Climate Warming is Killing Nestling Birds Earlier this year National Audubon along with a coalition of conservation organizations released a study (the 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report) that found recent large declines in bird numbers across the country and across many species.  The continued conversion of habitat, both

Kestrels in Our County   Yolo County’s smallest and most familiar falcon, the American kestrel, has been declining in numbers across its wide North American range in recent years.  There is some evidence that it is losing ground locally as well.  In natural situations, kestrels nest in tree cavities in

Habitat projects on Yocha Dehe lands in the Capay Valley     The Yocha Dehe band of Wintun Indians holds about twenty-five thousand acres of land along the west bank of Cache Creek around the town of Brooks.  Although better known for its casino, the community also has important natural

Local Biodiversity Hotspots at Risk From Climate Warming    A new study out of UC Davis highlights the biological richness of the western hill country of Yolo County and nearby areas and the grave threats to its continued existence posed by a warming and drying climate and related increases in

Wild Turkeys in the City     Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, let’s talk turkeys.  The wild turkey is native to the eastern US, northern Mexico, and parts of the American southwest.  It probably got its odd name because it reminded early settlers of the guinea-fowl, another large chicken-like

The Point Reyes Effect in Yolo County?       The Point Reyes peninsula is famous during migration periods for its concentrations of small birds, often including strays from much further east.  Its shape and position, a ten-mile-long westward projection into the Pacific Ocean, draws birds that have flown out

Cooper’s Hawks Nesting in the City         Several years ago, Cooper’s hawks began to nest in my part of Davis. I surmised that these previously winter-only birds waited till there were trees tall enough to suit their nest site requirements.  This year two pairs nested near my

Habitat Improvements by the Yolo County Resource Conservation District           One of the missions of the Yolo County RCD is to remove weeds and put bird-friendly native plants in their place, all normally done away from the spotlight.  So, I am going to shine a light

The New Sacramento Area Checklist – Part 2     Last month I noted that the Sacramento Audubon Society has just revised its checklist of the birds of our area and made it available on its website. I set about to compare the relative abundance of each species on the

The New Sacramento Area Checklist      The Sacramento Audubon Society has long produced checklists of the birds of the region. The checklist covers the area from State Highway 12 in the south to about State Highway 20 in the north, and extends east and west to the thousand-foot elevation.

Hearing aids for birders – a personal story Many birders rely crucially on our ears to detect and identify birds.  But what happens when our ears start to wear out?  As we age, our capacity to hear higher-pitched sounds diminishes.  The result is that many bird calls must be closer to