We’re several weeks into the New Year, and by now you’ve probably got a good idea how most of your resolutions are going to fare. But before you close the book on your best intentions, let us offer a few opportunities to make a big difference in the natural world around you. The tips below [...]

Share on Facebook

[Read more →]

If you haven’t seen it, the Los Angeles Audubon Society has the coolest comic book on its website touting the idea of killing your lawn and installing native plants for birds and other wildlife. It was written and illustrated by the students in the chapter’s Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Program. Super cool. Share on Facebook

Share on Facebook

[Read more →]

Not long ago, the Audubon Center at Debs Park hosted its annual holiday party. The entire neighboring community was invited, and guests enjoyed making holiday wreaths and decorations out of native plants. This year, we added an element to the party that had a conservation focus – giving away native plants that attract hummingbirds.  The included [...]

Share on Facebook

[Read more →]

Not long ago, we talked about how hummingbirds like the monkey flower. But that’s not the only plant. If you’re looking for a native flowering plant that is hardy enough to live just about anywhere in Los Angelesand will attract hummingbirds like crazy, you can hardly do better than the salvias – a variety of [...]

Share on Facebook

[Read more →]

If you want to attract hummingbirds to your garden, deck, or patio, you can hardly do better than with a monkey flower. You’ve seen these before – if you squint your eyes, the flower looks like a funny face, or perhaps a monkey. They come in a variety of colors – red, pink, yellow, etc. [...]

Share on Facebook

[Read more →]

Los Angeles Audubon has the definitive list of people to call if you find an injured bird in Los Angeles. As always, it’s important not to simply pick up baby birds if they don’t seem injured. Usually, the best thing to do is to leave them where they are — parents are likely nearby. Share [...]

Share on Facebook

[Read more →]

A while back, Audubon California’s Garry George did something that his neighbors in Los Angeles must have thought was crazy: he tore up his lawn. Then he planted native plants and watched the birds come in droves. Check it out: Share on Facebook

Share on Facebook

[Read more →]

Audubon’s Keiller Kyle, known on the Audublog for his work with Tricolored Blackbirds, ran a seminar at the Sacramento Food Bank on how to attract birds. The Food Bank features a wonderful demonstration garden where the staff conducts seminars on gardening and cultivating a productive backyard. Participants walked away able to identify birds in the [...]

Share on Facebook

[Read more →]

In honor of today being National Donut Day, we thought we’d pull together some of our favorite donut feeders: Share on Facebook

Share on Facebook

[Read more →]

It has been fun watching the Purple Martin make its way north up the Pacific Flyway from its South American winter grounds. The bird is now solidly throughout California. This deeply-hued bird is an easy one to attract to backyards and open lands during its breeding season. This bird is desirable to attract, not only [...]

Share on Facebook

[Read more →]

Monica Iglecia, our shorebird conservation biologist, was out at the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge today researching nesting shorebirds and caught this group of Western Sandpipers through her spotting scope. The video is a bit funky, but we thought we’d share. Much of Monica’s work is done through the Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership, which includes Audubon [...]

Share on Facebook

[Read more →]

When we talk about spring migration, obviously we talk a lot about birds. So sometimes we forget to mention another key participant – trees. For many of the birds coming to California to breed – the orioles, warblers, hawks, and many others – trees are an essential ingredient to survival and success in the spring. That is [...]

Share on Facebook

[Read more →]

If you’ve been following us for a while, you know that we at Audubon California have kind of thing for the Vaux’s Swift. There’s really nothing quite like seeing them pile into a chimney at dusk. And no one here is more into them than Jeff Chapman, the director of our Audubon Center at Debs [...]

Share on Facebook

[Read more →]

Dan Airola today reports the first sighting of a Purple Martin in the Sacramento area, and his is the only record of the bird in eBird. Coincidentally, Maggie Smith of Arroyo Grande also spotted a Purple Martin down in her neck of the woods, as well. Both of those birds likely came from as far [...]

Share on Facebook

[Read more →]

As you know from reading this blog, many birds are already on the move for spring migration. And even though these movements are guided by tremendous natural forces, there are things that you can do in your backyard to make things a little easier for these global travelers. Here are a few thoughts: Ask the [...]

Share on Facebook

[Read more →]