From the Co-Presidents Bird-Window Collisions In this last newsletter of the year before our summer break, we’d like to highlight a significant risk to birds that has recently been getting more attention. Bird-window collisions, particularly in urban areas, are now recognized as one of the leading human-created causes of bird deaths. Recent research studies published […]
Conservation Corner: May 2026
The YBA Small Grant Program Yolo Bird Alliance offers funding for work on the lives of birds in Yolo County and nearby areas. The main aim is to help new investigators, mostly UCD students, get started on projects of interest to YBA. The Small Grant Program has been busy supporting novel research projects and environmental […]
Recent Sightings: April 2026
Following a warm March with multiple reports of exceptionally early spring migrants, the beginning of April came in similarly hot. This was led-off by record-early reports of LAZULI BUNTING in the first week of April (RF, ZP, EI, TU), and a very early MACGILLIVRAY’S WARBLER on 4/5 at Grasslands Regional Park (SSc). Songbird migration continued […]
From the Presidents: April 2026
From the Co-Presidents Spring Events and Updates In the October 2025 issue of the Burrowing Owl, we wrote about the habitat restoration project at the Pacific Flyway Pond (formerly known as North Regional Pond, just north of the Woodland Waste Water Treatment Plant). Now, Yolo Bird Alliance, alongside Yolo County Resource Conservation District, has a […]
Conservation Corner: April 2026
Lake Alhambra Lake Alhambra, in the northeast corner of the residential part of Davis, is the largest body of water within several miles. It is also the only place for water-oriented birds that I can readily reach by bicycle. So I check it fairly often in the cooler months. It turns out to support a […]
Recent Sightings: March 2026
An uncharacteristically warm March was highlighted by a handful of rarities and a flurry of early spring migrants in Yolo County. The tail-end of winter saw occasional reports of a TROPICAL KINGBIRD at Bridgeway Island Pond, likely one of two birds seen nearby earlier in the year at Bridgeway Lakes Community Park. It was first […]
From the Presidents: March 2026
From the Co-Presidents
Spring is in the air, and with it we often find fresh energy and ideas. Appreciation for birds may be seen in many creative ways, like photography, for instance, and here’s an another—poetry. Yolo County resident and new birder Jamie Seibel expresses her feelings for birds below. Please enjoy, and let us know if you have a way to communicate your passion for birds that you’d like to share in the Burrowing Owl. If so, send us a message here. Thanks, Jamie!
–Genevieve Colborn and Ann Brice
Conservation Corner: March 2026
Scrub-jays and Valley Oaks These two icons of Central Valley nature have close ties. The California scrub-jay is one of the most common birds in Yolo County, while the valley oak was once the most numerous tree away from watercourses. This oak occurs only in California, and the scrub-jay occurs throughout the range of the […]
Recent Sightings: February 2026
An unseasonably warm February was brightened by clear skies and a flurry of rare birds. The highlight of the month was a SAGE THRASHER, the first widely chasable individual in quite a few years, along County Road 104 beginning 2/12 (KC). This bird survived a few days of February showers before spending the remainder […]
From the Presidents: February 2026
From the Co-Presidents Great Backyard Bird Count. Join National Audubon’s Great Backyard Bird Count this year on February 13-16, 2026. NAS challenges all birders to participate by spending at least 15 minutes watching birds on one or more of these 4 days and report what you see at birdcount.org or through the eBird app. You are encouraged to […]
Conservation Corner: February 2026
Fifty-five years of Christmas Bird Counts along Putah Creek The Putah Creek Christmas Count is by far the longest-running bird survey in our area, and holds a trove of information about the shifting status of birds as both land use and climate relentlessly change. Now YBA Christmas Count chair Bart Wickel has done us a […]
Recent Sightings: January 2026
A relatively clear and still January gave birders the chance to get into the field and search the county far and wide, which yielded some interesting results. From a rarity perspective, the highlight was a pair of TROPICAL KINGBIRDS at Bridgeway Lakes Community Park in West Sacramento. While this species is a regular vagrant along […]
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