From the Co-Presidents
Alex Smilor / Macaulay Library
Great Backyard Bird Count. Join National Audubon’s Great Backyard Bird Count this year on February 13-16, 2026. NAS challenges all birders to participate by spending at least 15 minutes watching birds on one or more of these 4 days and report what you see at birdcount.org or through the eBird app. You are encouraged to watch birds in your own backyard, neighborhood or nearby areas. The goal is to tally as many bird species as possible over the 4 days. Invite your friends and family to join you. Last year more than 800,000 people from virtually every country in the world participated in GBBC and recorded 8,078 species. For more information, check out the GBBC website at birdcount.org. You can also join a free 1-hour live webinar that will include tips for beginning birders. Register for the webinar here.
Yolo Bird Alliance has two field trips in the date window of the Great Backyard Bird Count: Winter Field Trip to Bodega Bay (Feb. 14) and Robinson Road: Raptors and Plovers (Feb. 15), and the leaders will submit results to the GBBC compilers. Also, Cache Creek Conservancy will be holding guided bird walks during the dates of the GBBC and invites everyone to attend, especially new birders. Click here for more details. The great majority of participants in the GBBC will simply spend a few minutes in their backyards or local parks to record what they see. It’s meant to be a relaxing, low-key event. Have fun!
More Kudos to Julian! In other bird news, UC Davis just published a wonderful interview with Julian Johnson about his Yolo County Big Year that we featured in the last issue of the Burrowing Owl. Please go here to enjoy it.
Volunteers needed. We are always looking for people who might want to volunteer for Yolo Bird Alliance, but don’t have the time or desire to make a huge time commitment. We always have opportunities to represent Yolo Bird Alliance at events. Typically called tabling, we sit at our table with materials to hand out and a willingness to visit with people who stop by to find out more about YBA and its activities. No previous expertise is needed – you’ll learn on the job. We’ve got events coming up in March and April and would love to hear from you. Just drop a note to YBA here.
–Genevieve Colborn and Ann Brice