Outdoor Afro Birders!

Outdoor Afro/Golden Gate Audubon Birdathon Trip
Saturday, May 8, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Martin Luther King Regional Shoreline

Yesterday a group of Outdoor Afro fans from the San Francisco Bay Area convened at Martin Luther King Jr. Shoreline. The occasion was the Golden Gate Audubon Birdathon, but the trip ended up as a leisurely education on birds and their habitat led by veteran birder and GGA docent Judith Dunham. This was a relatively unknown part of East Oakland for some of the participants, many of whom have lived in the area for many years.
We started at the Arrowhead Marsh parking lot and walked along the path to the boardwalk, then returned and enjoyed lunch (that included some home made cornbread muffins) on the dock near the channel. Over lunch, Rue read from Camile Dungy’s book, Black Nature, a favorite poem The Hummingbird, by Cyrus Cassells.
Next, we drove to Damon Slough and looked at birds in the bay and the seasonal pond. We saw a wonderful variety of birds. Some, like the herons and egrets, live here year-round. Others, like the Long-billed Dowitchers and Black-bellied Plovers, will soon migrate north to the places where they breed. As an extra bonus, we saw American Coots with young and Mallards with ducklings. Thanks to everyone for making this such a rewarding trip!