Putah Creek Christmas Bird Count 2025
Phainopepla ©Zane Pickus
Please join us for the 55th annual Putah Creek CBC is scheduled for Sunday, December 21st. We are warmly welcoming birders of any skill level to participate. Please contact an Area Leader from the list below for the region you are interested in helping to cover. Leaders prefer to get their count teams established early, don’t wait to contact them and sign up! Birders with disabilities or other accessibility concerns are encouraged to reach out to the leader of Area 9 (Lake Solano), where we will be hosting a “big sit”.
Our Bird ID and sign-up workshop will take place on Wednesday, December 10th. This year’s workshop will be offered in a hybrid format for those who wish to attend through zoom – register here. The workshop features a primer on bird identification and an introduction to the use of “eBird”, as well as a discussion of recent count trends, and historical information about the count.
After the count on Sunday, the 21st our Compilation Potluck Dinner will be held at 7pm at the Davis Senior Center. Anyone who participated, or is interested in the results of the count is welcome. Please note that consumption of alcohol at this event due to city regulations will not be permitted.
The 15-mile diameter count circle is centered southwest of Winters, California. It is divided into 10 areas and spans parts of Yolo, Solano, and Napa Counties.
Putah Creek CBC Area Leaders
| Organizer and Compiler | Bart Wickel Email Bart |
| Pre-CBC Bird ID Workshop | Zane Pickus Email Zane |
| Area 1: Lake Berryessa, Thompson Canyon, & Quail Ridge | Area Leader: Bobby Walsh Email Bobby |
| Area 2: Bray Canyon | Area Leader: Amanda Kindel Email Amanda |
| Area 3: North Side (Chickahominy Slough) |
Area Leader: Autumn Turner Email Autumn |
| Area 4: Winters to Monticello Dam | Area Leader: Kirk Swenson Email Kirk |
| Area 5: East Side (Putah Creek & Hwy 505) |
Area Leader: Julian Johnson Email Julian |
| Area 6: English Hills North | Area Leader: Zane Pickus Email Zane |
| Area 7: English Hills South | Area Leader: Lynette Williams Email Lynette |
| Area 8: Mt. Vaca (Mix & Gates Canyons) |
Area Leader: Rob Furrow Email Rob |
| Area 9: Solano Park | Area Leader: Sean Smith Email Sean |
| Area 10: Wragg & Cold Canyon | Area Leader: TBA Email Bart |
Background
Yolo Audubon Society’s Putah Creek Christmas Bird Count started in 1971. It is one of California’s longest-running CBCs in the state. In our 55 consecutive years of solid data collection, we have been able to identify significant trends and to relate them to conservation issues.
- We typically have about 80-100 participants, making it one of the largest inland counts in California and the Central Valley
- We typically see over 140 species
- We have led the nation in Northern Pygmy-Owl, Northern (Red-shafted) Flicker, Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Yellow-billed Magpie, Oak Titmouse, American Robin, Lark Sparrow, and Lesser Goldfinch counts
- We have provided important data on the effects of West Nile Virus on some species (especially Yellow-billed Magpie)
- We have generated data useful for illustrating impacts of climate change and loss of grasslands
Wrentit – Observed in Area 8 shortly before the LNU fire in 2020);© Bart Wickel
In 2020, during the “LNU” fire, approximately 60% of the count circle burned, including all (or nearly all) of Areas 1, 2, 8, 9, and 10, and large sections of Areas 3, 4, 6, and 7. Over the past years since this burn, which revealed dramatic impacts on the bird populations, we have witnessed amazing signs of recovery.