Barbara Steinberg of California Travel Insider recently shared this video of a hummingbird taking a bath in the rain outside her kitchen. Share on Facebook
Entries from October 2008
Sacramento Hummingbird bath
October 31st, 2008 · by gfrost
Tags: Bird videos · Birding
Less than half of birds rescued in S.F. oil spill survived
October 31st, 2008 · by gfrost
As the one-year anniversary of the San Francisco Bay oil spill draws near comes the sad news (via L.A. Times Greenspace) from the Oiled Wildlife Network that less than half of the birds rescued during the crisis survived. In fact, fewer than 40% made it back into the wild. A lot of those birds were picked up [...]
Tags: Bird conservation · Bird Habitat · Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary · urban conservation
Cougars at the Audubon California Starr Ranch Sanctuary
October 30th, 2008 · by gfrost
Motion sensor cameras set up at the Audubon California Starr Ranch Sanctuary in Orange County to track cougars have caught several candid photos of the shy cats. The project is part of a larger effort to locate lions for a new trapping and collaring study. More photos after the jump, including a bobcat. Here, kitty kitty kitty … [...]
Tags: Starr Ranch Sanctuary · Wildlife photos and video
Sierra fires more damaging, partly because of how we fight them
October 29th, 2008 · by gfrost
The Los Angeles Times today writes about a new report that shows that fires in the Sierra are larger, more frequent, and more damaging in the last two decades, partly because of the way the government fights them. Climate is playing some role, the study said. But it blamed a bigger factor: Federal efforts to [...]
Tags: Bird Habitat · Conservation research · Federal Policy
Dusky Warbler makes a wrong turn and winds up in … Santa Cruz
October 28th, 2008 · by gfrost
The Santa Cruz Sentinel tells the story of a Dusky Warbler that apparently made a wrong turn somewhere in Asia and landed near Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, sparking a frenzy of bird enthusiasts to take a look. The bird has been spotted in North America just 10 times since the 1970s, most [...]
Tags: Birding
The Carbon Breakfast Club
October 28th, 2008 · by gfrost
It’s early morning in Yolo County, and eight or so locals, some in cowboy hats, who look like they should be out riding the range, are instead situated around a conference table, eating bagels and drinking coffee. Meet the Carbon Breakfast Club – a group of ranchers, researchers, regulators and environmentalists led in part by [...]
Tags: Bird Habitat · Global Warming · State Policy
California Thrasher video
October 27th, 2008 · by gfrost
Nice video of one of our favorite birds, the California Thrasher, doing a bit of talking. Share on Facebook
Tags: Bird videos · Birding · Video
Bald Eagle returns to Highway 44 near Sacramento River
October 27th, 2008 · by gfrost
It was a big deal last year when CalTrans tried to “encourage” the inhabitants of a bald eagles’ nest to leave in the face of a nearby bridge building project. Turns out that perhaps one of the eagles has returned to the nest, according to the Record Searchlight. Perhaps the Bald Eagle is as put [...]
Tags: Bird conservation · Bird Habitat · Birding
Birding on the Net
October 26th, 2008 · by gfrost
You may have noticed that we recently added a link in our blogroll to Birding on the Net, a great site for tracking birding observations all over the United States and beyond. Share on Facebook
Tags: Birding
Northern CA wetlands coming back to life
October 26th, 2008 · by gfrost
The Los Angeles Times reports today on the National Parks Service’s ongoing work restoring the Giacomini Wetlands at the Pt. Reyes National Seashore. The site is particularly important for birds along the Pacific Flyway. Birds already throng to Point Reyes, which is on the Pacific Flyway. Roughly 45% of North American bird species can be found in the area. [...]
Tags: Bird conservation · Bird Habitat · Federal Policy · Important Bird Areas
More on Tracy swallows
October 25th, 2008 · by gfrost
The Sacramento Bee follows up on the story we highlighted earlier about all the swallows descending on a farm in Tracy. Nice story plus photos and video. Share on Facebook
Tags: Bird conservation · Bird Habitat · Bird videos · Birding · Video
Game wardens play important role in protecting nature
October 24th, 2008 · by gfrost
If you’re reading this blog, it is likely that you care deeply about protecting and conserving California’s birds and outdoor treasures. What you may not know is the front line role played in this effort by California’s game wardens. For every federal or state law or administrative ruling that we succeed in enacting to protect [...]
Tags: Bird conservation · Bird Habitat · Resources · State Policy
A million swallows over Tracy
October 23rd, 2008 · by gfrost
Local TV news put up this raw footage of “a million” swallows over a cornfield in Tracy, stopping over on the their way down south.
Tags: Bird videos · Birding
In a rush to relax Endangered Species Act rules
October 22nd, 2008 · by gfrost
In its rush to relax important rules related to the Endangered Species Act before the current president leaves office, Interior Department officials are hastily reviewing more than 200,000 public comments, reports the San Francisco Chronicle today. The department has given itself just 32 hours to perform the work, remarkable given that typically such reviews take six [...]
Tags: Endangered Species Act · Federal Policy
USFWS recommends delisting of Inyo California Towhee
October 22nd, 2008 · by gfrost
As part of its regular review of listed species under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this month recommended delisting the Inyo California Towhee, a subspecies of the California Towhee. The species is currently listed as Threatened. The Argus Range-Southern Important Bird Area is dedicated to this species. Share on Facebook
Tags: Bird conservation · Bird Habitat · Endangered Species Act · Federal Policy · Important Bird Areas