Birds at the golf course? Yes! Corica Park, our municipal course, is filled with birds. Friends in the Southwest have regaled me with tales of roadrunners on their courses, but we have our own stars. Perhaps our most prominent are the bald eagles who nested in early winter 2022-23. Their nest blew down in a windstorm, but while they visited, they reminded us that golf courses can provide valuable wildlife habitat, supporting large raptors as well as small songbirds.
The Park’s riparian features—streams and ponds—are the biggest draws for many of Corica’s birds. One major highlight is the consistent presence of green herons. Green herons inhabit freshwater ponds, streams, and other small wetlands. While they are common, they can be difficult to see because they skulk in vegetation and stand motionless when hunting. Unfortunately, their numbers have been rapidly diminishing. We’ve lost 51% of the North American population between 1955 and 2019.
Unlike many related birds, green herons tend to nest in pairs, rather than in colonies of many birds. Happily, in the spring/summer of 2024 a pair of green herons nested in a tree near one of the streams at Corica. Three young ones hatched and provided us quite a treat as they grew from chicks to fledglings to leaving the nest.
We still see green herons reliably at Corica. Our green herons are year-round residents, although populations in other areas of the U.S. migrate. Sometimes the name green heron seems like a misnomer, as they appear bluish or just dark when seen in filtered or weak light. Their green feathers on the back and wings can be seen well only in strong light, at the right angle.
The wetlands on the golf course host loads of other water birds as well—great blue herons, black-crowned night-herons, and both great and snowy local egrets. These birds feed on fish and other marine animals in the streams and ponds. The bald eagles particularly enjoy carp.
Ducks are common in winter, including the showy hooded merganser, as well as the northern shoveler, northern pintail, bufflehead, and on rare occasion, a wood duck. Most of our ducks migrate here in the winter from more northerly or interior climates, where it’s much harder to find food in the winter. Some of our male ducks have already gotten their bright “breeding plumage” feathers when they arrive here, but others develop it after they get here. Ruddy ducks don’t get their bright chestnut feathers and blue bills until March through June.
It’s not just Corica’s watery areas that support birds. Woodpeckers visit, including nuttall’s and downy, as well as northern flicker, and western bluebirds happily find food in the lawn areas. And in the winter, migrating yellow-rumped warblers also arrive from the Sierra for their winter break, flitting around trees all over the course areas.
How to see Corica Park’s beautiful birds
Thanks to Greenway Golf’s commitment to making their space broadly accessible to the entire community, Golden Gate Bird Alliance is able to offer birding walks there. We are committed to one walk per month, but we frequently do additional walks, depending on demand, season, and what we are seeing. These walks are the only way to look for the Corica birds from the inside of the park, unless you see them when you’re actively golfing. To join a birding walk, pre-register online.
Thanks to Greenway Golf
Greenway Golf takes its responsibilities as steward of the lands of Corica Park seriously. They have developed comprehensive water capture and recycling systems, use a unique turf that reduces net water consumption, employ biochar to reduce chemical inputs, have planted a native pollinator plant garden at the repainted Fire Tower, avoid most pesticides on the North Course, and are using biodegradable, crushed walnut shells as a natural cart path alternative. We really appreciate this environmental stewardship, and we know the wildlife do as well.
The bald eagles nesting at the course kicked up birders’ interest in Corica. We’ve been scanning the skies as winter approaches to see if our Island City can attract another nesting pair. We’ve seen at least two different bald eagles visit the course multiple times this fall. No signs of nesting yet, but fingers crossed!
Linda Carloni is a long-time member of the Golden Gate Bird Alliance (GGBA) and its Alameda Conservation Committee, Friends of the Alameda Wildlife Reserve.
This article is part of a series written by Friends of the Alameda Wildlife Reserve (FAWR) members. To find out more about birds and GGBA’s free guided trips, visit the Golden Gate Bird Alliance website.
