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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241120T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241120T205000
DTSTAMP:20260611T081442
CREATED:20241026T233838Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241026T233838Z
UID:7242-1732129200-1732135800@yolobirdalliance.org
SUMMARY:California’s Wintering and Breeding Waterfowl
DESCRIPTION:  \n\n  \n\n\n\n\nPhoto Courtesy of Cliff Feldheim \n\n\n\n\nPROGRAM DESCRIPTION \n\n\n\nThe public is invited to join Yolo Bird Alliance for its monthly meeting on November 20\, 2024. Cliff Feldheim\, a Fish and Wildlife Biologist with Ducks Unlimited\, Inc.\, will talk about “California’s Wintering and Breeding Waterfowl” This event is free\, and you do not need to be a member of Yolo Bird Alliance. The meeting is held at the Davis Senior Center at 646 A Street in Davis. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. and runs until 8:50 p.m. People are welcome to arrive around 7:00 for casual socializing. \nWe are fortunate to have Cliff speak in November because the period between October and March is prime for viewing migrating waterfowl\, and other migratory birds in nearby wetland habitats\, such as the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area. The Central Valley of California is one of the most important wintering waterfowl areas in North America. California is unique among major North American wintering waterfowl areas in that it is also a particularly important breeding habitat for some species of ducks. From 2014-2021\, GPS cell tower transmitters were attached to 14 species of waterfowl to better understand their movements during winter\, migration\, and breeding. This talk will highlight the results of that work as well as ongoing conservation efforts and challenges facing California’s waterfowl populations. \nSPEAKER BIO \nCliff has worked as a Fish and Wildlife Biologist in the Central Valley for over 30 years. He is an award-winning\, nationally recognized waterfowl scientist. Cliff has published 17 papers on California’s wintering or breeding waterfowl in the last 7 years. Cliff works at Ducks Unlimited on waterfowl and wetland conservation projects including multi-benefit projects such as the creation of floodplain and off channel habitats that benefit salmon and waterfowl while incorporating the needs of other special status species. For ten years\, he served on the Management Board of the Central Valley Joint Venture\, a migratory bird conservation partnership. Cliff sits on the Board for Sacramento Audubon where he also serves as the Conservation Chair and on the Board of the Environmental Council of Sacramento where he also serves on the Habitat 2020 Committee. \nThe Yolo Bird Alliance fosters an appreciation of birds and other wildlife through educational programs and field trips\, brings conservation issues to public awareness\, and acts to preserve Yolo County bird life and habitat. To learn more about the Yolo Bird Alliance\, visit its web page at https://yolobirdalliance.org/. You can also visit the Yolo Bird Alliance on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/YoloBirdAlliance. If you would like to join visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/join-renew-donate/. To receive the monthly newsletter Burrowing Owl visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/yolo-birdalliance-newsletter/. \nDETAILS ON JOINING THE MEETING \nAttend the Meeting in Person (In-Person Only) \nRegistration is not necessary to attend the meeting at the Senior Center. \nDavis Senior Center646 A StreetDavis CA \n  \n 
URL:https://yolobirdalliance.org/event/californias-wintering-and-breeding-waterfowl/
CATEGORIES:Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241204T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241204T205000
DTSTAMP:20260611T081442
CREATED:20241120T193116Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241120T193116Z
UID:7321-1733338800-1733345400@yolobirdalliance.org
SUMMARY:2024 Putah Creek Christmas Bird Count – ID Workshop
DESCRIPTION:  \n\n  \n\n\n\n\nSavannah Sparrow ©Kelli O’Neill \n\n\n\n\nPROGRAM DESCRIPTION \n\n\n\nThe public is invited to join Yolo Bird Alliance and its members for the monthly general meeting on December 4\, 2024\, for the annual Putah Creek Christmas Bird Count (PCCBC) Bird ID Workshop\, with Compiler Bart Wickel and Area Leader Zane Pickus. This event is free\, and you do not need to be a member of Yolo Bird Alliance. The meeting is held at the Davis Senior Center at 646 A Street in Davis. The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. and runs until 8:50 p.m. \nThe PCCBC is scheduled for Sunday\, December 15th\, and marks the 54th year for this local Count. \nThe workshop consists of a primer on bird identification and an introduction to logging birds using eBird as well as a discussion of recent count trends\, including a review of climate change and forest fire impacts on the count circle. \nThe 15-mile diameter count circle centers on Putah Creek and is divided into ten different areas\, each with its own plan regarding coverage\, teams\, start time\, and method of travel (car\, foot\, hiking\, bike\, etc.). Up-to-date information about the count and contact information for the Area Leaders is https://yolobirdalliance.org/christmas-bird-count/ on the Yolo Bird Alliance website. \nSPEAKER BIO \nBart Wickel\, a member of the Yolo Bird Alliance’s Board of Directors\, has been birding Yolo County for almost 11 years now. He is the compiler for the Putah Creek Christmas Bird Count. \nZane Pickus\, a member of the Yolo Bird Alliance’s Board of Directors\, is an undergraduate at UC Davis studying Wildlife\, Fish\, and Conservation Biology. Zane has been interested in birds his entire life\, and as he has gotten older\, that interest has morphed into a passion. He values the opportunity to teach others through field trips and presentations\, appreciating the sense of community found in sharing birds with others. Zane is an officer of the Birdwatching Club at UC Davis\, and also a regional reviewer for eBird in Yolo County. \nThe Yolo Bird Alliance fosters an appreciation of birds and other wildlife through educational programs and field trips\, brings conservation issues to public awareness\, and acts to preserve Yolo County bird life and habitat. To learn more about the Yolo Bird Alliance\, visit its web page at https://yolobirdalliance.org/. You can also visit the Yolo Bird Alliance on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/YoloBirdAlliance. If you would like to join visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/join-renew-donate/. To receive the monthly newsletter Burrowing Owl visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/yolo-birdalliance-newsletter/. \nDETAILS ON JOINING THE MEETING \nAttend the Meeting in Person (In-Person Only) \nRegistration is not necessary to attend the meeting at the Senior Center. \nDavis Senior Center646 A StreetDavis CA \n  \n 
URL:https://yolobirdalliance.org/event/2024-putah-creek-christmas-bird-count-id-workshop/
CATEGORIES:Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241215T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241215T210000
DTSTAMP:20260611T081442
CREATED:20241126T193122Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241126T193122Z
UID:7330-1734282000-1734296400@yolobirdalliance.org
SUMMARY:2024 Putah Creek Christmas Bird Count – Summary and Potluck
DESCRIPTION:  \n\n  \n\n\n\n\nAnna’s Hummingbird ©Kelli O’Neill \n\n\n\n\nPROGRAM DESCRIPTION \n\n\n\nThe traditional Putah Creek Christmas Bird Count (PCCBC) Summary & Potluck will be held at the Davis Senior Center\, 646 A Street\, Davis\, CA 95616. The doors will open at 5:00 pm for early finishers and for food set-up. Whether you were able to join the count or not\, we invite to join us to socialize and share the highlights of the day. Please bring a dish to share and whatever you would like to drink. \nPCCBC Compiler Bart Wickel and the Area Leaders will compile the field data at a later date. \nThis event is free\, and you do not need to be a member of Yolo Bird Alliance to attend. \nSPEAKER BIO \nBart Wickel\, member of the Yolo Bird Alliance’s Board of Directors\, has been birding Yolo County for almost 11 years now. He is the Compiler for Yolo Bird Alliance’s Putah Creek Christmas Bird Count. \nThe Yolo Bird Alliance fosters an appreciation of birds and other wildlife through educational programs and field trips\, brings conservation issues to public awareness\, and acts to preserve Yolo County bird life and habitat. To learn more about the Yolo Bird Alliance\, visit its web page at https://yolobirdalliance.org/. You can also visit the Yolo Bird Alliance on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/YoloBirdAlliance. If you would like to join visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/join-renew-donate/. To receive the monthly newsletter Burrowing Owl visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/yolo-birdalliance-newsletter/. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://yolobirdalliance.org/event/2024-putah-creek-christmas-bird-count-summary-and-potluck/
CATEGORIES:Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250115T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250115T203000
DTSTAMP:20260611T081442
CREATED:20241226T224823Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241226T224823Z
UID:7402-1736965800-1736973000@yolobirdalliance.org
SUMMARY:Speaker Presentations - Project Phoebe and The Evolution of the Flamingo's Smile
DESCRIPTION:PROGRAM DESCRIPTION \nThe public is invited to join the Yolo Bird Alliance at its January 15 virtual program meeting featuring “Phoebes & Flamingos”. The program is via Zoom and runs from 6:30 to 8:30 pm on January 15. Participants must register with Zoom\, at no cost\, in advance for this meeting. This meeting will feature two speakers\, Finn Velisaris & Christopher Torres\, PhD and will start at 6:30 pm. \nBlack Phoebes ©Kelli O’Neill \nProject Phoebe: How Do Songbird Nest Predator Communities and Predation Rates Change Across an Urban Gradient? \nAt 6:30 pm\, recent UC Davis grad and Yolo Bird Alliance Small Grant recipient\, Finn Velisaris\, will speak about his independent project\, “How do Songbird Nest Predator Communities and Predation Rates Change Across an Urban Gradient?” This project was conducted within the larger effort\, Project Phoebe\, a research effort led by three graduate students in the Patricelli and Hahn labs at UC Davis. Finn will first introduce you to Project Phoebe and its main goals before getting into the meat of his talk\, his independent project conducted during his time with Project Phoebe. Finn’s project focused on predators of the Black Phoebe’s eggs and nestlings\, and how their community composition and the rate at which they predate Phoebe nests might be affected by the level of urbanization. Above all\, Finn hopes to present on the unique challenges that the Black Phoebe faces as an urban-living species\, as well as foster an appreciation for these tactful Tyrannids (flycatchers). \nSPEAKER BIO: \nFinn Velisaris is a recent graduate of UC Davis with a degree in Wildlife\, Fish\, and Conservation Biology. Throughout his academic career\, Finn contributed to a variety of research projects\, including work in the Patricelli and Hahn Labs on extra-pair copulation in white-crowned sparrows and effects of urbanization on the Black Phoebe\, and work in the Furrow Lab on using nocturnal flight calls to track migration As an avid birder with a passion for songbird ecology\, his current research investigates how predation rates and songbird communities shift across the urban gradient. \n\n\n\nThe Evolution of the Flamingo’s Smile \nFlamingo ©Christopher Torres \nAt 7:00 pm\, Christopher Torres\, PhD\, Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Biological Sciences at the University of the Pacific\, will talk about “The Evolution of the Flamingo’s Smile”. Flamingos are among the most iconic birds on the planet – with their ostentatious coloration and perpetually inverted smile\, it’s easy to understand why they are featured in zoos (and front yards) the world over. Flamingos are also among the world’s most highly specialized birds\, employing an approach to filter-feeding utterly unlike anything else. As such\, flamingos provide an ideal model system for studying what drives the evolution of beak shape\, what drives birds to become increasingly specialized at the ever-increasing risk of extinction\, and how those shifts in ecology and morphology correspond to shifts in Earth history. But flamingo evolutionary history remains shrouded in mystery\, being marked by enigmatic origins\, cryptic fossils\, and repeated brushes with extinction. In this talk\, Chris will share current understanding of that history\, and will tell several tales about how he and his colleagues are seeking to dispel many of those mysteries\, including: How\, after two centuries of study\, it was only relatively recently discovered that grebes are the closest living relatives of flamingos. How the understanding of what came before flamingos and grebes remains poor\, despite the existence of a nearly complete fossil documenting that exact moment in evolutionary time. How a lineage of bizarre\, prehistoric ‘straight-beaked flamingos’ managed to achieve a near-global distribution… and then vanished from the fossil record. How the ancestors of modern\, ‘curved-beaked flamingos’ nearly met the same fate… before spreading back out across the globe. How California – along with the rest of North America’s West Coast – was covered in flamingos as recently as a few tens of thousands of years ago. How baby flamingos undergo one of the most unique post-hatching changes in beak morphology known among birds. And how watching those baby flamingos grow up might provide insights to the earliest stages of flamingo evolution. \nSPEAKER BIO \nChristopher Torres is a bird paleontologist whose research focuses on questions about the evolution of the skull and brain\, the evolution of bird ecology\, and what influences extinction. His projects involve studying various groups of birds (like flamingos\, ratites and relatives\, rails\, and early prehistoric birds) from various slices of time in Earth’s history. \nThis event is free\, and you do not need to be a member of Yolo Bird Alliance. To learn more about the Yolo Bird Alliance\, visit its web page at https://yolobirdalliance.org/. You can also visit the Yolo Bird Alliance on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/YoloBirdAlliance. If you would like to join and receive the monthly newsletter\, visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/join-renew-donate/. \nDETAILS ON JOINING THIS ZOOM MEETING \nYou must register (no cost) – https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYpdeCsrTkjH9bkfq3z02FNdOiORZ_58sPA – in advance for this meeting. An account with Zoom is NOT necessary to join a meeting. Zoom limits the number of participants to 100. After registering\, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Registrants will receive email updates about this online event\, as well as periodic email updates about Yolo Bird Alliance’s conservation work and how you can help birds. (You can unsubscribe at any time.) \nPlease note:  Participants must have the Zoom desktop client downloaded on their computer or on their Apple or Android mobile phone or tablet to access the meeting. \nVisit https://bit.ly/3hNyP8h  to learn how to join a Zoom meeting. You may email Yolo Bird Alliance Program Chair Ken Ealy before the meeting if you need assistance. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://yolobirdalliance.org/event/speaker-presentations-project-phoebe-and-the-evolution-of-the-flamingos-smile/
CATEGORIES:Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250219T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250219T203000
DTSTAMP:20260611T081442
CREATED:20250130T223900Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250131T165823Z
UID:7478-1739991600-1739997000@yolobirdalliance.org
SUMMARY:Speaker Presentation - American Kestrel Nest Box Initiative- Napa\, Solano\, and Yolo Counties
DESCRIPTION:PROGRAM DESCRIPTION \nAmerican Kestrel ©Ryan Bourbour \nAmerican Kestrels are declining across much of their North American range\, yet scientists are struggling to understand why. Join the Yolo Bird Alliance (YBA) for an informative presentation about local American Kestrel populations\, by Dr. Breanna Martinico\, PhD student Mary Badger. (In January 2024\, the YBA’s program featured a different local initiative led by John McNerney and Kevin Hunting. Tonight’s program gives us insights on local collaborative efforts to advance American Kestrel conservation.) To increase our understanding of local American Kestrel populations\, Dr. Martinico and Ms. Badger\, along with multiple partners\, launched the American Kestrel Nest Box Initiative. In 2023\, they engaged landowners and agricultural producers to install American Kestrel nest boxes on their properties\, and in 2024\, began monitoring 132 new and existing nest boxes in Napa\, Solano\, and Yolo counties. They hope to gather data to understand nest site selection\, habitat use\, and their interactions on farms as pest control agents to guide further nest box installations in the region. In 2025 they are expanding their research to address questions regarding climate change\, diet\, dispersal\, and toxicology. American Kestrels are an important natural resource and together we can contribute to their conservation. \nSPEAKER BIO \nDr. Breanna Martinico is a wildlife biologist and ecologist\, specializing in ornithology\, and received her Master’s in Avian Sciences and PhD in Ecology from UC Davis. She works with University of California Agriculture and Natural resources as a Human-Wildlife Interactions Cooperative Extension Advisor. Her research focuses on the impacts of beneficial and pest birds in agricultural settings\, and how agroecosystems provide critical wildlife habitat for many species. In her program she aims to provide practical management tools to maximize ecosystem services from birds while promoting practices that help conserve bird populations. She is compelled by the co-existence and mutual benefits of humans and wildlife in agroecosystems and is committed to working to find solutions that benefit both people and wildlife. \nMary Badger is a PhD student in the Graduate Group in Ecology at UC Davis. Her research explores how climate change and human land use affect the ecology of native raptors across different stages of their annual life cycle. Mary investigates how environmental factors\, such as landscape composition and climate\, influence raptor behavior and resource use. Through her work\, she aims to highlight the vital ecosystem services provided by raptors\, such as pest control\, and contribute to conservation efforts for these important predators. Using tools like environmental DNA metabarcoding and GPS tracking\, Mary uncovers hidden species interactions and movement patterns\, providing novel insights into raptor ecology. Passionate about serving local communities\, she emphasizes the importance of community engagement with growers\, conservation groups\, and student volunteers. Mary believes in the power of collective action to protect wildlife and promote sustainable land-use practices that benefit both ecosystems and people. \nThe Yolo Bird Alliance fosters an appreciation of birds and other wildlife through educational programs and field trips\, brings conservation issues to public awareness\, and acts to preserve Yolo County bird life and habitat. To learn more about the Yolo Bird Alliance\, visit its web page at https://yolobirdalliance.org/. You can also visit the Yolo Bird Alliance on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/YoloBirdAlliance. If you would like to join and receive the monthly newsletter\, visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/join-renew-donate/. \nDETAILS ON JOINING THIS ZOOM MEETING \nYou must register (no cost) in advance for this meeting. An account with Zoom is NOT necessary to join a meeting. Zoom limits the number of participants to 100. After registering\, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Registrants will receive email updates about this online event\, as well as periodic email updates about Yolo Bird Alliance’s conservation work and how you can help birds. (You can unsubscribe at any time.) \nPlease note: Participants may join the meeting from the Zoom desktop client downloaded on their computer or on their Apple or Android mobile phone or tablet to access the meeting. Participants may also join from a browser (Visit https://bit.ly/3hNyP8h  to learn how to join a Zoom meeting). \nYou may email Yolo Bird Alliance Program Chair Ken Ealy before the meeting if you need assistance. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://yolobirdalliance.org/event/speaker-presentation-american-kestrel-nest-box-initiative-napa-solano-and-yolo-counties/
CATEGORIES:Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250319T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250319T203000
DTSTAMP:20260611T081442
CREATED:20250225T150007Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250225T150007Z
UID:7534-1742410800-1742416200@yolobirdalliance.org
SUMMARY:Speaker Presentation - The Putah Creek Nestbox Highway: 25 years and 18\,000 Fledglings
DESCRIPTION:PROGRAM DESCRIPTION \nWestern Bluebird ©Evelien DeGreef \nJoin the Yolo Bird Alliance to learn about the history and evolution of the Putah Creek Nestbox Highway\, which is the largest nestbox highway west of the Rockies. This program will be presented via Zoom. \nSince 2000\, the project has aimed to restore Western Bluebirds\, banding ~700 songbirds of six species annually and training 40 interns. It creates nesting habitats\, studies songbird life history\, combats invasive species\, and offers internships and education. The presentation will cover resighting efforts\, dispersal data\, nestbox conflicts\, and species-specific life histories\, including nest-site preferences and reproductive success. \nThis event is free\, and you do not need to be a member of Yolo Bird Alliance.  \nSPEAKER BIO \nAmanda Kindel is a research biologist at the UC Davis Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology (MWFB). She received her Bachelor of Science degree from UC Davis in 2021 and has been affiliated with MWFB since 2023. Her responsibilities encompass multiple projects\, including coordinating the terrestrial biomonitoring program on Putah Creek and managing the Putah Creek Nestbox Highway. Additionally\, she conducts avian and herpetological surveys within the California Delta\, analyzes bat acoustic data from local ecosystems\, and contributes to specimen curation and preparation at the museum. \nMaggie Bourda is the Putah Creek Biologist at UC Davis Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology. She earned her B.S. in Wildlife\, Fish\, and Conservation Biology from UC Davis in 2024 and has been with MWFB since. Maggie manages the Putah Creek Nestbox Highway\, supervises interns\, and bands nestlings. Outside nesting season\, she works on data analysis\, terrestrial biomonitoring along Putah Creek and in the California Delta\, and writes manuscripts and reports for the nestbox project. \nThe Yolo Bird Alliance fosters an appreciation of birds and other wildlife through educational programs and field trips\, brings conservation issues to public awareness\, and acts to preserve Yolo County bird life and habitat. To learn more about the Yolo Bird Alliance\, visit its web page at https://yolobirdalliance.org/. You can also visit the Yolo Bird Alliance on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/YoloBirdAlliance. If you would like to join and receive the monthly newsletter\, visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/join-renew-donate/. \nDETAILS ON JOINING THIS ZOOM MEETING \nYou must register (no cost) in advance for this meeting. An account with Zoom is NOT necessary to join a meeting. Zoom limits the number of participants to 100. After registering\, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Registrants will receive email updates about this online event\, as well as periodic email updates about Yolo Bird Alliance’s conservation work and how you can help birds. (You can unsubscribe at any time.) \nPlease note: Participants may join the meeting from the Zoom desktop client downloaded on their computer or on their Apple or Android mobile phone or tablet to access the meeting. Participants may also join from a browser (Visit https://bit.ly/3hNyP8h  to learn how to join a Zoom meeting). \nYou may email Yolo Bird Alliance Program Chair Ken Ealy before the meeting if you need assistance. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://yolobirdalliance.org/event/speaker-presentation-the-putah-creek-nestbox-highway-25-years-and-18000-fledglings/
CATEGORIES:Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250416T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250416T203000
DTSTAMP:20260611T081442
CREATED:20250402T210923Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250402T210923Z
UID:7624-1744830000-1744835400@yolobirdalliance.org
SUMMARY:Speaker Presentation - Audubon California’s Conservation Work at Kern River Preserve since 1997
DESCRIPTION:PROGRAM DESCRIPTION \nReed Tollefson ©Kathy Dwyer \nThe public is invited to join the Yolo Bird Alliance at its monthly virtual program meeting on April 16th\, from 7:00 – 8:30 P.M.\, featuring Reed Tollefson\, Manager\, Kern River Preserve\, who will tell us about the work of Audubon California’s Kern River Preserve. This meeting will occur via Zoom\, and details on how to participate are below. \nAudubon accepted the ownership and stewardship responsibilities for the 1\,115-acre Kern River Preserve in 1997. Since that time Audubon’s ownership has increased threefold to over 3\,300 acres. More importantly we have worked with state and federal agencies\, non-profits\, private foundations\, Native American groups and chapters to help bring over 56\,282 acres of land in our region into permanent protection. Over 400 acres of our Kern River Preserve have been revegetated with native plants providing improved habitat for many local species of bird and wildlife. \n This event is free\, and you do not need to be a member of Yolo Bird Alliance.  \nSPEAKER BIO \nReed started at Kern River Preserve in 1987 as a seasonal Restoration Ecologist and worked up to the position of Preserve Manager for The Nature Conservancy. In 1997 he transferred with the Preserve to the National Audubon Society. Since that time\, he has worked to triple the size of the Preserve from 1\,100 to 3\,330 acres and raised 4.5 million dollars to establish dedicated management endowments. He works with private\, public and tribal partnerships to support the protection of over 56\,000 acres of land in Kern County with an emphasis on the South Fork Kern River Watershed and Transverse Range Wildlife Corridor. Reed has a B.S. in wildlife management from Arizona State University. \nThe Yolo Bird Alliance fosters an appreciation of birds and other wildlife through educational programs and field trips\, brings conservation issues to public awareness\, and acts to preserve Yolo County bird life and habitat. To learn more about the Yolo Bird Alliance\, visit its web page at https://yolobirdalliance.org/. You can also visit the Yolo Bird Alliance on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/YoloBirdAlliance. If you would like to join and receive the monthly newsletter\, visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/join-renew-donate/. \nDETAILS ON JOINING THIS ZOOM MEETING \nYou must register (no cost) in advance for this meeting. An account with Zoom is NOT necessary to join a meeting. Zoom limits the number of participants to 100. After registering\, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Registrants will receive email updates about this online event\, as well as periodic email updates about Yolo Bird Alliance’s conservation work and how you can help birds. (You can unsubscribe at any time.) \nPlease note: Participants may join the meeting from the Zoom desktop client downloaded on their computer or on their Apple or Android mobile phone or tablet to access the meeting. Participants may also join from a browser (Visit https://bit.ly/3hNyP8h  to learn how to join a Zoom meeting). \nYou may email Yolo Bird Alliance Program Chair Ken Ealy before the meeting if you need assistance. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://yolobirdalliance.org/event/speaker-presentation-audubon-californias-conservation-work-at-kern-river-preserve-since-1997/
CATEGORIES:Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250521T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250521T203000
DTSTAMP:20260611T081442
CREATED:20250421T153435Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250421T153655Z
UID:7663-1747854000-1747859400@yolobirdalliance.org
SUMMARY:Speaker Presentation - Birding in the Mountain Kingdom of Bhutan
DESCRIPTION:PROGRAM DESCRIPTION \nLong-tailed Minivet ©John Sterling \nJoin Yolo Bird Alliance on a virtual journey to Bhutan with John Sterling\, ornithologist and tour leader\, to learn about its culture and birds This program will be presented via Zoom. \nJohn will present the majestic Himalayan kingdom with its culture and wildlife that will enchant you. Springtime birding in Bhutan is excellent with many gorgeous and exotic species amongst the backdrop of the Himalayan rhododendron and other montane and subtropical forests. John will illustrate his talk with photos of many of these birds along with other wildlife and scenes of the intact culture of this Buddhist kingdom. \n This event is free\, and you do not need to be a member of Yolo Bird Alliance.  \nSPEAKER BIO \nJohn began his journey as a birder when he spotted a Pileated Woodpecker in Napa County during a fifth-grade environmental education camp. He pursued wildlife science at Humboldt State University and commenced his ornithological career in 1981. Since then\, he has traveled to over 50 countries in pursuit of bird species\, often serving as a researcher or tour leader. John extensively observes birds across all 58 counties of California and has developed a growing interest in iNaturalist\, aiming to document a diverse array of life forms. His website can be visited at www.sterlingbirds.com. \nThe Yolo Bird Alliance fosters an appreciation of birds and other wildlife through educational programs and field trips\, brings conservation issues to public awareness\, and acts to preserve Yolo County bird life and habitat. To learn more about the Yolo Bird Alliance\, visit its web page at https://yolobirdalliance.org/. You can also visit the Yolo Bird Alliance on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/YoloBirdAlliance. If you would like to join and receive the monthly newsletter\, visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/join-renew-donate/. \nDETAILS ON JOINING THIS ZOOM MEETING \nYou must register (no cost) in advance for this meeting. An account with Zoom is NOT necessary to join a meeting. After registering\, you will receive a confirmation email containing information\, specific to the registrant\, about joining the meeting. Registrants will receive email updates about this online event\, as well as periodic email updates about Yolo Bird Alliance’s conservation work and how you can help birds. (You can unsubscribe at any time.) \n Please note: Participants may join the meeting from the Zoom desktop client downloaded on their computer or on their Apple or Android mobile phone or tablet to access the meeting. Participants may also join from a browser (Visit https://bit.ly/3hNyP8h  to learn how to join a Zoom meeting). \nYou may email Yolo Bird Alliance Program Chair Ken Ealy before the meeting if you need assistance. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://yolobirdalliance.org/event/speaker-presentation-birding-in-the-mountain-kingdom-of-bhutan/
CATEGORIES:Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250917T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250917T205000
DTSTAMP:20260611T081442
CREATED:20250903T031805Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250903T031805Z
UID:7759-1758135600-1758142200@yolobirdalliance.org
SUMMARY:Speaker Presentation - Feathered Palettes: The Science of Bird Colors
DESCRIPTION:PROGRAM DESCRIPTION \nWhite vent of a Blackpoll Warbler ©Jenna McCullough \nHave you ever wondered how birds produce their dazzling hues? September’s Yolo Bird Alliance program features Dr. Jenna McCullough\, who will take us behind the science of feather coloration—from the pigments that turn Northern Flicker feathers red or yellow to the surprising mechanisms birds use to create pure white plumage. Expect an evening that blends birdwatching wonder with cutting-edge\, museum-based science. \nThe public is invited to join the Yolo Bird Alliance and its members for the monthly general meeting on September 17\, 2025. The featured speaker is Dr. Jenna McCullough. Her topic is Feathered Palettes: The Science of Bird Colors. She will present via Zoom\, and attendees can be on Zoom or in-person at the Davis Senior Center at 646 A Street in Davis. The meeting is free\, and the presentation begins at 7:00 p.m. & the meeting ends 8:50 p.m. People attending in-person are welcome to mingle following the conclusion of the Q&A portion\, until 8:50. \nSPEAKER BIO \nDr. McCullough grew up in Boise\, Idaho\, and earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Biology\, and in Wildlife Resources at the University of Idaho. She went on to complete her MSc and PhD at the University of New Mexico\, where she studied kingfisher evolution. She recently moved to Los Angeles to begin a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County where she will be studying how birds produce white colors. \nThe Yolo Bird Alliance fosters an appreciation of birds and other wildlife through educational programs and field trips\, brings conservation issues to public awareness\, and acts to preserve Yolo County bird life and habitat. To learn more about the Yolo Bird Alliance\, visit its web page at https://yolobirdalliance.org/. You can also visit the Yolo Bird Alliance on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/YoloBirdAlliance. If you would like to join and receive the monthly newsletter\, visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/join-renew-donate/. \nYou can attend the meeting in person at: Davis Senior Center\, 646 A Street\, Davis CA \nOr\, Register to Attend the Meeting online via Zoom. \nClick here for the Zoom registration link\, or you can copy & paste this link in your browser – https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/8ok7YgSRTEO25HVmwuAWMQ \n Please note: Participants may join the meeting from the Zoom desktop client downloaded on their computer or on their Apple or Android mobile phone or tablet to access the meeting. Participants may also join from a browser (Visit https://bit.ly/3hNyP8h  to learn how to join a Zoom meeting). \nYou may email Yolo Bird Alliance Program Chair Ken Ealy before the meeting if you need assistance. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://yolobirdalliance.org/event/speaker-presentation-feathered-palettes-the-science-of-bird-colors/
CATEGORIES:Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251015T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251015T205000
DTSTAMP:20260611T081442
CREATED:20251002T202615Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251002T202615Z
UID:7803-1760554800-1760561400@yolobirdalliance.org
SUMMARY:Speaker Presentation - The Best Bird Sounds You’ve Never Heard
DESCRIPTION:                                                                                                           PROGRAM DESCRIPTION \nNathan Pieplow ©Will Anderson \nThis presentation will delve into the surprising world of bird sounds that are hidden\, underappreciated\, and sometimes flat-out denied to exist. You’ll discover the concealed complexity inside a so-called “chirp”; hear the surprising sound of a vulture’s flight display; and learn about many common birds whose song you may have missed\, including singing ducks\, hooting sandpipers\, and clapping owls. Your guide will be Nathan Pieplow\, the author of the Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds\, who will unravel the mysteries of some of the rarest and most startling sounds in his collection after two decades of nature sound recording. \nThe public is invited to join Yolo Bird Alliance and its members for the monthly general meeting on October 15\, 2025. The featured speaker is Nathan Pieplow\, and his topic is “The Best Bird Sounds You’ve Never Heard”. Nathan will present via Zoom\, and attendees can be on Zoom or in-person at the Davis Senior Center at 646 A Street in Davis. The meeting is free\, and the presentation begins at 7:00 p.m. & the meeting ends 8:50 p.m. People attending in-person are welcome to mingle following the conclusion of the Q&A portion\, until 8:50. \nSPEAKER BIO \nNathan Pieplow is the author of the Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds\, published in two volumes\, one for Eastern and one for Western North America. An avid bird sound recordist\, he is the author of the bird sound blog Earbirding.com\, a board member of the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies\, an author of the Colorado Birding Trail\, and former editor of the journal Colorado Birds. He teaches writing and rhetoric at the University of Colorado in Boulder. \nThe Yolo Bird Alliance fosters an appreciation of birds and other wildlife through educational programs and field trips\, brings conservation issues to public awareness\, and acts to preserve Yolo County bird life and habitat. To learn more about the Yolo Bird Alliance\, visit its web page at https://yolobirdalliance.org/. You can also visit the Yolo Bird Alliance on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/YoloBirdAlliance. If you would like to join and receive the monthly newsletter\, visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/join-renew-donate/. \nYou can attend the meeting in person at: Davis Senior Center\, 646 A Street\, Davis CA \nOr\, Register to Attend the Meeting online via Zoom. \nClick here for the Zoom registration link\, or you can copy & paste this link in your browser – https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/fbG05J3pRpKTlsLwrMUApA \nPlease note: Participants may join the meeting from the Zoom desktop client downloaded on their computer or on their Apple or Android mobile phone or tablet to access the meeting. Participants may also join from a browser (Visit https://bit.ly/3hNyP8h  to learn how to join a Zoom meeting). \nYou may email Yolo Bird Alliance Program Chair Ken Ealy before the meeting if you need assistance. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://yolobirdalliance.org/event/speaker-presentation-the-best-bird-sounds-youve-never-heard/
CATEGORIES:Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251119T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251119T205000
DTSTAMP:20260611T081442
CREATED:20251103T020726Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251103T140234Z
UID:7897-1763578800-1763585400@yolobirdalliance.org
SUMMARY:Speaker Presentation - Birds Through the End - Cretaceous Mass Extinction
DESCRIPTION:PROGRAM DESCRIPTION \nThe 69-million-year-old Vegavis lived in a rich Antarctic ecosystem. © Mark Witton\, 2025 \nThe Yolo Bird Alliance presents “Birds Through the End – Cretaceous Mass Extinction”. 66 million years ago\, an asteroid hit Earth and killed more than 75% of all life on the planet. That turned out to be a really good day for birds\, who went on to become the world’s most diverse group of terrestrial vertebrates. In this talk\, Christopher Torres\, PhD will explore some surprising new stories that some incredibly old birds are telling us about why birds alone among known dinosaurs survived that mass extinction event\, why the earliest divergence among living birds is marked by a 100-fold difference in species diversity\, and how we might predict which species are most likely to be “extinction-proof” in the future. \nThe public is invited to join Yolo Bird Alliance and its members for the monthly general meeting on November 19\, 2025\, at the Davis Senior Center at 646 A Street in Davis. The meeting is free\, and the presentation begins at 7:00 p.m. and the meeting ends 8:50 p.m. People attending in-person are welcome to mingle following the conclusion of the Q&A portion. The meeting will also be on Zoom\, see below to register to attend online.  \nSPEAKER BIO \nChris Torres is an avian paleontologist and evolutionary morphologist. His research focuses on questions about extinction and survivorship dynamics\, the evolution of beak function\, and the evolution of “loss” (like the loss of flight\, the loss of sensory systems\, or the loss of niche space). Bird groups he works on include early pre-modern birds\, the so-called ratites (and their flying relatives)\, rails\, and flamingos (his favorites). He is an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of the Pacific. \nThe Yolo Bird Alliance fosters an appreciation of birds and other wildlife through educational programs and field trips\, brings conservation issues to public awareness\, and acts to preserve Yolo County bird life and habitat. To learn more about the Yolo Bird Alliance\, visit its web page at https://yolobirdalliance.org/. You can also visit the Yolo Bird Alliance on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/YoloBirdAlliance. If you would like to join and receive the monthly newsletter\, visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/join-renew-donate/. \nYou can attend the meeting in person at: Davis Senior Center\, 646 A Street\, Davis CA \nOr\, Register to Attend the Meeting online via Zoom. \nClick here for the Zoom registration link\, or you can copy & paste this link in your browser – https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/lvelMjFBQXmzjVfETcWxug \nPlease note: Participants may join the meeting from the Zoom desktop client downloaded on their computer or on their Apple or Android mobile phone or tablet to access the meeting. Participants may also join from a browser (Visit https://bit.ly/3hNyP8h  to learn how to join a Zoom meeting). \nYou may email Yolo Bird Alliance Program Chair Ken Ealy before the meeting if you need assistance. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://yolobirdalliance.org/event/speaker-presentation-birds-through-the-end-cretaceous-mass-extinction/
CATEGORIES:Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251210T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251210T205000
DTSTAMP:20260611T081442
CREATED:20251106T162109Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251130T010430Z
UID:7947-1765393200-1765399800@yolobirdalliance.org
SUMMARY:Speaker Presentation - 2025 Putah Creek Christmas Bird Count – ID Workshop
DESCRIPTION:  \n\n\n\n\n\nPROGRAM DESCRIPTION \n \nThe annual Putah Creek Christmas Bird Count (PCCBC) is scheduled for Sunday\, December 21st\, and marks the 55th year for this local count. In preparation for the Count\, Yolo Bird Alliance (YBA) will hold the annual Bird ID Workshop\, with Compiler Bart Wickel and Area Leader Zane Pickus on December 10th\, 2025. This workshop consists of a primer on bird identification and an introduction to logging birds using eBird as well as a discussion of recent count trends\, including a review of climate change and forest fire impacts on the count circle. \nPlease join us for the annual Bird ID Workshop. This public is invited\, and the event is free.  You do not need to be a member of YBA to participate. The meeting will be held at the Davis Senior Center\, 646 A St\, Davis\, CA 95616. The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. and runs until 8:50 p.m. The meeting will also be on Zoom. You can register to attend online below. \nThe PCCBC occurs in a 15-mile diameter count circle centering on Putah Creek and is divided into ten different areas\, each with its own plan regarding coverage\, teams\, start time\, and method of travel (car\, foot\, hiking\, bike\, etc.). For up-to-date information about the count\, and contact information for the Area Leaders\, visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/christmas-bird-count/ on the YBA website. \nSPEAKER BIO \nBart Wickel\, PhD is an environmental scientist and member of the Yolo Bird Alliance’s Board of Directors\, has been birding Yolo County for almost 11 years now. He is the compiler for the Putah Creek Christmas Bird Count. \nZane Pickus\, a member of the Yolo Bird Alliance’s Board of Directors\, is an undergraduate at UC Davis studying Wildlife\, Fish\, and Conservation Biology. Zane has been interested in birds his entire life\, and as he has gotten older\, that interest has morphed into a passion. He values the opportunity to teach others through field trips and presentations\, appreciating the sense of community found in sharing birds with others. Zane is an officer of the Birdwatching Club at UC Davis and a regional reviewer for eBird in Yolo County. \nThe Yolo Bird Alliance fosters an appreciation of birds and other wildlife through educational programs and field trips\, brings conservation issues to public awareness\, and acts to preserve Yolo County bird life and habitat. To learn more about the Yolo Bird Alliance\, visit its web page at https://yolobirdalliance.org/. You can also visit the Yolo Bird Alliance on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/YoloBirdAlliance. If you would like to join and receive the monthly newsletter\, visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/join-renew-donate/. \nThe meeting will be held in person at the Davis Senior Center\, 646 A St\, Davis\, CA 95616. \nOr\, Register to Attend the Meeting online via Zoom. \nClick here for the Zoom registration link\, or you can copy & paste this link in your browser – https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Y103RYBIStqn1P3DitDJCw \nPlease note: Participants may join the meeting from the Zoom desktop client downloaded on their computer or on their Apple or Android mobile phone or tablet to access the meeting. Participants may also join from a browser (Visit https://bit.ly/3hNyP8h  to learn how to join a Zoom meeting). \nYou may email Yolo Bird Alliance Program Chair Ken Ealy before the meeting if you need assistance. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://yolobirdalliance.org/event/speaker-presentation-2025-putah-creek-christmas-bird-count-id-workshop/
CATEGORIES:Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260121T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260121T205000
DTSTAMP:20260611T081442
CREATED:20260105T212447Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260105T212447Z
UID:8102-1769022000-1769028600@yolobirdalliance.org
SUMMARY:Speaker Presentation - Cats as Pets\, Predators\, and Prey: What do we know about their hunting\, and relationship to birds
DESCRIPTION:PROGRAM DESCRIPTION \nCalifornia Scrub-Jay and friend ©Kelli O’Neill \nCats have been shown to be one of the most destructive predators of birds on the planet. But their importance as companion animals to people brings up interesting challenges to conservation measures and management strategies for owned and unowned cats. In this talk\, Hee Jin will give a summary of the scientific literature on cats and their impact on wildlife\, and tackle some of these challenges and questions as we look to creating sustainable solutions. \nHee Jin will present in-person at the Davis Senior Center at 646 A Street in Davis. Additionally\, this meeting will be on Zoom; instructions for joining via Zoom\, follow. The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. and ends at 8:50 p.m. People attending in-person are welcome to mingle following the conclusion of the Q&A portion\, until 8:50. \nSPEAKER BIO \nHee Jin is a PhD candidate in the Animal Behavior Graduate Group\, co-advised by Dr. Andy Sih and Dr. Carly Moody at UC Davis. She is interested in human-cat-wildlife interactions\, and how people’s decisions\, and specifically cat owners’ decisions can impact the relationships between cats and wildlife. Hee Jin aims to support and create sustainable\, nuanced solutions to cat predation of wildlife that incorporate perspectives of multiple stakeholders. \nThis event is free\, and you do not need to be a member of Yolo Bird Alliance. But if you would like to join\, visit https://yoloaudubon.org/join-renew-donate/. \nThe Yolo Bird Alliance fosters an appreciation of birds and other wildlife through educational programs and field trips\, brings conservation issues to public awareness\, and acts to preserve Yolo County bird life and habitat. To learn more about the Yolo Bird Alliance\, visit its web page at https://yolobirdalliance.org/. You can also visit the Yolo Bird Alliance on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/YoloBirdAlliance. If you would like to join and receive the monthly newsletter\, visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/join-renew-donate/. \nThe meeting will be held in person at the Davis Senior Center\, 646 A St\, Davis\, CA 95616. \nOr\, Register to Attend the Meeting online via Zoom. \nClick here for the Zoom registration link\, or you can copy & paste this link in your browser – https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/q5i9Wmw7RoSFoyJ47_0mvA \nPlease note: Participants may join the meeting from the Zoom desktop client downloaded on their computer or on their Apple or Android mobile phone or tablet to access the meeting. Participants may also join from a browser (Visit https://bit.ly/3hNyP8h  to learn how to join a Zoom meeting). \nYou may email Yolo Bird Alliance Program Chair Ken Ealy before the meeting if you need assistance. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://yolobirdalliance.org/event/speaker-presentation-cats-as-pets-predators-and-prey-what-do-we-know-about-their-hunting-and-relationship-to-birds/
CATEGORIES:Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260218T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260218T205000
DTSTAMP:20260611T081442
CREATED:20260130T160240Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260130T160240Z
UID:8186-1771441200-1771447800@yolobirdalliance.org
SUMMARY:Speaker Presentation - Quack To the Future: Ducks as A Driver of Innovation in Avian Ecology
DESCRIPTION:PROGRAM DESCRIPTION \nBlue-winged Teal ©James K. Ringelman \nDr. Kevin Ringelman\, Assistant Professor at UC Davis\, will take us on a tour of North American waterfowl science\, showing how cutting-edge research from his lab is integrating new technology to answer age-old questions on both breeding and wintering waterfowl. Expect to hear about unique predator-prey-parasite relationships in cavity-nesting waterfowl in Louisiana\, how uncrewed aerial vehicles and thermal cameras reveal new insights waterfowl demographics on the Canadian prairies\, and how the artificial intelligence revolution can be leveraged to automate nationwide monitoring efforts. \nThe public is invited to join Yolo Bird Alliance and its members for the free\, monthly general meeting on February 18\, 2026. The featured speaker is Dr. Kevin Ringelman\, and his topic is “Quack to The Future: Ducks as A Driver of Innovation in Avian Ecology”. Dr. Ringelman will present in-person at the Davis Senior Center at 646 A Street in Davis. Additionally\, this meeting will be on Zoom; instructions for joining via Zoom\, follow. The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. and ends at 8:50 (8:30 Zoom) p.m. People attending in-person are welcome to mingle following the conclusion of the Q&A portion\, until 8:50. \nSPEAKER BIO \nDr. Kevin Ringelman earned his undergraduate degree at Cornell University (2007)\, researching breeding swallows of the genus Tachycineta. He completed a Ph.D. in Ecology at UC Davis (2013) studying breeding waterfowl in the Suisun Marsh\, followed by a postdoc at the University of Delaware focusing on American Black Duck movement ecology. After ten years as faculty at Louisiana State University\, where he held the first H. Dale Hall Ducks Unlimited Professorship\, he returned to Davis in 2024. His research applies field ecology and modeling to waterfowl and waterbird conservation. \nThis event is free\, and you do not need to be a member of Yolo Bird Alliance. But if you would like to join\, visit https://yoloaudubon.org/join-renew-donate/. \nThe Yolo Bird Alliance fosters an appreciation of birds and other wildlife through educational programs and field trips\, brings conservation issues to public awareness\, and acts to preserve Yolo County bird life and habitat. To learn more about the Yolo Bird Alliance\, visit its web page at https://yolobirdalliance.org/. You can also visit the Yolo Bird Alliance on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/YoloBirdAlliance. If you would like to join and receive the monthly newsletter\, visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/join-renew-donate/. \nThe meeting will be held in person at the Davis Senior Center\, 646 A St\, Davis\, CA 95616. \nOr\, Register to Attend the Meeting online via Zoom. \nClick here for the Zoom registration link\, or you can copy & paste this link in your browser – https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Nd8kIk49RM-0PjO8rfjV4Q \nPlease note: Participants may join the meeting from the Zoom desktop client downloaded on their computer or on their Apple or Android mobile phone or tablet to access the meeting. Participants may also join from a browser (Visit https://bit.ly/3hNyP8h  to learn how to join a Zoom meeting). \nYou may email Yolo Bird Alliance Program Chair Ken Ealy before the meeting if you need assistance. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://yolobirdalliance.org/event/speaker-presentation-quack-to-the-future-ducks-as-a-driver-of-innovation-in-avian-ecology/
CATEGORIES:Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260318T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260318T205000
DTSTAMP:20260611T081442
CREATED:20260303T155427Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260303T155427Z
UID:8243-1773860400-1773867000@yolobirdalliance.org
SUMMARY:Speaker Presentation - Probing in the Mud: Unearthing Life History Strategies of the Long-billed Dowitcher
DESCRIPTION:PROGRAM DESCRIPTION \nLong-billed Dowitchers ©Ian Souza-Cole \nGet ready for an inspiring and engaging presentation as Kirsti Carr takes you on a journey into the world of North American shorebird conservation! The public is invited to the Yolo Bird Alliance’s at its monthly general meeting on March 18\, 2026\, featuring Kirsti Carr. In this talk\, Kirsti will dive into the fascinating challenges faced by these extraordinary\, charismatic birds and reveal how her innovative research is helping to shape the future of the field. She’ll share the intriguing questions that fuel her dissertation on the remarkable Long-billed Dowitchers\, unveil exciting preliminary discoveries\, and offer a glimpse into her ambitious goals at UC Davis. With heartfelt stories\, Kirsti will also celebrate the breathtaking habitats and dynamic ecosystems she’s explored during her fieldwork—places that continue to spark her passion and deepen her admiration for these incredible birds. Don’t miss this chance to be inspired by both the science and the wonder of shorebirds! \nKirsti will present\, “Probing in the mud: unearthing life history strategies of the Long-billed Dowitcher”\, in-person at the Davis Senior Center at 646 A Street in Davis on March 18\, 2026. Additionally\, this meeting will be on Zoom; instructions for joining via Zoom\, follow. The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. and ends at 8:50 (8:30 Zoom) p.m. People attending in-person are welcome to mingle following the conclusion of the Q&A portion\, until 8:50. \nSPEAKER BIO \nKirsti Carr is a second-year PhD student in the Ringelman Avian Ecology Lab at UC Davis. Prior to UCD\, she worked as an avian ecologist for Point Blue Conservation Science\, specializing in nonbreeding shorebird and wetland research and conservation. Her passion for shorebirds solidified in the Alaskan Arctic\, where she has conducted breeding surveys for the last five summers. After graduating from the University of Vermont in 2018\, she worked a variety of avian technician positions with raptors\, prairie-chickens\, woodpeckers\, waterbirds and songbirds across various ecosystems in the United States. Her current research is focused on migratory shorebird movement ecology and habitat selection across the annual cycle. \nThis event is free\, and you do not need to be a member of Yolo Bird Alliance. But if you would like to join\, visit https://yoloaudubon.org/join-renew-donate/. \nThe Yolo Bird Alliance fosters an appreciation of birds and other wildlife through educational programs and field trips\, brings conservation issues to public awareness\, and acts to preserve Yolo County bird life and habitat. To learn more about the Yolo Bird Alliance\, visit its web page at https://yolobirdalliance.org/. You can also visit the Yolo Bird Alliance on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/YoloBirdAlliance. If you would like to join and receive the monthly newsletter\, visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/join-renew-donate/. \nThe meeting will be held in person at the Davis Senior Center\, 646 A St\, Davis\, CA 95616. \nOr\, Register to Attend the Meeting online via Zoom. \nClick here for the Zoom registration link\, or you can copy & paste this link in your browser – https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/n6xsRP_UTbCruvfRCheUeA \nPlease note: Participants may join the meeting from the Zoom desktop client downloaded on their computer or on their Apple or Android mobile phone or tablet to access the meeting. Participants may also join from a browser (Visit https://bit.ly/3hNyP8h  to learn how to join a Zoom meeting). \nYou may email Yolo Bird Alliance Program Chair Ken Ealy before the meeting if you need assistance. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://yolobirdalliance.org/event/speaker-presentation-probing-in-the-mud-unearthing-life-history-strategies-of-the-long-billed-dowitcher/
CATEGORIES:Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260415T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260415T205000
DTSTAMP:20260611T081442
CREATED:20260406T212145Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260406T212145Z
UID:8303-1776279600-1776286200@yolobirdalliance.org
SUMMARY:Speaker Presentation - The Origin and Growth of the Birdwatching Club at UC Davis
DESCRIPTION:  \nUCD Birdwatching Club\, 2026 ©Grace Bottomley \nPROGRAM DESCRIPTION \nThe public is invited to join the Yolo Bird Alliance at its monthly general meeting on April 15\, 2026\, featuring guest-speaker Zane Pickus. He will present about the origin and growth of the Birdwatching Club at UC Davis\, a student-run organization that brings together those with a passion for birding and the outdoors. The club has grown significantly since its inception in 2021\, and now includes hundreds of members of diverse backgrounds\, all brought together through a shared love of birds and birding. The Birdwatching Club hosts dozens of field trips and presentations each year\, all of which are free and open to anyone on campus. Through collaborations with other on-campus clubs\, the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology\, and faculty in the Department of Wildlife\, Fish\, and Conservation Biology\, the Birdwatching Club provides opportunities for students to get involved in birding and wildlife conservation on the UC Davis campus and beyond. Prepare to celebrate five successful years of the Birdwatching Club and excitedly look forward to continued growth in the future. \nZane will speak\, in-person\, at the Davis Senior Center at 646 A Street in Davis on April 15\, 2026. Additionally\, this meeting will be on Zoom; instructions for joining via Zoom\, follow. The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. and ends at 8:50 (8:30 Zoom) p.m. People attending in-person are welcome to mingle following the conclusion of the Q&A portion\, until 8:50. \nSPEAKER BIO \nZane Pickus\, a member of the Yolo Bird Alliance’s Board of Directors\, is an undergraduate at UC Davis studying Wildlife\, Fish\, and Conservation Biology. Zane has been interested in birds his entire life\, and as he has gotten older\, that interest has morphed into a passion. He values the opportunity to teach others through field trips and presentations\, appreciating the sense of community found in sharing birds with others. Zane is president of the Birdwatching Club at UC Davis\, a regional reviewer for eBird in Yolo County\, and a regional coordinator for the California Bird Atlas. \nThis event is free\, and you do not need to be a member of Yolo Bird Alliance. But if you would like to join\, visit https://yoloaudubon.org/join-renew-donate/. \nThe Yolo Bird Alliance fosters an appreciation of birds and other wildlife through educational programs and field trips\, brings conservation issues to public awareness\, and acts to preserve Yolo County bird life and habitat. To learn more about the Yolo Bird Alliance\, visit its web page at https://yolobirdalliance.org/. You can also visit the Yolo Bird Alliance on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/YoloBirdAlliance. If you would like to join and receive the monthly newsletter\, visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/join-renew-donate/. \nThe meeting will be held in person at the Davis Senior Center\, 646 A St\, Davis\, CA 95616. \nOr\, Register to Attend the Meeting online via Zoom. Zoom participants will be admitted a few minutes before 7:00 pm.  \nClick here for the Zoom registration link\, or you can copy & paste this link in your browser – https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Hmws4hOfSqu1IJ_hTB9yTg \nPlease note: Participants may join the meeting from the Zoom desktop client downloaded on their computer or on their Apple or Android mobile phone or tablet to access the meeting. Participants may also join from a browser (Visit https://bit.ly/3hNyP8h  to learn how to join a Zoom meeting). \nYou may email Yolo Bird Alliance Program Chair Ken Ealy before the meeting if you need assistance. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://yolobirdalliance.org/event/speaker-presentation-the-origin-and-growth-of-the-birdwatching-club-at-uc-davis/
CATEGORIES:Monthly Meeting
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260520T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260520T205000
DTSTAMP:20260611T081442
CREATED:20260501T005441Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260501T005441Z
UID:8336-1779303600-1779310200@yolobirdalliance.org
SUMMARY:Speaker Presentation - Mechanisms of Hummingbird Aggression
DESCRIPTION:  \nRufous Hummingbird ©Tom Uslan \nPROGRAM DESCRIPTION \nHummingbirds look delicate\, bright and inspiring\, but contrary to popular beliefs\, they are extremely aggressive animals that fight to defend territories and access mates. The public is invited to the Yolo Bird Alliance’s at its last monthly general meeting of the season on May 20\, 2026\, featuring Paulina L. González-Gómez. In this talk\, Paulina will focus on her research which explores the biological mechanisms behind male aggression\, from behavior to physiology. Male hummingbirds often use specialized “bill daggers” – sharp tips on their beaks – to attack rivals during high-speed chases. Their research studies how behavior and traits such as wing size and body mass influence birds’ territorial defense. In addition\, they investigate the role of hormones like testosterone in the development of bill weapons. They aim to learn how traits interact by linking field observations with hormone and morphology data. Our work is developed in tropical and temperate environments to understand how competition shapes evolution and behavior in one of the most extreme groups of birds. \nPaulina will present\, “Mechanisms of Hummingbird Aggression”\, in-person at the Davis Senior Center located at 646 A Street in Davis on May 20\, 2026. Additionally\, this meeting will be on Zoom; instructions for joining via Zoom\, follow. The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. and ends at 8:50 (8:30 Zoom) p.m. People attending in-person are welcome to mingle following the conclusion of the Q&A portion\, until 8:50. \nSPEAKER BIO \nPaulina L. González-Gómez is an integrative biologist and evolutionary ecologist specializing in hummingbird biology and avian physiology. Her research focuses on how animals cope with environmental variability over the course of the year. She uses hummingbirds as a model system to study adaptive timing\, energetic balance\, and the coordination of life-history stages such as migration\, breeding\, and molt. At the University of California\, Davis\, Paulina teaches ecophysiology and scientific writing\, mentoring students in both field biology and effective science communication. \nThis event is free\, and you do not need to be a member of Yolo Bird Alliance. But if you would like to join\, visit https://yoloaudubon.org/join-renew-donate/. \nThe Yolo Bird Alliance fosters an appreciation of birds and other wildlife through educational programs and field trips\, brings conservation issues to public awareness\, and acts to preserve Yolo County bird life and habitat. To learn more about the Yolo Bird Alliance\, visit its web page at https://yolobirdalliance.org/. You can also visit the Yolo Bird Alliance on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/YoloBirdAlliance. If you would like to join and receive the monthly newsletter\, visit https://yolobirdalliance.org/join-renew-donate/. \nThe meeting will be held in person at the Davis Senior Center\, 646 A St\, Davis\, CA 95616. \nOr\, Register to Attend the Meeting online via Zoom. Zoom participants will be admitted a few minutes before 7:00 pm.  \nClick here for the Zoom registration link\, or you can copy & paste this link in your browser – https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/QRaKu8I2TG-NB74t5bok4A \nPlease note: Participants may join the meeting from the Zoom desktop client downloaded on their computer or on their Apple or Android mobile phone or tablet to access the meeting. Participants may also join from a browser (Visit https://bit.ly/3hNyP8h  to learn how to join a Zoom meeting). \nYou may email Yolo Bird Alliance Program Chair Ken Ealy before the meeting if you need assistance. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://yolobirdalliance.org/event/speaker-presentation-mechanisms-of-hummingbird-aggression/
CATEGORIES:Monthly Meeting
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END:VCALENDAR