Last weekend, the Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary partnered with Wildcare to host the 6th annual Youth Winter Bird Count at Pickleweed Park in the Canal District of San Rafael. We were joined by 11 families, six of which were participating for the first time.

In total, 25 birders – both young and experienced – were guided by staff from RBCAS and WildCare through a mile walk. Together we saw 48 different species and a total of 843 individual birds. A highlight of the count was spotting an osprey and a peregrine falcon.

One family that was joining us for the first time brought their 1st grader, who had an immense love of birds. When asked which one of the parents was teaching him, they both shook their head and said he was born loving birds. His enthusiasm was quickly picked up by another young birder and the two spent the entire walk using binoculars and guessing how many birds were on the waterfront. The final consensus was one billion.