News Archive
World Migratory Bird Day at the Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival
May 10, 2019
Everyone had fun at the children's bird festival in Point Reyes Station on April 27, 2019. Amigos Alados collaborated with the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin (EAC) to create this day to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day, Earth Day, and - of course - the 10th Anniversary Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival organized by the EAC.
Thanks to all the volunteers including: 1) Visitors from Sonoma Bird Rescue who brought a red-tailed hawk and a raven, fascinating all, 2) BJ Martin and Jennifer Leathers ran a popular bird mask-making and bird coloring station, 3) Massi Sonego and his friend who ran the Binoculars Boot Camp, 4) Paula Fogarty and Marcia Gunnarson, Point Blue/STRAW faculty members, who taught visitors the parts of a bird, 5) Anna Minton and Lynne Apostle who guided them through a Bird Migration game that simulated the hazards that birds face, 6) Michael Audie and Taylor Ellis who helped children dissect owl pellets, 7) fourth-graders Reese and Viola who talked about their No Straw Please campaign, 8) Hummingbirds Eloise and Turner and their mother Dana for stuffing prize bags and distributing prizes to all children who completed five activities, 9) Allie Sherman who ran a World Migratory Bird Day station, talked about plastic pollution in our oceans, and guided visitors in taking a No Plastics Pledge and in making wishes for the birds, 10) Gerald Kawamoto who took photographs, 11) Joan Gray who sold her charming hand-made bird pins and magnets, 12) Shelley Rugg who did wonderfully artistic face and body painting, and last but not least, 13) Juan-Carlos Solis, fantastic naturalist, who guided children and their families on two nature walks in the adjacent Giacomini Wetlands.
Thank you, too, to naturalists Wendy Dreskin, Natalie Clarke, David Herlocker, and Juan-Carlos Solis who led two super field trips for third and fourth grade Amigos Alados classes (Jenelle Ferhart and Judy Van Evera) at Bolinas Lagoon and Roy's Redwoods.
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Todos se divirtieron en el festival de aves para niños en la Point Reyes Station el 27 de abril de 2019. Amigos Alados colaboró con el Environmental Action Committee of West Marin (EAC) para crear este día para celebrar el Día Mundial de las Aves Migratorias, el Día de la Tierra y el 10º aniversario del Point Reyes Birding & Nature organizado por el EAC.
Gracias a todos los voluntarios, incluidos: 1) visitantes de Sonoma Bird Rescue que trajeron un halcón de cola roja y un cuervo, todos fascinantes, 2) BJ Martin y Jennifer Leathers dirigieron una popular estación de fabricación de máscaras y para colorear aves, 3) Massi Sonego y su amiga que dirigían el Campo de entrenamiento de binoculares, 4) Paula Fogarty y Marcia Gunnarson, profesores de Point Blue / STRAW, que enseñaron a los visitantes las partes de un ave, 5) Anna Minton y Lynne Apostle, quienes los guiaron a través de un juego de migración de aves que simulaban los peligros que enfrentan las aves, 6) Michael Audie y Taylor Ellis que ayudaron a los niños a disecar bolitas de lechuza, 7) Reese y Viola del cuarto grado que hablaron sobre su campaña No Straw Please, 8) colibríes Eloise y Turner y su madre Dana por llenando bolsas de premios y distribuyendo premios a todos los niños que completaron cinco actividades, 9) Allie Sherman, que dirigió una estación del Día Mundial de las Aves Migratorias, habló sobre la contaminación plástica en nuestros océanos y guió a los visitantes a tomar un Compromiso de No Plásticos d para hacer los deseos de los pájaros, 10) Gerald Kawamoto que tomó fotografías, 11) Joan Gray que vendió sus encantadores pins e imanes hechos a mano, 12) Shelley Rugg que hizo una pintura artística y facial maravillosamente artística, y por último, pero no menos importante, 13) Juan-Carlos Solís, fantástico naturalista, quien guió a los niños y sus familias en dos paseos por la naturaleza en los Giacomini Wetlands.
Gracias también a los naturalistas Wendy Dreskin, Natalie Clarke, David Herlocker y Juan-Carlos Solis, quienes dirigieron dos súper excursiones para las clases de Amigos Alados de tercer y cuarto grado (Jenelle Ferhart y Judy Van Evera) en Bolinas Lagoon y Roy's Redwoods.
Link: http://https://www.facebook.com/254427401247682/photos/pcb.2431376753552725/2431375503552850/?type=3&theater
Family Programming at the Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival/Programacion Familiar en el Festival Anual de Aves y Naturaleza Punto Reyes
April 17, 2019
Amigos Alados is proud to partner with the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin (EAC) to offer FREE youth and family programming in celebration of World Migratory Bird Day at the EAC's annual Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival. This child-oriented celebration will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2019, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at 65 Third Street, Point Reyes Station, California, on the green lawn next to the EAC office and Cowgirl Creamery. Activities will include a live bird presentation from The Bird Rescue Center of Sonoma County, a bird and wildlife touch table, bird and wildlife games, a bird coloring station, staff from the Marin Country Free Library who will check out books and bird backpacks, face painting, a barn owl pellet dissection station, and bird observation walks. The EAC and Amigos Alados will also provide bird observation hikes for two Amigos Alados classes, led by naturalists Wendy Dreskin at Bolinas Lagoon and David Herlocker at Roy's Redwoods.
Amigos Alados se enorgullece de asociarse con el Comite de Accion Ambiental de West Marin (EAC) para ofrecer programación GRATUITA para jovenes y familias en celebración del Día Mundial de las Aves Migratorias en el Festival Anual de Aves y Naturaleza Punto Reyes de la EAC. Esta celebración orientada a los niños se llevara a cabo el sabado 27 de abril de 2019, de 10:00 am a 2:00 pm en 65 Third Street, Point Reyes Station, California, en el cesped verde junto a la oficina de EAC y Cowgirl Creamery. Las actividades incluiran una presentación de aves en vivo desde el Centro de Rescate de Aves del Condado de Sonoma, una mesa táctil de aves y vida silvestre, juegos de aves y vida silvestre, una estación para colorear aves, personal de la Biblioteca Libre de Marin Country que revisara libros y mochilas de aves, el pinta-caritas, una estación de disección de bolas de lechuza común y caminatas de observación de aves. El EAC y Amigos Alados también proporcionarán excursiones de observación de aves para dos clases de Amigos Alados, lideradas por las naturalistas Wendy Dreskin en la Laguna de Bolinas y David Herlocker en la Secoya de Roy.
Link: http://www.pointreyesbirdingfestival.org/saturday-youth-family-programming/
New Fiscal Sponsor/Nuevo Patrocinador Fiscal
April 17, 2019
Amigos Alados announces that we have a new fiscal sponsor - Environment for the Americas or EFTA, which is the coordinator of World Migratory Bird Day. EFTA will provide Amigos Alados with administrative support and nonprofit 501(c)(3) status, as well as expert advice on its program. The Amigos Alados team is excited to be associated with Dr. Susan Bonfield, Executive Director of EFTA. As the EFTA website explains, Susan has done an impressive amount of work in ornithology and environmental education. "She has conducted bird surveys, run banding stations, and been a part of bird research in Maine, Virginia, California, and Colorado. Because of her interest in education and bird conservation, she enjoys applying her knowledge of birds to programs that involve people of all ages. She has created education programs in the U.S. and Mexico, assisted with workshops on bird monitoring and conservation in both countries, taught basic identification courses, and led a course for the USFWS National Conservation Training Center." While looking forward to working with Dr. Bonfield, the Amigos Alados team expresses great appreciation to MarinLink for its fiscal sponsorship over the last nine years. *** Amigos Alados anuncia que tenemos un nuevo patrocinador fiscal, Environment for the Americas, que es el coordinador del Día Mundial de las Aves Migratorias. EFTA proporcionará a Amigos Alados apoyo administrativo y estado sin fines de lucro 501(c)(3), así como asesoramiento de expertos sobre su programa. El equipo de Amigos Alados está emocionado de estar asociado con la Dra. Susan Bonfield, Directora Ejecutiva de EFTA. Como lo explica el sitio web de EFTA, Susan ha realizado una impresionante cantidad de trabajo en ornithología y educación ambiental. "Ha realizado inspecciones de aves, ha dirigido estaciones de anillamiento y ha participado en la investigación de aves en Maine, Virginia, California y Colorado. Debido a su interés en la educación y la conservación de aves, disfruta aplicando sus conocimientos sobre aves a programas que involucran a personas de todas las edades. Creó programas educativos en los EE. UU. y Mexico, asistió en talleres sobre monitoreo y conservación de aves en ambos paises, enseñó cursos básicos de identificación y dirigió un curso para el Centro Nacional de Capacitación en Conservación del USFWS." Mientras espera trabajar con el Dr. Bonfield, el equipo de Amigos Alados expresa un gran agradecimiento a MarinLink por su patrocinio fiscal durante los últimos nueve anos.
Link: http://https://www.environmentamericas.org/
New Curriculum Materials/Nuevos Materiales del Curriculo
April 17, 2019
As part of our project expansion, Project Coordinator, Faby Favela, designed new booklets on the 16 Amigos Alados birds for first and second grade student participants. *** Como parte de la expansion de nuestro proyecto, la Coordinadora del Proyecto, Faby Favela, diseno nuevos folletos sobre las 16 aves de Amigos Alados para estudiantes del primer y segundo grado. (Nota: Lamentamos que no podamos aplicar acentos y tildes a esta página de noticias.)
Bird Information Cards/Fichas de Informacion de Aves
January 09, 2019
Project Coordinator Fabiola Favela Garcia, with expert advice from Amigos Alados ornithologist, Sarahy Contreras-MartÃnez, designed information cards for the 16 Amigos Alados migratory birds so that participating students in Mexico could use these cards for their research. This fall the team translated the cards into English. Card sets will be made available to participating Amigos Alados classes in California in the 2019-2020 school year. *** La coordinadora del proyecto, Fabiola Favela GarcÃa, con el asesoramiento experto del ornitólogo de Amigos Alados, Sarahy Contreras-MartÃnez, diseñó tarjetas de información para las 16 aves migratorias de Amigos Alados para que los estudiantes participantes en México puedan usar estas tarjetas para su investigación. Este otoño el equipo tradujo las cartas al inglés. Los juegos de tarjetas estarán disponibles para las clases de Amigos Alados participantes en California en el año escolar 2019-2020.
Program Expansion/Expansion del Programa
January 09, 2019
Thanks to donors' generous support last spring and summer, the Amigos Alados has been expanded to serve more students, classes, and schools in California and Mexico. *** Gracias al generoso apoyo de los donantes en la primavera y el verano pasado, Amigos Alados se ha ampliado para atender a más estudiantes, clases y escuelas en California y México.
New Project Coordinator, Faby Favela/Nueva Coordinadora de Proyecto, Faby Favela
January 09, 2019
As a result of our successful fundraiser in the spring and summer of 2018, Amigos Alados was able to hire Fabiola Favela GarcÃa as full-time Project Coordinator in Mexico. Uniquely qualified for this position, Fabiola has worked with Amigos Alados over the years as a teacher in our ornithology workshops and as a graphic designer for our 16 student bird booklets and bird information cards. She is working towards her master’s degree from the University of Guadalajara-CUCSUR’s Department of Ecology and Natural Resources, where she studies closely with Amigos Alados ornithologist and team member, Professor Sarahy Contreras MartÃnez. In her expanded role, Fabiola is helping to make Amigos Alados more stable and sustainable, opening access to new funding sources and delivering more services to participating students in Mexico. In addition, Fabiola is enhancing operations in California through her wide array of contributions to the program. *** Como resultado de nuestra exitosa recaudación de fondos en la primavera y el verano de 2018, Amigos Alados pudo contratar a Fabiola Favela GarcÃa como Coordinadora de Proyectos de tiempo completo en México. Fabiola, calificada únicamente para este puesto, ha trabajado con Amigos Alados a lo largo de los años como maestra en nuestros talleres de ornitologÃa y como diseñadora gráfica para nuestros 16 folletos de aves y tarjetas de información sobre aves. Ella está trabajando para obtener su maestrÃa en el Departamento de EcologÃa y Recursos Naturales de la Universidad de Guadalajara-CUCSUR, donde estudia de cerca con la ornitóloga Amigos Alados y miembro del equipo, la profesora Sarahy Contreras MartÃnez. En su rol ampliado, Fabiola está ayudando a que Amigos Alados sea más estable y sostenible, abriendo el acceso a nuevas fuentes de financiamiento y brindando más servicios a los estudiantes participantes en México. Además, Fabiola está mejorando las operaciones en California a través de su amplia gama de contribuciones al programa.
Successful Fundraiser, Spring 2018/Exitoso recaudador de fondos, Primavera 2018
January 09, 2019
Thanks to an exciting matching grant donation from Annabel Song-Hill and the Fullerton Family Foundation, additional grants from the Patterson and Leathers Family Foundations, and the generosity of 103 individual donors, we raised over $30,000 for Amigos Alados in the 2018-2019 school year. Most significantly, this allowed us to hire a full-time employee/consultant to serve as Project Coordinator in Mexico and to expand the program significantly. *** Gracias a una emocionante donación de donaciones equivalentes de Annabel Song-Hill y el Fullerton Family Foundation, becas adicionales de Patterson y Leathers Family Foundation y la generosidad de 103 donantes individuales, recaudamos más de $ 30,000 para Amigos Alados en el año escolar 2018-2019 . Lo más importante es que esto nos permitió contratar a un empleado / consultor de tiempo completo para servir como Coordinador de Proyecto en México y expandir el programa significativamente.
DMAM - Dia Mundial de las Aves Migratorias
January 09, 2019
Cordialmente invitados todos a celebrar el DÃa Mundial de las Aves Migratorias en Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco, México. Habrá varias actividades, entre ellas la ponencia "Amigos Alados: Conservación de aves migratorias a través de la educación". ¡Los esperamos!
Second Exposition of Amigos Alados in Tapalpa, May 2015
July 16, 2015
To celebrate International Migratory Bird Day and our eighth year of Amigos Alados, we opened an exhibition entitled Amigos Alados and the Birds of the Sierra de Tapalpa in the Cultural Center in Tapalpa on May 2, 2015.
The exhibition showed information about each of the 16 birds that Amigos Alados participants study, photos of the bird teams that the students formed with students from their partner classes in California, close to 260 drawings of the 16 birds, and information about the incredible migratory journey and the dangers the birds face along the way, as well as about the tri-national conservation effort between Canada, the United States and Mexico to protect birds and their habitat.
Students shared what they have learned from Amigos Alados and what they like most about the program. Two of their favorite things were to exchange letters with their team members in California and to go bird watching. Also, they enjoyed the visits of Ornithologist Sarahy Contreras and her students from the Southern Coast University Center (CUCSUR) of the University of Guadalajara who presented engaging, hands on lessons about the life of birds.
Other elements of the exhibition were a bird wing poster, more than 4 meters wide, to compare the wingspan of birds with the extension of our arms. Many of the adults who tried it almost equaled the wingspan of the Turkey Vulture. The exposition also featured an area dedicated to all the birds that have been observed in the Sierra de Tapalpa, including a large poster with photos and the birds’ common names in Spanish and English and their scientific names.
Over 600 adults and children visited the exposition.
Segunda exposicion Amigos Alados en Tapalpa
July 13, 2015
El primero de mayo 2015 inauguramos la exposición Amigos Alados y las Aves de la Sierra de Tapalpa en la Casa de Cultura en Tapalpa. Con esta exposición celebramos el DÃa Internacional de Aves Migratorias y nuestro octavo año de Amigos Alados. En la exposición habÃa información sobre cada una de las 16 aves que estudiamos con Amigos Alados, fotos de los equipos que formaron los estudiantes con las clases compañeras, casi 260 dibujos de las 16 aves, mucha información sobre el increÃble viaje de la migración, los peligros de las aves y los esfuerzos trinacionales para la protección de sus vidas y hábitat. Los estudiantes compartieron lo que hubieron aprendido con Amigos Alados y qué era lo que les gustaban más del programa. Una de sus cosas favoritas era escribir a y recibir cartas de sus miembros del equipo en California - e ir a observar aves. También les gustaban mucho las visitas de la Ornitóloga Sarahy Contreras con sus estudiantes del Centro Universitario de la Costa Sur (CUCSUR), y aprender sobre la vida de las diferentes aves. Otros elementos de la exposición eran una lona de más de 4 metros de ancho para comparar la envergadura de las alas de las aves con la extension de nuestros brazos. Muchos de los adultos que lo intentaron llegaron casi a las alas del Zopilote Aura. HabÃa también una área dedicada a todas las aves que habÃan sido visto en la Sierra de Tapalpa, en la que hay un cartel grande con fotos e información de los nombres comunes de estas aves en español, los nombres cientÃficos, y los nombres en inglés. Más de 600 niños y adultos visitaron la exposición.
Classroom Earth
April 29, 2015
When you love both children and the natural world, the motivation is strong to teach children to care for the environment. This motive can lead a San Francisco Bay Area teacher into very fertile territory, thanks to Point Blue's STRAW Project - Students and Teachers Restoring a Watershed.
Document: Classroom-Earth-article-from-Fall-2014-Point-Blue-Quarterly.pdf
Birdwatching in Sayula, Jalisco
May 01, 2011
Third grade students of Gerardo Avalos Gonzalez (school year 2010 - 2011) in Sayula, Jalisco, enjoyed lessons and bird walks with ornithologists Juan Loera Casillas and Luz Rodriguez Parga. Mr. Avalos Gonzalez commented about his students: \"...les encanto salir a observar las aves y descubrieron muchas cosas hasta el ultimo dia de clases. Me estuvieron comentando que fue una experiencia muy satisfactoria y de que siempre cuidarán las aves,\" or in English, his students \"love to go out to observe birds and they discovered many things up to the last day of classes. They were commenting to me that it was a very satisfying experience and that they will always protect birds.\"
Manor School Students Migrate
April 01, 2009
When the cliff swallows head south in Fairfax at the beginning of the school year, most of the community forgets about them until spring. But not Mrs. Honda's third-grade class at Manor School.
The class has been participating in Amigos Alados, a program that pairs local kids with students in the region of Mexico where the birds migrate during the winter. The students write each other letters and study the birds and their migratory patterns.
"It's the same birds," said Laura Honda, their teacher. The program determined there are eight species of birds that travel between the two regions, including the cliff swallows that nest at Manor.
During the fall, the students take bird walks around the campus and up to Lake Lagunitas. Each student chooses a specific species of bird as a "life bird." One little girl was excited to choose the Wilson warbler as her bird. The students keep a look out for their birds as they return between February and April.
Along with learning about the birds, the students have learned about the problems they face.
While there are laws to protect nesting birds, there aren't many laws that protect migratory birds. A Nevada City school was fined $1,125 after putting nets around its building to stop birds from nesting and a number of cliff swallows died.
"They don't appreciate them," said Honda. "We don't mind a little bird poop."
The students at Manor took the story particularly seriously and wrote a number of letters to encourage people to welcome the birds back this spring.
Wrote Gabriel Whooley: "We are thrilled when the cliff swallows come back to Manor School. I also like seeing the birds with beakfuls of mud. Do you know that it takes 1,000 mud balls to make one nest?"
"These little birds fly thousands of miles and they are only 6.5 inches long," wrote William Sibbett. "So please keep the nests up. It is like you build a home and it took a long time to do it. So then you go on vacation. Then you come home and your house is not there. They are so cute and they eat all the mosquitoes."
Manor School Sends Books to Tapalpa
April 01, 2009
In February 2009 Laura Honda and her class at Manor School donated money to purchase 33 books in Spanish for students in the town of Tapalpa. The schools and the citizens of Tapalpa own very few books, which are expensive in Mexico. Children usually have none other than their schoolbooks. A raffle was held in class to determine the order in which students could choose a book to keep as their own. Picture books went first! These photos show the delight of the children to see the gift books from their American penpals. A couple of Harry Potter books were donated to the school library for all to borrow. The new books will surely help to inspire a delight in reading.