We had a very full day working with the various classes of the brand new University Elementary in Rohnert Park. We were set up to teach 4 classes--two 1st/2nd grade classes and two kindergarten classes! We only had a short amount of time with each, but we were able to learn bird sounds, bird identification, and we went out for walks on their sports field.

The kids quietly walking forward to get a closer look at a perched Black Phoebe

Learning about the Western Scrub-Jay

Watching the Chestnut-backed Chickadees that were visiting the feeders of a neighboring house

Today, we had the day off and decided to go birding--all day! We first went to Bodega Bay on the Sonoma coast and got some good looks at the shorebirds despite the stormy weather.

Birding at Bodega Bay!

A solitary Eared Grebe

Can you find the Savannah Sparrow? Look out for those bright yellow lores above the bill!

The beautiful open wings of the Willets and the cinnamon color of the Marbled Godwit!

We finished up by birding around our friend Adam's farm. We saw some beautiful Cedar Waxwings, Northern Flickers, and had a great look at a Sharp-Shinned Hawk. Adam went to UC Santa Cruz and was a part of the recreation department and Wilderness Orientation program, both of which we worked for when we were in school. He now lives up in Sebastopol and owns New Family Farm. They raise pigs and grow produce for the community and they do most of it the old-school way--by horse-drawn plow! Check out their facebook page at Facebook.com/thenewfamilyfarm.

Feeding Bertha and her new piglets at New Family Farm in Sebastopol!