Broad-billed Hummingbird; © JoAnne Fillatti
The Broad-billed Hummingbird recently found in Davis has given hundreds of people great pleasure. This first county record (and perhaps even first Central Valley record) was all thanks to Victoria Cross and Thomas Gatewood, who first observed the bird in their backyard on January 29th. They knew it wasn’t an Anna’s, but being new birders, they listed […]
Woodland Regional Park nest box installation; photo Jennifer Segar
Placement of nest boxes for small songbirds along the Putah Creek corridor has had a history of success. Birds fledge young from them in large numbers, year after year (see this column, February 2017). A recent string of boxes in the heart of Davis has been likewise well received by birds (this column, September 2019). […]
Broad-billed Hummingbird; © Bart Wickel
Steve Hampton has been compiling monthly Yolo County Notable Sighting reports for the YAS’s Burrowing Owl newsletter since August 2001. This is his last report for us as he is relocating to Washington state. All of us at YAS wish Steve and his family the very best in their new adventure. January had several stars, […]
Pine Siskin; © Steve Hampton
We are receiving a number of reports of sick and dying Pine Siskins and goldfinches at area bird feeders. Krysta Rogers of the Wildlife Investigations Laboratory of the CA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife believes this is due to Salmonellosis, a bacterial infection spread through feces of infected birds. The outbreaks always involve bird feeders […]
Never Too Young; © Josh Galland
Happy New Year! As we all try to stay safe and be patient during the COVID times, I’d like to recommend a page from the National Audubon website called The Joy of Birds. It’s described as a “Birdy Care Package from Audubon” and is full of entertaining and useful information–good for a rainy afternoon at home. I […]
LNU Complex Fire; © Sarah Mayhew
The complex of wildfires in late summer that burned large swathes of Yolo, Solano, Napa and other counties devoured oak woodland, forest and chaparral indiscriminately. Wanting a sense of the effects of those fires on the birds of the area, Steve Hampton and I pored over reports from birders around the burned zones, both during and […]
Cassin's Finch; © Sean Smith
December featured a sprinkling of rarities. A Common Loon was in the Ship Canal on Dec 5 (SL). A Eurasian Green-winged Teal was photographed at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area (YBWA) on Dec 15 (SH). An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was found at the landfill on Dec 7 (CT) and remains. A Sage Thrasher discovered […]
Colusa NWR; © Ann Brice
As you look for ways to stay sane in the next few months, don’t forget to go birding! We are so lucky to have so many great spots for winter birds in the area, like Colusa National Wildlife Refuge pictured above. You can go on your own or with your family. I have been birding […]
Josh Greenfield on first YAS Phenology Survey after LNU Complex fire
Text by Joe Zinkl, Phenology Survey Coordinator Yolo Audubon members have been conducting a phenology survey at Audubon California’s Bobcat Ranch for over four years. The study is conducted in cooperation with the National Phenology Network. All data collected by our surveyors is sent to NPN. What is phenology exactly? It is the study of […]
Long-eared Owl; © Steve Hampton
A mostly dry November was filled with interesting birds. Most intriguing was the appearance of two Black-throated Sparrows, only the fourth record for the county, at a private residence west of Winters on Nov 6, with at least one bird continuing longer (BG). A Red-breasted Merganser made a brief stop at the Woodland/Davis Clean Water […]
The Sacramento Bypass Wildlife Area (along County Road 126, off River Road just north of the city of West Sacramento) is an excellent birding spot, with 197 species reported on eBird. This large bird list reflects the presence a strip of forest at the foot of the north levee of the bypass, plus wetlands that […]
Yolo Reflections; Painting by John Nichols
I want to invite everyone to Yolo Basin Foundation’s first virtual Bucks for Ducks. As most of you know, Yolo Basin Foundation is the non-profit associated with the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, and Bucks for Ducks is the largest source of income for their wetlands education and conservation programs. They need our support now more than ever, so […]