Conservation Corner

Conservation Corner: February 2024

February 2, 2024

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

Conservation Corner: January 2024

January 2, 2024

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

Conservation Corner: December 2023

December 5, 2023

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,

Conservation Corner: November 2023

November 5, 2023

Modern flood protection helps birds in Yolo County The aims and methods of protecting people and property from flooding in the Central Valley have shifted significantly in this century. The earlier notion was to contain the bigger rivers inside tall levees and keep dry the adjacent natural floodplains and

Conservation Corner: October 2023

October 9, 2023

A new geologic epoch is here Many believe that we have come to the end of a geologic era, a major subdivision in the earth’s history. That era (or epoch, as specialists call it), the Holocene, ran steadily for almost twelve thousand years, with predictable seasonality, a stable climate around

Conservation Corner: September 2023

September 16, 2023

Fall migration is here. Where do our birds come from? The May issue of this column introduced National Audubon’s Bird Migration Explorer. It’s a digital platform that shows the migration routes of most North American birds, based on repeated detections of radio-tagged individuals as they travel across

Conservation Corner: May 2023

May 11, 2023

Where do our spring migrants come from? Many of us marvel at the twice-a-year treks of migratory birds between breeding and wintering grounds. We wonder where they came from to get here, and where they go when they depart. Recent improvements in our ability to mark and track birds

Conservation Corner – April 2023

April 5, 2023

Climate Change Reduces Nesting Success of Local Songbirds Several times this column has mentioned the chain of nest boxes along Putah Creek that the UC Davis Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology oversees. It is one of the best things anyone has done for songbirds in the region. More than

Conservation Corner – March 2023

March 8, 2023

Northern Birds in the South This column follows up on the situation I reported last time. In the twenty-first century, a dozen or so southern California bird species have expanded their winter ranges to include the Sacramento Valley. They appear to have taken advantage of the milder winter weather and

Conservation Corner – January 2023

February 10, 2023

Looking over decades of field notes from my neighborhood in Davis recently, I was reminded of two changes in bird life in this period in the Sacramento Valley. The first is the growing numbers of over-wintering birds here that are usually found in the milder climates of the central California

Long-term changes in bird life—a local angle.

January 11, 2023

Recently I decided to use eBird, Cornell University’s public database of bird observations, to store the accumulated records from birding in my neighborhood around Slide Hill Park in Davis. This meant reviewing all thirty-six years of written notes, and the effort produced two big surprises. One was that many species

A Brief History of Ravens in Yolo County

December 8, 2022

The Sacramento Valley population of the common raven has ridden a roller-coaster over the years, owing entirely to its interaction with people. Three characteristics of the species have been involved. First, ravens are highly social, and more experienced birds teach the less experienced how to make a living, including what

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 region.
   Their journey began in the wooded areas around Cache Creek, where the haunting calls of the barn owl echoed through the night. Patiently they observed the silent flight of the great horned owl, its tufted ears barely visible in the moonlight.
   As the group expanded their search, they explored the open grasslands near Davis, hoping to catch a glimpse of the western burrowing owl. With careful observation, they spotted the small, ground-dwelling owls perched near burrows, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings.
   Venturing into the riparian habitats along the Sacramento River, the bird enthusiasts encountered the short-eared owl. These owls, with distinctive facial disks, soared over the wetlands in search of prey, showcasing their impressive hunting skills.
   The group extended their exploration to the outskirts of Winters, where the screech owl’s haunting trills resonated in the trees. Through attentive listening and keen observation, they identified both the eastern and western screech owls, each with its unique markings.
   The final leg of the journey led them to the foothills of the Coast Range, where the spotted owl, a symbol of old-growth forests, made its elusive appearance. In these secluded woodlands, the dedicated birdwatchers marveled at the intricate patterns of the owl’s plumage. As the seasons changed, so did the species they encountered. From the snowy owl in winter to the northern pygmy owl in spring, Yolo County unveiled its rich tapestry of owl biodiversity. The enthusiasts documented their findings, contributing valuable data to local conservation efforts.
In the end, their story wasn’t just about finding owls; it was a testament to the power of community, curiosity, and a shared love for the natural world. Yolo County became not only a map of owl habitats, but a living testament to the beauty that emerges when people come together to explore and protect the diverse species that call it home.
   Long-time readers may have guessed that the above paragraphs were written by AI, or Artificial Intelligence. I used ChatGPT, a free, publicly available tool that can compose term papers for students in mere seconds. It was responding to my request for a story about how to find all the species of owls that occur in Yolo County.
   Many people feel that AI threatens to replace us slower and less accurate humans in many functions. However, seeing references to eastern screech owl, spotted owl and snowy owl in a story about our county, I suspect that my writing job is safe for now. If you are curious, you can sign up to use ChatGPT from its website.

Snowy Owl Photo actually taken in northern Michigan

— Michael Perrone, Conservation Chair