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 [...]
Entries from August 2012
Rare California seabird reported breeding off Mendocino Coast for the first time since the 1920s
August 31st, 2012 · by gfrost
Tags: Audubon Watchlist · Bird conservation · Bird Habitat · seabirds
How did the Oystercatcher get its name?
August 30th, 2012 · by dogden
The Oystercatcher’s name belies the truth in its diet. Black Oystercatchers do not mainly eat oysters. One may wonder how then did the bird receive its name. Much like P. Diddy, or Puff Daddy, or whatever the artist is referring to himself these days, the shorebird has been called more than one thing. The first [...]
Tags: Black Oystercatcher
‘The Big Year’ birder Greg Miller to keynote Monterey Bay Birding Festival
August 30th, 2012 · by gfrost
Greg Miller can’t remember when he started birding because he was too young. He doesn’t remember getting his first pair of binoculars or his first birding trip with his father. That was more than 50 years ago and he hasn’t stopped birding since. In 1998, he zigzagged the continent to try to see as many [...]
Tags: Birding · Nature education and activities
Great tips for budding bird photographers
August 30th, 2012 · by gfrost
Our friends at the Golden Gate Audubon Society have some great tips on bird photography from Bob Lewis. Share on Facebook
Tags: Audubon Chapters · Birding
Verizon helps bring L.A. families to the Audubon Center at Debs Park
August 30th, 2012 · by gfrost
Earlier this month, more than 100 people from Peace Over Violence, a domestic violence prevention group, visited the Audubon Center at Debs Park. The event was made possible through a grant from Verizon Wireless, which also had a number of volunteers on hand to help make it a great day: Share on Facebook
Tags: Audubon California · Audubon Center at Debs Park · Nature education and activities · Video
Take our quiz to find out which bird you are!
August 30th, 2012 · by dogden
Have you spent sleepless nights pondering the eternal question — if I was a California bird which one would I be? Gosh, we certainly have. So we put together a quick quiz that matches your personality up with a California bird. It’s easy and to fun to share with friends. Take it here and end the [...]
Tags: Birding
Stupid bird humor
August 29th, 2012 · by dogden
Tags: Black Oystercatcher · stupid bird humor
You can help us protect the Black Oystercatcher
August 28th, 2012 · by gfrost
Learn more about the Black Oystercatcher — and help us make a difference for this terrific bird. Share on Facebook
Tags: Audubon California · Bird videos · Black Oystercatcher · seabirds · Video
Make Every Oystercatcher Count
August 27th, 2012 · by aweinstein
We are pleased to introduce Audubon’s campaign for black oystercatchers – the most recognizable shorebird of California’s iconic and ecologically rich rocky intertidal zone. We first got involved with the species in 2010 when we took a closer look at their status in California and were surprised to see how little was known. Despite their [...]
Tags: Uncategorized
Interview with Todd McGrain of The Lost Bird Project
August 23rd, 2012 · by dogden
We are finishing our Film Friday series at Audubon Center at Debs Park with a screening of The Lost Bird Project, a film about artist Todd McGrain and his effort to recognize the tragedy of modern extinction by immortalizing North American birds that have been driven to extinction in sculptures he places at the site of each bird’s [...]
Tags: Audubon Center at Debs Park
Audubon reaches across country to make a wind project better for birds
August 22nd, 2012 · by gfrost
This is a great story of a wind energy developer working with conservation groups to find a solution that meets both our needs for alternative energy and wildlife protection. But there’s a little more to the story. Montana Audubon initially reached out to Garry George, Audubon California’s renewable energy project director, with its concerns about [...]
Tags: Alternative energy · Bird Habitat
Lassen fire wiping out vital Sage Grouse habitat
August 21st, 2012 · by gfrost
The California Department of Fish and Game is moving to cancel this year’s Sage Grouse hunting season in eastern Lassen County after wildfires have ravaged much of the area’s pristine sagebrush habitat. Audubon California supports this action, and is actually calling on the Fish & Game Commission to cancel hunting throughout all of Lassen County. [...]
Tags: Audubon California · Bird conservation · Bird Habitat
It’s almost the weekend
August 17th, 2012 · by dogden
Tags: Birding
Update on pelican that received plastic surgery
August 17th, 2012 · by dogden
According to the LA Times, the Orange County pelican that we wrote about several months ago was released back into the wild. This great news comes after months of rehabilitation. After the surgery, the pelican affectionatley called Nigel, developed an infection that caused another fracture and bone tissue to die. During her stay in recovery, Nigel [...]
Tags: Audubon Chapters · seabirds · urban conservation
The bird in Bodie
August 16th, 2012 · by gfrost
We noticed a note on the listservs the other day from photographer Allen Hirsch talking about a group of Sage Grouse that he’d discovered in the Bodie, the Eastern Sierra ghost town. We checked out the photos and are sharing a few here, with his permission. The Sage Grouse is a bird more known for [...]
Tags: Bird Habitat · Birding