On Saturday, April 6, Chris Dunford (with the assistance of Steve Hampton) led a Yolo Audubon field trip designed to introduce birders new to coastal birds to the best spots and tide levels to see the ducks, sandpipers, gulls, loons, grebes, and cormorants at Bodega Bay. The ideal for the purpose is a small group […]
Garganey, Bridgeway Island Pond, © Ken Ealy
Yolo Notable Sightings: March 2019
It was March Madness from day one in Yolo County when a young male Garganey was discovered at Bridgeway Island Pond in West Sacramento on Mar 1 (GE). The finder, Gil Ewing, also discovered the only other Garganey record in the county approved by the California Bird Records Committee, back in 1988. Probably over a […]
Burrowing Owl, Yolo County (Deb Ford)
Burrowing Owls at Risk on the Urban Fringe
The Burrowing Owl is the only bird of prey in the Sacramento Valley that nests underground, usually in abandoned ground squirrel burrows and most often on the edges of farm fields. Farmland on the border of cities is where most development occurs; Burrowing Owl nest sites are lost as building proceeds. It is lawful to […]
Woodland Regional Park
Over the past few years, the City of Woodland and a partnership of local nonprofit organizations, including Yolo Audubon, have been working to design a park and nature center along Road 102, just south of Woodland. Owned by the City, Woodland Regional Park occupies 160 acres at the site of a former model airplane park […]
Palm Warbler, © Steve Hampton
Yolo Notable Sightings: February 2019
A cool February turned up two birds normally found in warmer climes this time of year. The county’s fourth Palm Warbler was found in east Davis on Feb 12 (SS) and has continued through the month. A Costa’s Hummingbird, found Feb 5 in south Davis (BT), has also remained, delighting birders with brief glimpses. Elsewhere […]
Field Trip Report: Owling in Yolo County
The trip was deemed a success even though we only succeeded in seeing/finding one owl species, the Burrrowing Owl. We went to the locations where we expected (or hoped) to find five owl species common in Yolo County. At each site we shared information on owl natural history, sightings of other birds, ad an appreciation of the pleasure of the search.
31 participants
17 bird species
River Otter at Yolo Bypass (Deb Ford)
A Wildlife Corridor in the Yolo Bypass
An abandoned railroad trestle in the southern part of the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area is getting a new look as part of a habitat restoration project led by the Yolo County Resource Conservation District. The earthen mounds originally designed to elevate a train track will now provide refuge from rising floodwaters for animals that otherwise […]
Plumbeous Vireo, © Karen Richardson
Yolo Notable Sightings: January 2019
The new year provided plenty of cooperative rarities to chase. Most of these are still present through the end of the month. It started on Dec 30, with Mountain Plovers along Hwy 45 just south of the county line (MH, SL). A maximum count of 61 represents one of the higher totals in recent years […]
photo Stan Hunter
Field Trip Report: Bobcat Ranch
Five intrepid birders joined hike leaders Stanton Hunter and Joe Zinkl for a 2.75-mile hike at Audubon Bobcat ranch this morning, despite the prospect of heavy rain and cold temperatures. Though the rain was never very heavy, it was a constant drizzle, and the temperature never got above 45 degrees F, but it was still […]
Fremont Weir Wildlife Area
Public Access to Public Lands: Fremont Weir Wildlife Area
As noted here before, the conservation goals of Yolo Audubon are to protect and expand local bird habitat and ensure public access to that habitat, wherever possible. The situation at Fremont Weir Wildlife Area is unusual in that a formerly accessible public recreation area is now much harder to get to. Fremont Weir Wildlife Area […]
Long-eared Owl, © Rick Williams
Yolo Notable Sightings: December 2018
A sprinkling of rarities brightened up December. An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was found at the Yolo County Central Landfill on Dec 26 and remains present (TE). A Long-eared Owl was photographed on private property near Esparto on Dec 13 (RW). A Lapland Longspur was heard among a thousand Horned Larks near Rds 27 and […]
Northern Shrike (Immature), © Dan Murphy
Yolo Notable Sightings: November 2018
The star of November was a young Northern Shrike, found Nov 15 along Rd 25 near the Conaway Stock Pond (DM). The bird moved to Woodland Wastewater Treatment Plant and East Regional Pond (at Farmer’s Central Rd) and was enjoyed by many thru Thanksgiving. A Pacific Loon, photographed Nov 7 in the Sacramento River near […]