The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has substantially expanded the critical habitat for the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, adding 490 stream miles and 88,149 acres of land to the designation. The Southwestern Willow Flycatcher is a small songbird that nests in vegetation along rivers and streams or other wetlands; is known to occur only in [...]

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According to a statement from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, the population of Island Scrub Jays puts it into the top ten rarest US birds. The bird is endemic to Santa Cruz island off the Ventura County coast. From an NBC News report: The study estimates that there are 2,500 scrub jays living in the [...]

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Scientists surveying rocky islands this week off the Mendocino County coast within the California Coastal National Monument made a remarkable discovery – several breeding sites for the Ashy Storm-Petrel, a rare and declining seabird not reported nesting in this area since 1926. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that there may be as few as [...]

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According to a press release from CBD, a California superior court judge has ratified a settlement between the John Muir Project, Center for Biological Diversity and the California Fish and Game Commission that restores California Endangered Species Act protections to Black-backed Woodpeckers. The rare woodpecker lives in coniferous forests in the northwest, it particularly enjoys [...]

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Reports of Grasshopper Sparrows have been constant this Pacific Migration. This small sparrow does indeed eat grasshoppers, as well as other insects, seeds, and other vegetation they forage for on the ground. The Sparrow can be hard to spot because it spends so much time on the ground, but males will perch on top of [...]

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A Bald Eagle was reported on the California birding list serve as being seen in the Richmond district of San Francisco. This bird rarely makes an appearance in the City by the Bay, which makes this spotting special. Anyone else see it? (Photo by Peter LaTourrette) Share on Facebook

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Well, we told you we’d be talking a lot about shorebirds in April, and that is apparently spilling over into May. But it’s hard to talk about migrating shorebirds without mentioning the Red Knot, renowned as one of the most intrepid migrating birds of them all. Seriously, some of these sandpipers fly from Tierra del [...]

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(Photo by USFWS) Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society volunteers, along with California State Parks staff, erected a symbolic fence along the beaches of Malibu. The fence will serve as a reminder that area is home to the threatened Western Snowy Plover. Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society spoke to Jimy Tallal of The Malibu Times: “It’s [...]

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If you didn’t know birds and heard the phrase Black Turnstone, you might be inclined to think that it was the name of some northern California microbrewery IPA. The name has a certain poetry to it. Odd then that this North American shorebird arrived at this name in most prosaic fashion. “Black” because it’s mostly [...]

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The Audubon Center at Debs Park’s Arroyo Green Team is serious about restoring wildlife habitat. On Saturday, March 31st, these self described “Nature Freaks”, got people from northeast Los Angeles out to participate in a major restoration project in Debs Park, the fourth largest park in LA. The project focused on restoring the coastal sage [...]

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Audubon California Executive Director, Dan Taylor, was interviewed by U-T San Diego about the importance of last year’s Audubon California Bird of the Year, the California Condor. Condors are something of a state symbol, memorialized on the California quarter. Wild ones — with wingspans of nearly 10 feet — are visible along the Central Coast [...]

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One of the world’s rarest and most imperiled birds today was named the 2011 Audubon California Bird of the Year. The California Condor received the designation after it received nearly 35 percent of votes cast. Although the bird can be found in several southwestern states and in Mexico, it is a distinct part of California’s [...]

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Bird of the Year fever has taken over the Audubon California offices. Who will win? Well, that’s up to you. Share on Facebook

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There’s been a lot of discussion in conservation circles about how to best protect the breeding grounds for the Ashy Storm-petrel on the Farallone Islands. Lots of thorny issues have been raised, but there’s one thing that’s clear: We have to find a way to save the Ashy Storm-petrel. It’s a California bird, and we [...]

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The Ashy Storm-petrel is a smoky gray seabird – roughly the size of a swallow – that spends most of its life out over the ocean. It can only be found on the islands off California and in the adjacent waters. And it’s in big trouble. (photo by Glen Tepke) Share on Facebook

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