary infrastructure, such as a new rejection of the housing plan and adop- police and fire substation. Economic and tion of the Community Alternative. Or racial justice: The developer plans to price you can get involved through our East Bay condos at $1.2 million in a city where the Conservation Committee: Email EBCC@ Jeff Peterson Osprey at Point Molate. median income is just $64,000. This land goldengateaudubon.org.

sm um er 2021 THE GULL 5 donations

Thank you for joining our donor community. Johns, Betty Johnson, Winn, Jody RIchards, Donations from March 1, 2021 through May 31, 2021. Judy Johnstone & Tom Lois Roach, Alan and Delaney, Patricia Jordan, Connie and Levi Robin, Thank you to all our Spring 2021 donors, including everyone who took part in Laurie Josloff, Thomas Rebecca Robinson, Birdathon! Your generosity allows us to protect Bay Area birds, restore the habitat Kalinowski, Robert Mona Rodrigues, Leslie Kayser, Beverley Keefe, Roffman, Ed Rosen, they need, and introduce children and adults to the wonders of nature. 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Elizabeth Ingalls, Casey Rhea, Gary Yeckley, George Yeung, LEA ST TERN Duncan Oja, David Cremin, Chuck Dake, Kevin Jackson, Donald Abel and Richard Alana Yoel ($250 to $499) Ortez, Patrick Owens, Dianne Ayres, Patricia Cindy Pfost, Marjorie Bacchetti, Ellen Barth, Powell, Madhav Puri, Maryellen Buckley, Reetta Raag, Jill & EMPLOYEE GIFT MATCHES Robin Flagg, in honor of Maureen Lahiff Linda and Bob Carloni, Jeffrey Radack, David Adobe (Brian O’Laughlin) Rosemary Gerber, in honor of Jacquelyn’s birthday Daniel Gluesenkamp, Rice, Louise Richardson, Chevron (Dawn Lemoine) Lois Hirsch, in honor of Ethel Hirsch William Hudson, Jeffrey David Robinson, Pepi Clorox (Rachel Watson-Clark) John Hornor, in honor of Mister & Clacker Kimball , Marilyn Kinch, Ross, Robert Rudeen, Google (Jessica Turner) Judith Kneeter, Leslie Roffman, & John Rosenbaum in Annis Kukulan, Robert David and Karen Ryugo, SVB (Tamara Morrish) honor of Dan Harris David Kramer, in honor of Susan & Hanno Lewis, Valerie Martha Saylor, Russell GRANTS Donald Lewis, in honor of Dawn Lemoine & John Matzger, Jaime Scalf, Verena Schelling, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Marilyn Meier, in honor of Pam Young Michaels, George Sandra Schloss, Ellen The Oakland Zoo Jaime Michaels, in honor of Tim Eichenberg Peyton, Mark Rauzon Schultz, Leo Siren, University of California San Francisco Gracia Natata, in honor of Mrs. Remedios Fabie Elizabeth Sojourner, Nicanor Natata RIW DG AY’S RAIL Michael Stevens, Susan GIFTS IN MEMORY OF The Orinda Garden Club, in honor of Bill Hudson ($100 to $249) Celia Swan, Jessica Melanie Adams, in memory of Jim Adams Louis Richardson, in honor of Vera Harris Sue Adler, Laura Baker, Turner, Linda Vallee, Anonymous, in memory of Hazel Mersfelder Mona Rodrigues, in honor of Bill Kenney Mitchell Baum, John Steven Weinberg, Ellen Barth, in memory of Carl Bucccheister & Judy Boe, Nancy Jacalyn White, Diane Mary Ann Coleman, in memory of Simon Sheppard In-Kind Gifts Bombardieri, Robert Winkler, Viviana Baika Heaton, in memory of Joe Beard Clay Anderson Bottome, Marion Wolinsky, Stephanie Gail MacDonald, in memory of Sail Monkey Carol Baird, Alan Harper & Ilana DeBare Brackett, Michael Woods, Steven Young, Jill & Jeffrey Radack, in memory of David Seidel Jonah Benningfield, Rebekah Berkov & Amy Chong Butler, Mary Butterwick, Linda Young Rona Rothenberg, in memory of Suzanne Kleinbaum Mary Betlach Kathryn Spence Jacalyn White, in memory of Roy Ramsing Dan Gluesenkamp Choudhury, Julie GIFTS Jerry Harrison Clark, John Coblenz, (To $99) GIFTS IN HONOR OF Oliver James Phil Cotty, Susan Cox, Tim Allen, Sherry Dianne Ayres, in honor of Tony Brake & the Osprey Jack Kemp Susan Egerter, Margaret Anderegg, Ursula nestcam Bob Lewis & Eric Schroeder Eldred, Jan Elvee, Robin Anderson, David Laura Baker & Hanno Lewis, in honor of Bob Lewis & Bruce Mast Dave Quady Sharol Nelson-Embry Barbara Boyer, in honor of Laura Cremin & Mark Out of This World Optics Marjorie Powell Please know that we work hard to ensure the Gallivan accuracy of this list. If your name has been omitted Alexis Danzig, in honor of Naomi Danzig Hilary Powers or misspelled, let us know at 510.843.2222. Sandra Donnell, in honor of Eric Schroeder Susie Wallenstein Mary Dumont, in honor of SaMo Pam Young

6 THE GULL summer 2021 speaker series roster

board of directors President L isten to her sing online Eric Schroeder Thursday, July 15 Vice President and Co-Chair of EBCC nathan pieplow 7 p.m. Via Zoom Laura Cremin Secretary and Co-Chair of Development Carol Baird Only male birds sing, right? Wrong! In fact, this widespread Treasurer and Chair of Finance Committee notion has a lot more to do with human cultural and geographic Bruce Mast biases than it has to do with nature. In this talk, Nathan Pieplow Rebekah Berkov, Amy Chong, Blake Edgar, explores the often-overlooked songs of female birds. You’ll hear Whitney Grover, Derek Heins, Oliver James, Susan MacWhorter, Christine Okon, the pair duets of meadowlarks and blackbirds, the musical songs David Robinson, Dan Roth, Christina Tarr of female cardinals and orioles, and the distinctive song of the GundersonBob staff female Canyon Wren. In which species do females actually sing Canyon Wren. Executive Director more often than males? How do you know when you’re listening to a female Blue Jay? And Glenn Phillips, 510.843.2222 ext. 1002 where did we even get this crazy idea that only male birds sing? [email protected] Nathan Pieplow is author of The Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds, the most compre- Director of Development Catherine Millar hensive guide to the sounds of North American birds. He lives in Boulder, Colorado, where [email protected] he teaches writing and rhetoric at the University of Colorado and helped develop the Colo- Volunteer Services Manager rado Birding Trail. Janet Carpinelli [email protected]

Interim Communications Manager Ilana DeBare [email protected] online Is lands and Avian Evolution Youth Programs Manager Thursday, August 19 Clay Anderson bob lewis 7 pm Via Zoom [email protected] Office Manager Meshay Turner, 510.843.2222 ext. 1001 Because of their geographic isolation, birds that arrive on islands [email protected] evolve separately from their parent group and may become new [email protected] species. But that isolation also makes them vulnerable to threats volunteer LEADERSHIP like hurricanes, volcanoes, rising seas, and introduced predator Adult Education Chair species. Although over 80 percent of bird species live on conti- Maureen Lahiff, [email protected] Field Trip Coordinators nents, 92 percent of extinctions since 1500 have been on islands. Bob Lewis Steve Lombardi, [email protected] Join us to view some marvelous island species and learn what we Bornean Bristlehead. Christina Tarr, [email protected] can do to protect them. Travel with GGAS Coordinators Bob Lewis, a longtime birding instructor and bird photographer, is a board member of the Cris Heins, Dawn Lemoine, and Eric Schroeder Farallon Islands Foundation, created to foster life on islands. [email protected] MISSION STATEMENT Golden Gate Audubon Society engages people to experience the wonder of birds and to translate online that wonder into actions which protect native bird Pur ple Martins in the Central populations and their habitats. Thursday, September 16 Valley: Going, Going, Gone? 7 pm Via Zoom ABOUT GOLDEN GATE AUDUBON society The Golden Gate Audubon Society was founded dan airola January 25, 1917. Golden Gate Audubon Supporting Membership is $35 per year. You can join or renew on the website or through our Berkeley office. Purple Martins have been declining in California due to a variety The Gull is published four times per year. Special of factors such as habitat loss, competition with European Star- third-class postage paid in Oakland, CA. Send address changes to the office promptly. The post lings, and dwindling food supply due to neonicotinoid insecticide office does not forward The Gull. use. Since the 1990s, Dan Airola has worked to conserve the Learn about upcoming Golden Gate Audubon last Central Valley population of Purple Martins, which nest in events every month! Send your name and email address to [email protected] to receive elevated freeways and overpasses in Sacramento. He’ll describe Alvarez Lisa our monthly e-newsletters. strategies to protect this species and help it recover. Purple Martins. Golden Gate Audubon Society Dan Airola is a wildlife biologist and ornithologist with more than 40 years of experience 2530 San Pablo Avenue, Suite G Berkeley, CA 94702 in Northern California bird conservation. He is a Director and Conservation Chair of the Office hours: Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Central Valley Bird Club. Telephone: 510.843.2222 goldengateaudubon.org [email protected] Our monthly Speaker Series is free and online! See goldengateaudubon.org for Zoom link. This issue of The Gull was published July 2021.

sm um er 2021 THE GULL 7 Golden Gate Audubon Society 2530 San Pablo Avenue, Suite G Non-Profit Org. Berkeley, CA 94702 U.S. Postage Paid Return service requested Oakland, CA Permit No.1702

www.goldengateaudubon.org The Gull is printed with soy-based inks on chlorine-free paper, 30% postconsumer waste content.

3 Birding Hotspot: MLK Shoreline 4 Climate Watch 7 Speaker Series Rails, shorebirds, and waterbirds thrive Join our new community science initiative to Learn about female birdsong, islands and at Arrowhead Marsh and the adjacent track the effects of climate change on local avian evolution, and Purple Martins in the shoreline near Oakland Airport. bird populations. Central Valley.

backyard birder and cultivated fields. In North America, they’re found primarily in California, Texas, Florida, Oregon, and Washington. They also pop- ulate Central and South America, breeding as far south as Chile and Argentina. Not known to migrate, White-tailed Kites appear to be nomadic and to follow their main food supply (voles and house mice) when scarcity occurs. Highly social, these kites roost communally during the non- breeding season, with up to 100 birds clustering in a stand of trees. They perform spectacular mid-air courtship displays in which males offer prey to females, who approach and turn upside-down to grasp the offering. Pairs stay together during the breeding season and sometimes pair up in successive seasons. While not particularly territorial, White-tailed Kites may challenge invading kites, locking

Bob Lewis talons and tumbling through the air to pull apart before the ground, White-tailed Kites hand off prey during courtship. a behavior known as “grappling.” Nearly extinct in the U.S. in the 1930s due to hunting, egg collec- tion, and habitat loss, White-tailed Kites became fully protected in W hite-tailed Kite 1957 and their numbers rebounded. Their conservation status is now by gail kurtz Least Concern, although Partners in Flight states that populations declined 36 percent between 1970 and 2014. That said, these kites ike along a Bay Area marsh or field and you’re likely to spy currently have the largest distribution in their recorded history, and h a White-tailed Kite hovering in mid-air with wings flapping it may still be expanding. and head cocked down, a behavior so characteristic of this bird it’s California is home to the most White-tailed Kites in North known as “kiting.” Hovering up to 80 feet off the ground to scan for America. Locally, birders have spotted them nesting in the Berkeley prey, the kite drops for the kill with talons out. Given its white head, Marina, roosting in Pt. Reyes, and grappling at Coyote Hills Regional tail, and breast, black shoulders and wingtips, and light gray back, it Park. Share your White-tailed Kite sightings with us at gaildkurtz@ can appear gull-like in flight, but its falcon-like shape and behavior gmail.com and we’ll post them on our blog! We’d like to hear your distinguish it. stories, learn from your experience, and unleash our community’s These graceful birds inhabit grasslands, open woodlands, marshes, power to understand and honor one of our area’s most elegant raptors.

8 THE GULL summer 2021