Townsend's Warbler; © Ann Brice
It’s been a challenging summer for all of us with Covid and the fires, but I hope you’ve managed to do some birding close to home. I’ve had fun photographing warblers in my yard. So much has happened since our last newsletter in early May. Good news on the national front was the passage of […]
Green-tailed Towhee; © Ann Brice
There are few birds more spectacular than a breeding plumaged Red Phalarope. Three of them arrived on May 18 during a morning thunderstorm and spent a few hours in a rice paddy just north of the Davis Wetlands (JT). This was the first chaseable record in decades. A breeding plumaged Sanderling was at the Woodland […]
Yellow-billed Magpie; © Erna Tarara
Late last year National Audubon published Survival by Degrees–389 Bird Species on the Brink, an analysis of the likely effects of climate change on the abundance of North American bird species in the next several decades. The study modeled three levels of temperature increase, corresponding to levels of effort to reduce the discharge of greenhouse […]
On May 21, 2020, Yolo Audubon Society submitted the following Forum Commentary for publication in the Davis Enterprise. It concerns the development of a commercial solar array on former ponds at the Davis Wastewater Treatment Facility. It reiterates several concerns that were left out of Mayor Brett Lee’s and Davis City Council Member Dan Carson’s April 26 Forum Commentary that mentioned YAS’s letter to the Davis City Council about this matter.
2020-05-21-YASop-ed
Refurbished Nesting Boxes at Bobcat Ranch; photo courtesy Dash Weidhofer
A lot has been happening at Audubon California’s Bobcat Ranch recently.
Nina Tortosa, Restoration Intern at the ranch, compiled a comprehensive report of ranch restoration work that she was involved in from September 2019 through March 2020. One of many projects involved repair of part a birding trail used by the Yolo Audubon phenology group. You can read her full report below.
In addition, quite a few nesting boxes have been refurbished for some lucky new owners. (Photo above.)
2020-05-05-Tortosa-Bobcat-Restoration-Report
Rob Furrow biking to bird; © Josiah Clark
On Friday, May 1st, I did a biking big day in Yolo county, starting at 3am from my house in Davis and finishing at 8:10pm back at home, after looping out to Babel Slough, north to Woodland, and back to Davis. In total I biked about 91 miles, seeing/hearing 139 species in total, while drinking […]
SLEWS participants at Yanci Ranch; © Center for Land-Based Learning
Which local program has finished nearly three hundred habitat improvement projects, mostly on farms, as part of formal high school course work? The answer is SLEWS (Student and Landowner Education and Watershed Stewardship), which teaches the next generation of farmers and natural resource stewards to restore habitat, while learning science hands-on. SLEWS is a program […]
Local birding, at least at certain locations, may have increased under the COVID shutdown, allowing many to enjoy the start of spring migration. The highlight was the county’s first ever Virginia’s Warbler, well-described on Apr 26 from the last stand of trees below the crossroads at the summit of Rayhouse Rd (AH). This is a […]
On April 14, 2020, Yolo Audubon Society Board President Ann Brice transmitted the following letter to the Davis City Council regarding its plans to accept a proposal for a large commercial solar array at the Davis Wastewater Treatment Facility ponds.
2020-04-14-YAS-Letter-to-Davis-City-Council
The 'catio' keeps cats and birds separated; © Lynda Goff
Our February article described the huge losses that cats inflict on wild birds in California and around the country. Recognizing this as an important conservation problem, YAS explored the issue further. We talked to key people at the County animal shelter in Woodland, the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, the Yolo County SPCA, and […]
Rufous Hummingbird; © Ann Brice
In this epoch of COVID-19, we’ve all spent more time at home than we’re used to. My friends and I have been sharing photos from our yards. This has been a great spring for Rufous Hummingbirds. Too bad they don’t stay for long, although the Anna’s Hummingbirds aren’t sad to see them move on north! Be […]
Yellow-headed Blackbirds at YBWA; © Ann Brice
A cool March was typically slow for rare birds. Top of the list, however, was a Dusky Flycatcher found Mar 5 in north Davis (SH). Only the second winter record for the county, the bird remained through the month, often vocalizing. A Costa’s Hummingbird display was heard several times at the same time and place […]