Richardson Bay Audubon Newsletter December 2021

Happy holidays from Richardson Bay Audubon!

 

Center Newsletter December 2021

Happy Holidays from Richardson Bay Audubon Dear Richardson Bay Audubon Community, We have reached December and upon engaging in the reminiscence and reflection that comes with this time of year, I can't help but be astonished by the resilience our community has demonstrated time and time again. Our staff started this year unable to regularly access the grounds of the center because of work from home orders and has since reopened the center to the public to engage with you in ways both new and old. We restarted our summer camp and welcomed campers (some of which made their first in-person friends!) to nature. We revived our native plant nursery and brought volunteers back to the grounds of the center and Aramburu Island. We engaged in new outreach efforts in partnership with SF Bay NERR with our first bilingual bird walk in San Rafael, teaching some of our most vulnerable communities about bird habitat health and sea level rise. We also kept some of what worked last year and partnered with John Muir Laws to bring free online bird drawing classes to thousands of people. None of this would have been possible without your engagement and contributions. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for being a part of this community. I hope you enjoy the newsletter and hope to have you with us for an even better 2022. Haymar Lim Community Engagement Coordinator   Support Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary

Great Blue Heron Photo: Haymar Lim

The Rails are Rebounding at Sonoma Creek "Rails are everywhere!" exclaimed Meg Marriott, biologist at San Pablo National Wildlife Refuge, as we carefully walked along the levee next to where Sonoma Creek empties into San Pablo Bay. It had been one year since Audubon, in partnership with the refuge and Marin Sonoma Mosquito Control District, completed the 400-acre Sonoma Creek Marsh Enhancement Project.  To celebrate this milestone, Audubon staff and board headed out to the refuge in October, accompanied by Meg, to check out conditions there. Read More

Center Biologist Paige Fernandez conducting vegetation survey with USFWS Meg Marriott Photo: Haymar Lim

Creature Feature December 2021: Northern Spotted Owl There are three subspecies of Spotted Owl, which vary based on region. Here in the Bay Area, the subspecies of the Northern Spotted Owl can be seen in old-growth forests. They are nocturnal, their diet consisting mainly of small mammals, but occasionally smaller birds, insects, and other prey. The birds are medium-sized, and have a round head lacking ear tufts. They are dark brown in color with a dappled white pattern, deep brown eyes and dark facial disks. Read more

Spotted Owl Photo: Photo: Sylvia Hunt/Audubon Photography Awards

Summer Camp Registration Opens January Keep an eye on your email this January because summer camp registration will be opening and spots book fast!

Summer Camp 2021 Photo: Haymar Lim

Audubon Youth Leaders are Back! After a few years of hybrid online/in-person programs, our Audubon Youth Leaders program has returned in a full time in-person capacity! Our current group of seven high school youth hail from schools all over Marin. They have been hard at work putting native plants in the ground, harvesting seeds for our native plant nursery and preparing our native plant demonstration garden. The photo above shows them installing a silage tarp, which we are using to remove invasive plants from one of our planned demonstration garden beds in a chemical free way. The youth leaders will be planning their own projects involving plants, community engagement, public advocacy and more heading into the new year. Learn more about how native plants help birds.

AYL Members prepare native plant garden bed with silage tarp, Photo: Haymar Lim

Free Classes: How to Draw Owls with John Muir Laws Richardson Bay Audubon Center is pleased to have offered free bird drawing classes taught by Jack Laws to thousands of members of our community. You can access the recordings and all class resources here. Access Free Bird Drawing Classes

Collage of owl drawings from class participants submitted to #naturejournalaudubon

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