Bird Watching San Francisco

How Bees and Birds See Red Flowering Plants

**Speaker: Justen Whittall** **Come learn how certain red flowers attract birds and repel bees, and how these red flowers evolve.** Anthocyanins (water soluble pigments that give color to flower petals) are essential for attracting pollinators. These pigments also play roles in plant defense, UV protection and other metabolic functions, roles which compel the expression of flower color and help the red flowers to attract birds and repel bees. Dr. Whittall's lab is looking for directional trends in flower color evolution, focusing on anthocyanins, the most widespread secondary plant pigments. Dr Justen Whittall is Professor of Biology at Santa Clara College of Arts & Sciences. In addition to being a SCU Professor, he is an Evolutionary Biologist, Conservation Geneticist, Pollination Ecologist, Husband, Dad, Runner, Surfer, and Skater. ## Upcoming Speakers - Mark Your Calendar! OCTOBER 8 **Peter Baye** **Sunset Dunes & Ocean Beach** Location: Online NOVEMBER 12 **Joanna Cline** **Flowering Plants of the Sierra Nevada** Location: County Fair Building, Golden Gate Park DECEMBER 10 **Holiday Party** Location: County Fair Building, Golden Gate Park

Bay Area Regional Nature Journal Club – Field Trip @ Albany Bulb, Albany CA

**Journal with folks from across the Bay Area at the Regional Field Trip!** *Hosted by Wild Wonder Foundation and the Albany Bulb Nature Journal Club.* Come nature journal at the urban wilds of Albany Bulb. This bayside park has a wide variety of flora and fauna...native plants, birds in the estuary, trees, a small beach, views of the bay over to SF and Marin. Bring your own journaling supplies and spend the day discovering the fascinating ecology of the Bulb while expanding, practicing, and sharing your nature journal skills. * Learn more about the Albany Bulb here: [www.albanybulb.org](https://www.albanybulb.org) * Free; Suggested $20 donation for the [Wild Wonder Foundation](https://www.wildwonder.org/) Meetup host: Kate Rutter **Weather note:** If light rain is forecast for the day of the field trip, grab an umbrella and come anyway. There’s not a lot of cover, but we can journal the wet conditions! However, if forecast is for icky weather, check the Meetup site on the morning of the field trip to see if it's cancelled. Also note that conditions at the Bulb are variable. Bring plenty of water, sunscreen, a hat. The Bulb can get windy, so binder clips and wind jacket needed. **Transit & Parking:** * Public Transit is available, but it’s a bit of a walk. Take AC Transit #72 to the San Pablo+Marin Ave stop. From there, walk \~1.1 miles West. This path includes some tricky road crossings, but it’s possible. * Please post on the Meetup group for carpools. * 2-hour parking is available in two lots along Buchannan Street, and is very limited. Come a little early to be sure to get a closer spot. **How to find us:** Meet at the bench at the roundabout and near the restroom at the start of the Albany Waterfront Trail. (If you come a little late, look for people sketching. :) Location Map: [https://maps.app.goo.gl/9GsK4V3e7sde7Ww2A](https://maps.app.goo.gl/9GsK4V3e7sde7Ww2A) **Bring:** * Seasonally appropriate clothing / dress for variable (including HOT or WINDY) weather. * Sunscreen and hat. * Waterbottle (no water is available onsite.) * Nature journaling supplies including binder clips * Snacks: maybe bring treats to share! * A sense of wonder and humor. * Anything else to make the day lovely for you: folding stool, magnifying loupe, umbrella, depending. ;) **Flow of the day:** * We'll gather for our opening circle at \*\*10am\*\* and do short intros and a warm-up. Then we'll head out for journaling, either in small clusters, or solo, whichever you prefer. * We break for lunch and a journal share at 12:30pm. Bring something to eat, and something to share (potluck is fun!) * We head out again around 1:30 for another round of journaling. * We'll meet again at 3:30 for a final closing circle and connection time, then wrap. **Good to know:** * Open to all ages and ability levels. * Free, no registration is necessary (but it's nice if you RSVP on Meetup. $ suggested donation to support the Wild Wonder Foundation. * No potable water at the site. * Accessibility: mostly flat and accessible pathways; benches and seating. Some paths are unofficial, so don’t venture beyond your comfort zone. * Bathrooms are available onsite. * Cell coverage is moderate so plan accordingly. **Bring friends and family!**

Hiking in the Dolomites - Weeklong adventure

Telescope night viewing - Chabot observatory

Angel Island mindfulness hike

Thursday Nature Walk - Lobos Valley Overlook (Presidio)

What: A 2.5 mile slow walk with 338 feet of elevation gain. When: Every Thursday at 5:30pm Where: Meet at the Lobos Valley Overlook (just up the hill from the 15th Avenue Presidio entrance) Who: Anyone is welcome! Why: Real life connection...to nature and to the community I live in.

South Africa Safari & Adventure for Women

Does the idea of going on safari make your heart do little goat kicks? Do you have a lower back tattoo that says “Hakuna Matata?” When you have the rare opportunity to spin a globe, is there ONE continent that you run your fingers over every damn time? *We made this trip of a lifetime just for you, Explorer Chick.* This 10-day women-only South African safari is a bucket list adventure with an obscene amount of relaxation and adrenaline. There will be kayaking with penguins. Cage diving with sharks. Multiple wine tastings (including a women-owned vineyard!). Poolside lounging in the bush. Two in-country flights in and out of the Kruger National Park region. THREE FULL SAFARI DAYS to see lions, elephants, and leopards. A scenic hike up and cable ride down Table Mountain. A photo opp stop in Cape Town’s most colorful neighborhood. And a soul-bursting tour of Nelson Mandela’s home turf. Best of all––you get to see each golden sunrise and fiery sunset with a badass bus of women who love to travel just as much as you. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll never want to leave. Your goosebumps will get goosebumps as every meal, logistic, and pee break is planned by someone who isn’t you. Order the most cargo pocket-y safari pants and bring your birding binoculars. You’re gonna experience a lifetime of feelings. Because time hits different when you spend it in Africa with your new besties. **See the website for full itinerary, details and to book.** [https://explorerchick.com/trip/south-africa-safari-adventure-for-women/](https://explorerchick.com/trip/south-africa-safari-adventure-for-women/) **Say Hello 👋** **💻** Website: [https://explorerchick.com/](https://explorerchick.com/) 📧 Email: hello@explorerchick.com 📸 Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/explorerchickadventureco/](https://www.instagram.com/explorerchickadventureco/) ❤️ Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/ExplorerChickAdventureCo/](https://www.facebook.com/ExplorerChickAdventureCo/) 👯‍♀️ Facebook Group: [https://www.facebook.com/groups/weareexplorerchick](https://www.facebook.com/groups/weareexplorerchick) 🎥 TikTok: [https://www.tiktok.com/@explorerchick](https://www.tiktok.com/@explorerchick)

Start Your Saturday with Qigong 免费大雁功, 开始美好一天

**Start your Saturday with Qigong** Gentle movement. Mindful breathing. Restored balance. Join our **free weekly sessions** to improve focus, reduce stress, and boost energy. All levels are welcome—perfect for beginners and families! **When & Where** 📍 San Francisco Marina Branch Library – Outdoor Patio *(Between the library and the children’s playground)* 🚍 Short walk from Muni lines 30, 45, 22, 28, and 43 🚗 Free/permit parking at Marina Green Park (12-min walk) **What to Bring** ☀️ Sunscreen, hat, gloves for sun protection 🌧️ Sessions canceled if it rains **Featured on the SF Marina Branch Library calendar:** https://sfpl.org/locations/marina

Green Hairstreak Corridor Workday: all about pruning

Help restore native plant habitat in the Inner Sunset district for the rare Coastal Green Hairstreak butterfly. Folks who join these workdays help create and expand the ecosystem for this little green gem of a pollinator. We emphasize biodiverse and ecologically relevant plants, and you will get to learn about many of our important native plant species. Be ready for activities like weeding, planting, seed collecting, pruning, and other land maintenance tasks. We often work in light rain, but heavy rain cancels. Please dress in long pants, closed-toe shoes, and layers - clothes that might get a little dirty! Bring your own water bottle and sun protection. We encourage you to sign our volunteer waiver ahead of time by visiting the following link: [Volunteer Waiver](https://natureinthecity.org/waiver) Visit the Corridor on iNaturalist to see what's living there: [iNaturalist Monitoring Project](https://www.inaturalist.org/places/green-hairstreak-corridor) And see our website to view a map of the sites: [https://natureinthecity.org/green-hairstreak](https://natureinthecity.org/green-hairstreak) \*\*\*Note\*\*\* There is no public restroom available in the Green Hairstreak Corridor, please plan accordingly.

Meetup on Orient Express - Visit Paris Venice Prague Vienna Budapest Istanbul!!

The Orient Express. . . you heard about it many times. The romance, the mystery, the adventure! Of course - the opulence too! ***While the original Orient Express train is now part of history, our journey revives its spirit—crossing Europe from Paris to Istanbul, echoing the legendary route that once defined luxury rail travel.*** This experience brings back the magic of the rails—without the inflated cost of old-world extravagance. Instead, we focus on service, comfort, and contemporary refinement, blending iconic train travel with thoughtfully curated experiences. We retrace the route of the original Orient Express using a mix of **modern night trains, high-speed day trains, and select short flights**, creating a seamless and unforgettable journey. Our route takes us to: Paris → Venice → Vienna → Prague → Budapest → Istanbul Included: * Train transportation between 4 cities. * 2 nights on an actual night train with sleeping compartment * Air transportation Paris / Venice and Budapest / Istanbul * 11 nights in First Class hotels with best central locations * Daily breakfast + select lunches and dinners * All transfers (hotels, train stations, airports) * Guided tours in every city * Entrances to many museums. * And more thoughtful touches throughout the journey We travel as a group, and also have the flexibility of hop-on, hop-off tours and museum passes with "skip the line" so you can enjoy complete independence. The trip is designed for curious, like-minded travelers who value both freedom and shared experiences. It is all included in the price! You are free to do your own thing, cater to your special interests, visit other sights and locations in the cities, while still being guided and helped with all the arrangements. A balance of independence when you want it and being included in all group activities when you prefer it. The idea is: come alone, meet new like-minded people and make lifelong memories . . . without being stuck with the "one size fits all" tour formula. Here is a basic thumbnail: · **Paris – 3 nights** Evening flight to Venice · **Venice – 1 night** Night train to Vienna · **Vienna – 1 night** Evening train to Prague · **Prague – 2 nights** Night train to Budapest · **Budapest – 1 night** Evening flight to Istanbul · **Istanbul – 3 nights**. Sleeper Cabins on the trains and First Class centrally located hotels in each city. ***What was The Orient Express?*** *It was long-distance passenger train service that began in 1883 with the original endpoints being Paris to Istanbul. The original name became synonymous with intrigue and was a showcase of luxury with comfort at a time when traveling was still rough and dangerous.* *In Istanbul the Pera Palace Hotel, built in 1892, was the accommodation at the terminus. And we are staying in it!* ***The original Orient Express ceased operation in 1977 and we are not using the original old train. It no longer exists.*** EVERY aspect of this trip is epic. * Visit picturesque and storied cities. * Enjoy trains and experience the enchantment of the rails. * In the end you will have visited 6 countries: France, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary and Turkey! **The tour starts in Paris on Sep 20 and ends in Istanbul on Oct 03.** ***$5490 total cost per person, double occupancy.*** ***$7090 total cost for solo occupancy.*** PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE AIRFARE. This allows for your flexibility and convenience. We are happy to give you an airfare quote. **To attend: $500 deposit. [CLICK HERE for a Secure Deposit Link](https://www.paypal.com/instantcommerce/checkout/FXWZ8KNQ95EFJ)** Your Deposit is Fully refundable to 90 days before the event (less any PayPal fees). Final payment due 60 days before departure. [CLICK HERE](https://forms.gle/cQdqYw74gAYqphXX8) To receive detailed itinerary and inclusions. [CLICK HERE ](https://www.meetup.com/moretoexplore/events/281542406/)for the main link for this event RSVP there to get notice on any conversations or discussions. AND/OR if you have questions? [CLICK HERE](https://secure.meetup.com/messages/?new_convo=true&member_id=131297062) to Direct Message to Anna [CLICK HERE](https://secure.meetup.com/messages/?new_convo=true&member_id=273063881) to Direct Message to Marc AND/OR We do a[ ](https://www.meetup.com/moretoexplore/events/284794370/)**[Zoom Q & A ( CLICK HERE to RSVP on the Q& A zoom)](https://www.meetup.com/moretoexplore/events/287318466/).** Come to the zoom, ask any questions and meet other attendees. Great way to get the info you want without all the other fluff. We believe in good decent social. We have a set of sister groups we post our local free, local/regional camping, and our overseas events too. [CLICK HERE](https://www.meetup.com/ccccc-c/events/)[ ](https://www.meetup.com/ccccc-c/)to see all our other fun and social meetup events. SOT 200318-10 ***Live the adventure instead of only dreaming it!***

Golden Gate Park, Around Lake Hike, Band Concert & Lunch

We'll be touring the areas from the Conservatory of Flowers to and around Stow Lake today. Followed by a concert by the GG Park Band. (They have provided music in the Park since 1882.) [The Golden Gate Park Band will be presenting a lively program celebrating songs and dances from around the world. ](https://goldengateparkband.org/calendar) Today is Ballet Folklorico Mexicano. The concert starts at 1:00pm, ends 2:30pm. We'll reach the Band Shell a little after 12:00. Here you will have many choices, stay for lunch and the music, visit one of the many close by attractions or head back. I'll stay for the concert. **\*Don't be a no-show. *See the Group's no-show policy below.*** Don't be a no-show and lose your membership in the Group. Attendance is always taken and no-shows recorded. **[Here's a link to the video of the tour we did here on May 21st, 2022.](https://youtu.be/bJWphCOOW1g)** Golden Gate Park celebrated its 150th year anniversary in 2020. That's a lot of urban history. We'll get into just a little bit of that fascinating history today. But we want to get a good walk in. Distance today will be around 3.0miles. Little up hills or elev. gain. Bring water. Food trucks are available. My all time favorite is Sam's Chowder House truck, behind the huge, music Band Shell. The best clam chowder around. Also Annie's food carts and others too. **A word about parking. For ideal parking aim for the intersection of Bowling Green Dr. & Nancy Pelosi Dr. Try using the address of 300 Bowling Green Dr. for GPS. Break-ins are common here. Do not leave anything visible in your car.** Below are the POI highlights to choose from in the eastern section. ***Golden Gate Park, (A sampling of POIs)*** Conservatory of Flowers (1878) US President James Garfield Statue (1884) Victorian era Baseball Player Statue, by Douglas Tilden (1891) Lily Pond & Australian Tree Fern Dell (1902) Tennis Courts (1894-2021) Lawn Bowling Courts (1901) Sharon Meadow (1894) Coffee House in the Park (recent) Lake Alford (1882) Alford Bridge & Tunnel (1889) Children's Quarter (1888) Sharon Building (1888) GG Park Carousal (1888-first Carousal) A Monastery Stone & the amazing story of these 10,000 stones that landed in the Park from Spain in 1931? Handball Courts Big Rec Baseball fields (1893) Shakespeare Flower Garden(1928) Spreckels Temple of Music , the "Band Shell" (1900) LUNCH (about 12:15pm) Music Concourse (built for 1894, Calif.Mid-Winter Fair) & new Ferris Wheel (Golden Gate Park Band plays Sundays at 1:00pm in season.) Japanese Tea Garden (1894) Stowe Lake (1881) San Francisco Botanical Garden (1940) (Then returning to where we started by way of the Conservatory of Flowers, we'll pass by the following.) **Itinerary-San Francisco Botanical Garden Tour, If we go there on this tour?** Garden of Fragrance Rhododendron Garden Heidelberg Hill & Magnolias Mediterranean Garden Ancient & Primitive Plant Garden South Africa/(Cape Town) Garden New Zealand & Australia Andean Cloud Forest Zellerbach Garden of Perennials Japanese Moon Viewing Garden Camellia Garden Redwood Grove California Natives Lots of interesting things in the Park. In-season: "Magnificent Magnolias", peak bloom time around Feb.1st. But we'll find lots of other beautiful plants and flowers to amaze. (\*Don't be a no-show.) It's good to give out name tags which I do. I fill out the name tags just before I leave for the tour. This also gives me a way to take attendance. Because name tags that are not picked up, are recorded as no-shows. If you get too many no-shows recorded in your personal Meet-up profile you'll be cancelled from this Meetup. (To cancel your RSVP beforehand [please at least 24 hrs. in advance]. Look for the, **"Edit Attendance"** tab at the bottom right hand corner of the screen for laptops and left, bottom on phones.)

🦌 Point Reyes Tule Elk ✨Hike & Lunch✨ Adventure