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

A Contemporary Aid for Bird-Finders     In the quiet corners of Yolo County, a passionate group of bird enthusiasts embarked on a quest to uncover the mysterious world of owls. Armed with binoculars, field guides, and an insatiable curiosity, they ventured into the diverse landscapes that make up this

            California Chaparral and its Birds at Risk     Regardless of how we regard global warming or the climate crisis, there is no doubt that wildfires have grown massively in frequency and intensity in California in the twenty-first century.  On the broad line of

The BirdsReturns Program   A few years ago, seeing a big need for wetland habitat for migratory birds in the Central Valley, Audubon California, The Nature Conservancy and Point Blue Conservation Science partnered to develop the BirdReturns project.  They identified places that birds historically used but now lacked enough wetlands,