From the President

From the Presidents: April 2025

Spring on its way…again!   On Saturday, March 29, we had a very successful field trip at the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve.  Thanks in part to publicity from the Davis Enterprise, around 20 people attended to learn about using eBird to record bird sightings.  The trip was led by board

Read More

From the Presidents: March 2025

Signs of Spring Spring has been in the air recently with temperatures reaching the 70s, flocks of geese and cranes seen moving north, and Rufous Hummingbirds spotted at local feeders.  A special overwintering favorite for many of us in Yolo County has been the Vermilion Flycatcher at Wild Wings Golf Course west of

Read More

From the Presidents: February 2025

Avian Influenza Recent news reports confirming that avian influenza was detected in a Yolo County backyard poultry flock have sparked inquiries as to how wild birds are being affected by the virus, and what people can do about it.  County public health officers stress that the risk to the general public from

Read More

From the Presidents: January 2025

Congratulations to Josh Greenfieldon his Yolo County Big Year! According to Wikipedia, “A big year is a personal challenge or an informal  competition among birders who attempt to identify as many species of birds as possible by sight or sound, within a single calendar year and within a specific geographic area.”  In 2024, Yolo Bird Alliance member

Read More

From the Presidents: December 2024

Tis the Season…     It’s December, and the Christmas Bird Count season is upon us!  Yolo Bird Alliance is holding its annual CBC I.D. Workshop this Wednesday evening December 4 at 7pm at the Davis Senior Center.  This will be an opportunity to speak with the area leaders and sign

Read More

From the Presidents: November 2024

Good New for Birds and thePlaces They Need      In mid-October, Jeff Miller of the Center for Biological Diversity announced that the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to consider the Western Burrowing Owl for protection under the California Endangered Species Act (see press release here).  The commission

Read More

From the Presidents: October 2024

     It may not feel like autumn in Yolo County with temperatures over 100 degrees the first week of October, but fall bird migration is well underway, as evidenced but some of the exciting bird sightings detailed below in board member Zane Pickus’ column.  We hope you have had

Read More

From the President: September 2024

             We’re back after our summer break with our new name—Yolo Bird Alliance (YBA)! For those who may not have been around for last year’s discussions, the name change was prompted in part by growing awareness that not everyone has felt included or welcomed by

Read More

From the President: May 2024

    Spring has arrived, as evidenced at my property by these newly hatched Black Phoebes. The parents chose to build their nest on a ledge in one of my horse’s stalls. If you look closely, you’ll see a few strands of white horse tail and some blue hay bale

Read More

From the Board of Directors: April 2024

     We are excited to announce that the Yolo Audubon Society Board of Directors voted at the March board meeting to recommend to our members that the name of our chapter be changed to “Yolo Bird Alliance.” This action follows a year of discussions, both internally and with other local

Read More

From the President: March 2024

  The Yolo Bypass is flooded from overtopping by the Sacramento River at the Fremont Weir, which is what it was designed to do to keep the city of Sacramento from flooding.  At this point it’s anybody’s guess when things will dry out and the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area will

Read More

From the President: February 2024

  We’re finally getting some interesting weather as we come to the end of the waterfowl season.  Garrett Spaan, the General Manager of the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, says that the Wildlife Area has closed, and the youth hunt scheduled for this weekend has been canceled.  There’s a veterans’ hunt

Read More

Spring on its way…again!

Learning about eBird with Zane Pickus ©JoAnne Fillatti

  On Saturday, March 29, we had a very successful field trip at the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve.  Thanks in part to publicity from the Davis Enterprise, around 20 people attended to learn about using eBird to record bird sightings.  The trip was led by board members Zane Pickus and Emmett Iverson, and the group had a great morning as well as developing some new skills.
   A committee of YBA board members recently met with Garrett Spaan, the manager of the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area.  Garrett caught us up on many of the current projects.  The first, of course, is to get the Wildlife Area open again after weeks of being closed due to flooding.  On April 1, Garrett reported that the Wildlife Area is now open as far as the Hunter Check Station, and he’s optimistic that the rest will open during the first part of April.  The shorebird fields will be fallowed and flooded as usual this summer with the new rice lessees in charge.  A big change is that the fall flood-up for waterfowl will begin earlier this year, providing more available habitat for shorebirds too.  We also discussed plans for maintained hiking trails.  One will be near Parking Lot G, close to Putah Creek, and the other will wind between Parking Lots B and C with future plans for a look-out platform.  A trail map is almost ready. 
   Garrett emphasized that anyone who has questions about the Wildlife Area may call him directly at 530-681-7134.  For those who want more updates, Garrett is the speaker at Flyway Nights on April 10.  Click here to register.
   YBA is still looking for a few volunteers to help at our table at Duck Days on April 26.  Please email  us if you have a couple of hours available to help out.  It’s always a fun day, and YBA is one of the Duck Days sponsors.  Click here to read all about this terrific wetlands and wildlife festival. 
   It’s time to think about YBA board member elections.  Amazingly, nobody is leaving this year, and we have some great new candidates.  The proposed board member list will be sent out in a special mailing later this month, and all YBA members can vote on Zoom at our last meeting of the season in May.

–Genevieve Colborn and Ann Brice