Earth Team Pinole and Richmond had the privilege of exploring Point Pinole on an early Saturday morning in February with guest educators from the Golden Gate Audubon Society (GGAS) . Setting out with binoculars and nature journals in hand, interns hiked along coastal trials listening for bird songs to be identified by our lead GGAS guest speaker Clayton Anderson. Among the many birds heard or seen were the Red-shouldered Hawk, Golden-crowned Sparrow, and the Downy Woodpecker.
Interns were also immersed in a hands on lesson on coastal ecology. samples of beach dwelling critters were passed around the group and some interns even got to handle small crabs if they wanted to. After hiking along the trail for a while, stopping to identify a plant or bird or talk about the relationships in nature we were witnessing, interns settled at a picnic table in an Eucalyptus grove where they took some time to nature journal. In closing, the group gathered around in a circle and shared one thing learned that day. Everyone has something different to say and many felt inspired enough to want to go birding again!
