Ruddy Turnstone; © Bart Wickel
May is an exciting time to be out birding in Yolo County. Migrating songbirds working their way north from the tropics stop over in riparian areas throughout the area. Any morning birders can turn up dozens of “neotropical migrants,” and the keen observer will occasionally pick out unusual species amongst these flocks. This spring was […]
We’re back! After a summer break, Yolo Audubon is gearing up again. I want to start by thanking Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry and staff from Senator Dodd’s office for taking time to meet with us virtually in August for Audubon Advocacy Day. Yolo Audubon board member Diane Colborn coordinated the Yolo group, and has written a synopsis […]
Blue Grosbeak; © Erna Tarara
About two miles south of Davis, on the east side of Mace Boulevard, lies the South Fork Preserve. The 110-acre site includes big trees close to the creek, a younger plantation of native trees and shrubs, and a weedy grassland, all on former farmland. It has become decent habitat for birds. The eBird list stands […]
Text and photos by Sonjia Shelly, YAS Board Nest box monitoring at North Davis Channel TRES=tree swallow; WEBL=western bluebird; HOWR=house wren; HOFI=house finch Monitoring began 2/24/22 and ended 7/18/22 Observers included Zane Pickus, Ina Rommeck, John Hansen and Sonjia Shelly Nest building was evident as early as 3/18/22 by TRES (box 3) and a male […]
Tree Swallow bringing nest material to box; © Erna Tarara
The Woodland Regional Park Preserve is a 160-acre parcel in the southeast corner of Woodland, just east of Road 102 and south of Road 25. It is the newest park in the county, and still in development. The City of Woodland and a partnership of local nonprofits, including Yolo Audubon, have worked for several years […]
Burrowing Owls; © JoAnne Fillatti
With May comes the end of the Yolo Audubon year. We now go into vacation mode until September. Several of our wonderful board members are leaving us this term. A big thank you to Deb Ford, Alison Kent, John Mott-Smith, and Rick Williams, and welcome to new board members Kelli O’Neil and Harnawaz Boparai. Here […]
Ruff with Dowitchers; © Aidan Brubaker
Migration! Millions of birds are on the move, making their way from the tropics of Central and South America to the boreal forests of North America. Warblers, vireos and flycatchers in their brilliant breeding plumages flying over the Central Valley are offered respite in the riparian habitat of Yolo County. Fueling up to continue their […]
Say's Phoebe; © Sarah Mayhew
Birding the same patch over a long span of time is always rewarding. I have walked part of the Wildhorse Ag Buffer regularly for the last several years. I like it because a few minutes on foot gets me out of urban Davis onto the edge of farmland and a golf course, with their open-space […]
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker; © Bart Wickel
March brought us a month of change, the bridge between the static of winter and the birth of the new year. Oaks are fully budded out, redbuds are in bloom, and the hills of Putah Canyon are glowing green. The growing tension of March builds throughout the month as we eagerly await the flood of […]
Tricolored Blackbird; © Lynda Goff
Spring is upon us, and one of the most significant April activities is the Statewide Tricolored Blackbird Survey. This volunteer event on behalf of the state threatened species only occurs every three years, and the 2022 dates are April 15-17. The Yolo County Survey Coordinator is UC Davis graduate student Emilee Graves. She plans to […]
Glaucous Gull; © Zane Pickus
As Mӧtley Crüe once said, “gulls, gulls, gulls”. Oh, that’s not what they said? Close enough. The story of February was the gull action from the Davis Landfill and the County Road 104 ponds. Amongst the thousands of California, Herring, Cook Inlet and Thayers Gulls, a few goodies were picked out. At least one first […]
Cooper's Hawk; © Ann Burris
I hope many of you participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count in February. I loved the photo and story Ann Burris posted on Facebook about her count. It had to do with temporarily depressed bird numbers on her property. Then when she looked through the window into the back yard, she saw why…a Cooper’s […]