OK, we can’t be certain that this is the first nest that any American Avocets have built in Central Valley rice fields this season, but we can say it’s the first that we’ve found. And it’s always an amazing sight to see these nests built in these fields. The birds themselves travel all the way [...]

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We love this pic of Sean Doherty showing Garth Williams and Audubon California’s Kurt Vaughn where he wants to plant native trees and shrubs along a ditch on his property in Colusa County in order to provide food and shelter for birds. Thanks to farmers like Doherty and Williams, riparian birds like warblers and chats [...]

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Keiller Kyle explains why Audubon California works with farmers in California’s dairy country to save the Tricolored Blackbird. Share on Facebook

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By Keiller Kyle, Tricolored Blackbird Program Manager Opening Day has come; Opening Day for the Tricolored Blackbird season, that is. Despite being on the job for four springs so far, my blood still starts pumping faster when I come upon a Tricolored Blackbird colony. Usually I can tell I’m getting close to one of the [...]

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Millions of birds depend on habitat provided by California’s farms and ranches. Audubon California works with landowners to protect birds without diminishing the economic value of the land. We worked with over 100 partners last year, folks we like to call our farmer bird heroes. In appreciation for all that these heroes do, we asked [...]

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U~T San Diego interviewed our Andrea Jones and Garry George about our recent Mountain Plover survey results: Mountain plovers — small, migratory birds that trek from the Great Plains to California each year — are showing up in greater numbers in the Imperial Valley after disappearing from parts of Central California, Audubon officials said. That [...]

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Shorebird Biologist Monica Iglecia’s success story about her work with rice farmers. Share on Facebook

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One of California’s favorite bird species today was named the 2012 Audubon California Bird of the Year. The Sandhill Crane received the designation after winning 43 percent of votes cast during an online poll this fall. Although the bird was a nominee for the past three years, it experienced a surge in popularity this year, [...]

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We established the Bird of the Year contest three years ago to highlight our state’s remarkable birds and the conservation challenges many of them face. We develop our list of nominees through the input of our program staff and our chapter network. For the past several years the Sandhill Crane has been one of the [...]

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Richard Cimino snapped this cool photo of a Northern Pygmy Owl this week at the Audubon Bobcat Ranch, while leading a birding walk through the property. Cimino was leading a group from the Ohlone Audubon Society, where he is conservation chair. A total of 20 species were seen on the hike, including Black-throated Grey Warbler and [...]

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Sandi Matsumoto of the Nature Conservancy wrote a letter to the editor of the Sacramento Bee about their work with Audubon California on helping Sandhill Cranes in the Central Valley: Re “Greater sandhill cranes fly in early to Delta roost” (Our Region, Sept. 2): Each fall, thousands of sandhill cranes migrate to the Sacramento-San Joaquin [...]

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Each year, Tricolored Blackbirds nest in just a few huge colonies in California, often in grain fields on dairy farms due to habitat loss. Without incentive to do otherwise, farmers sometimes harvest the fields before the young can fly. A machine harvester can easily wipe out 25 percent of the entire species’ young in just a [...]

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Today’s Central Valley Business Times featured an article about our work with NRCS and farmers to help Tricolored Blackbirds in the Central Valley. Check it out here… Share on Facebook

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The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Audubon California have released final 2012 results on the status of the rare Tricolored Blackbird, a California Bird Species of Special Concern, found in California’s Central Valley. Results show the species is having a good year, thanks in large part to four farmers who have agreed to [...]

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Here’s a cool video, produced by the California Rice Commission and starring Audubon California’s own Monica Iglecia, talking about our work to promote conservation on rice farms: Share on Facebook

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