Friends of Sausal Creek's July 2019 News

J U L Y 2 0 1 9

Four recently fledged peregrine falconettes at their home on the Fruitvale Bridge © Mark Rauzon

FOSC is a volunteer-based, community organization. Your donations go directly to support our projects and programs in the Sausal Creek Watershed.

DONATE

Successful Summer Solstice Campaign

T hank you to everyone who helped make the FOSC Mid-Year Appeal fundraising campaign a success. We raised $15,127, which will help us complete our study of rainbow trout, analyze 15 years of bird monitoring data, help ensure the survival of the endangered pallid manzanita, and hire more interns to support our education program.

If you were too busy to donate, we're still accepting contributions via our Donation Page . Please consider being a monthly donor. Just check the box after you click Donate. If you want to consider a long-term donation plan, visit our For the Future Fund page. We can't do it without you!

Let's eat, drink, and be merry!

We are hosting our annual summer potluck to celebrate our incredible volunteers who make all of our work possible. If you are new to FOSC or have never volunteered with us, this is a fantastic opportunity to meet our staff, volunteers, and board of directors. If you are already one of our volunteers, we want to celebrate you. Come on out... there will be prizes!

Where: Dimond Park (at the picnic benches by the tennis courts)

When: Wednesday, July 17, 2019, 6-7:30 p.m .

Please bring a dish to share (anything you like!) and your own reusable place setting, water bottle, and utensils.

FLYER

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Explore the Watershed

Scavengers of the Sky

The turkey vulture ( Cathartes aura ) is the most widespread species of vulture across the Americas, ranging from the southern border of Canada to the southernmost tip of South America, and can be found throughout the Sausal Creek Watershed. They are distinguished by their large wingspan—up to six feet— blackish brown plumage, and a featherless red head. During flight, turkey vultures extend the “fingers” at the tip of their wings and lift their wings slightly, forming a “V” when faced head on.

Turkey vultures are often seen soaring at low altitudes, gliding along the ground in search of carrion, their preferred diet. Opportunistic feeders, these birds will settle for any dead carcass they find, using their excellent sense of smell to locate it. Turkey vultures rarely feed on live animals but might attack out of aggression or for defense. Their strong immune systems keep them free of diseases like cholera or salmonella that could be contracted from the rotting corpses. When not freely roaming the open skies, this species of bird can often be seen perched on posts, scoping out the surroundings for its next meal.

Turkey vultures are quite adaptable to anthropogenic impacts, being tolerant of human activities and flexible in their diet and nesting choices. Their resilience in this changing landscape has produced generally stable or increasing populations over the years. Although turkey vultures are not endangered, they do face threats from ranchers who mistake them for black vultures that hunt and kill weak, newborn, or birthing livestock.

Turkey vultures are often seen perched with their wings spread as if attempting to scare off predators. Known as the horaltic pose, this stance helps them dry their wings, warm their bodies, and bake off bacteria. They do have a defense mechanism to repel other animals that come too close--they can vomit their food, using it as a projectile. You’ve been warned: Admire them from afar.

-- Tommy Chan, UC Berkeley student and FOSC volunteer

Kudos Korner

Thank you to Pernod Ricard and Keep Oakland Beautiful for joining us for a workday at our nursery last month. We also appreciate Pernod Ricard's donation of two beautiful benches to our nursery, as well as supplying the labor to build them during the service day.

Thanks, volunteers, for your hard work transplanting, weeding, pot washing, and bench building!

Event Calendar

View on FOSC Website

RESTORATION WORKDAYS

Beaconsfield Canyon

(Last Saturdays)

Sat., July 27, 9 a.m.-noon

Bridgeview Trail Restoration

(2nd Sundays)

Sun., July 14, 9-11 a.m.

Bridgeview Trailhead Pollinator Garden

(1st and 3rd Sundays)

Sun., July 21 & Aug. 4, 9-11 a.m.

Dimond Park Native Plant Demonstration Garden

(1st Saturdays)

Sat., Aug. 3, 10 a.m.-noon

Marj Saunders Park

(1st Mondays)

Mon., August 5, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Montclair Railroad Trail

(3rd Saturdays)

Sat., July 20, 9-11 a.m.

Wood Park

(3rd Saturdays)

Sat., July 20, 10 a.m.-noon

NURSERY WORKDAYS

FOSC Native Plant Nursery

Joaquin Miller Park

(2nd and 4th Saturdays)

Sat., July 13 & 27, 1:30-4:30 p.m.

RSVP

PALLIDS CREW

Chabot Space and Science Center

(2nd Saturdays)

Sat., July 13, 9 a.m.-noon

RSVP

QUARTERLY BIRD MONITORING

Sequoia Arena Parking Area

Joaquin Miller Park

Sun., July 14, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

MORE INFO

MEET AND GREET POTLUCK AND VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION

Dimond Park

Meet at picnic tables near tennis courts

Wed., July 17, 6-7:30 p.m.

FLYER

Save the Date

FOSC NATIVE PLANT SALE AND OPEN HOUSE

FOSC Native Plant Nursery

Joaquin Miller Park

Sunday, October 20, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Get Involved

Our mission is to restore, maintain, and protect the Sausal Creek Watershed. We educate future generations, involve the community in local environmental stewardship, and collaborate with agencies and other nonprofits to have a positive impact on the local ecosystem.