Free email delivery
Please sign up for email delivery in the subscription area to the right.
No salesman will call, at least not from us. Maybe from someone else.
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
BBC Wildlife magazine has an interesting article about Lesser Goldfinches migrating into places in the Pacific Northwest – Oregon, Washington & Idaho – previously out of their breeding range, apparently by following rivers upstream.
The original study is in the journal Ornithology.
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
This is an amusing and interesting tale of a who-done (or didn’t)-it, and why. It addresses one example of that pair of difficult and gutwrenching problems which all birders share when it comes to TV and movies: What bird is that? and What is that bird doing there? Let me know if you can’t link to it.
https://slate.com/culture/2025/05/birds-movies-charlies-angels-2000-pygmy-nuthatch.html
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
Femi Faminu, who frequently birds with (and without) us at Malibu Lagoon and elsewhere, recently returned from Thailand, where the birdlife is significantly different from South America, Africa, and even Southern California. Among the birdlife in her film I counted six bird families you’ll never see in SoCal, plus several primate species also absent here. Lunch will be supplied on the clifftop.
Enjoyable and colorful as always.
If you go here https://www.youtube.com/@femif9792 you can see her many other films.
Banding Birds at Bear Divide | 9 May 2025
[Posted by Chuck Almdale, photos by Elyse Jankowski]
When we went to Bear Divide on 3 May, it was very foggy and the banding operation was canceled for the day and for the following few days as well. We had fun and during the birding party that ensued we managed to see some fogbirds…but still, no bird-in-the-hand banding.
Elyse Jankowski and Stephanie Salwen went back a few days later. The weather was better, the sky was clear, the banders were banding and the birds themselves graciously cooperated by flying into the mist nets.
Follow this link to Elyse’s collection of photos. Birds seen (in alphabetical order): Lazuli Bunting, Black-headed Grosbeak, Costa’s Hummingbird, Sagebrush Sparrow, Warbling Vireo, Hermit Warbler (at Placerita Canyon), MacGillivray’s Warbler, Nashville Warbler, and Yellow Warbler. You get to figure out which is which.
Banding season is either over or close to it. But they’ll be back next year.
Visit their website for information.
Audubon Action Alerts
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
The good folks at California Audubon and National Audubon wants you to read and act on these two messages.
Add Your Name: Oppose Efforts to Undermine the Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) protects the habitat of threatened and endangered species, but a proposal is pending that would weaken the law.
The proposed rule to remove the definition of harm under Endangered Species Act regulations could be devastating to a vast number of birds and other wildlife by weakening protections for habitat. Bird populations are in decline, with a loss of three billion birds in North America since 1970, and numerous species of birds are now protected under the ESA, primarily due to habitat loss.
This proposed rule could open the door to habitat loss for some of our most vulnerable species and discourage proactive measures, making it harder for species to recover.
Add your name [by clicking the above link] to support Audubon in opposing the harmful proposal to undermine the Endangered Species Act.
Take Action to Protect Habitat for Birds and People
Many birds depend on urban areas for nesting, migration, and wintering habitat. At a time when habitat loss threatens the health of bird populations and our communities, conserving and improving urban habitats is essential to a healthy future for birds and people. The Local Communities and Bird Habitat Stewardship Act would benefit these habitats by improving local parks, reducing hazards to birds in urban environments—such as collisions with buildings—and engaging communities with birds and nature.
Act now [by clicking the above link] and urge your U.S. Representative to support the Local Communities and Bird Habitat Stewardship Act.
SANTA MONICA BAY AUDUBON SOCIETY BLOG 