Tag archives: birds
I have a pair of nesting kestrels in my yard. Because the kestrels need lots of mice and voles to feed their young, I realize how easily they can be harmed if my neighbors put out rodent poison. On my walk yesterday a woman asked me if I had seen the sick coyote which is […]
Outdoor lighting is something most of us rarely think about, yet it has a powerful impact on birds. White outdoor lighting attracts insects at night and many of those insects die from these bulbs – from exhaustion, predation or from hot bulbs. This matters far beyond insects because birds rely heavily on caterpillars and other […]
Did you think this was a Dodo? You’re not a dodo for thinking so. The bird depicted in this chromolithograph is the famous Dodo’s closest relative, the Rodrigues Solitaire. Both species of flightless birds are now extinct. François Leguat was marooned on the island of Rodrigues in the 1690s and described the Rodrigues Solitaire in […]
As we go to press, Libby Patten, head ofthe Santa Barbara Christmas Bird Count (CBC) reports 178 species of birds were found in our National Audubon designated area, including rare species of Brant, Caspian Tern, and Black-legged Kittiwake. Volunteer birders were out over the course of seven days counting birds in extreme weather conditions, which […]
The Santa Barbara Christmas Bird Count (CBC) was held on January 4, 2025. This was part of the 125th National Audubon’s CBC. This year the Santa Barbara CBC Team leaders are: Libby Patten, Head CBC Compiler and Coordinator/Compiler for North SB and the Boat team; Glenn Kincaid, Scouting Coordinator, Head Data Coordinator, and the Compiler […]
The Channel Islands National Park has always been a haven for migratory birds needing a rest, especially during and following big windstorms. From my kayak, I’m always keeping an eye out for any seafaring feathers that might be out of the ordinary. Seabirds like Pacific loons are on my radar come spring, big northwest winds […]
…and I say that with all due respect to one of the smartest and cleverest birds on the planet. I’ve also known, for years, that I’m up against a most formidable opponent. Having guided a kayak tour at Prisoners Harbor on the north side of Santa Cruz Island, I returned to my backpack tucked away […]
The annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC), an event beloved by birders – and a crucially needed data set needed to assess our environmental status – is done here in Santa Barbara County by an all-volunteer team consisting of SBC Audubon Society members, and many who come to volunteer just for this important event. The 2024 […]
It was a rare summer day along the Southern California coast, as the fringe of Hurricane Eugene crept northward from Baja, California, into the sleepy coastal town of Carpinteria. It was early August. Since pre-dawn dark clouds had delivered steady rain, as water droplets trickled down the tinted glass of my beach lifeguard tower. The […]
by Leslie Rugg and Erica Brege The saying goes, “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” Leslie Rugg, Board of Directors President of The Plumery, a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to creating a haven for parrots, would add, “and if you go ahead and do, it just means someone else has to act responsibly!” […]
I was on an early morning beach run in Carpinteria, pink and orange hues melding across the eastern horizon. While weaving my way in soft sand past wintering killdeer and western snowy plovers, those hardy shorebirds thoroughly enjoyed the wrack lines of tattered giant bladder kelp left behind by the previous high tide. Later that […]
We hugged the crumbly west cliff face of Cuyler Harbor on San Miguel Island with no expectations from the seat of our kayaks. From afar, we couldn’t see any wildlife, but we could clearly hear first-year northern elephant seals snorting and bellowing on distant pocket beaches concealed along the rocky shoreline. I was paddling with […]
The best time to join the Santa Barbara Audubon Society is at its annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC), where anyone from hobbyist to serious ornithologist can contribute data locally that is then forwarded nationally to track the various bird species, their migratory paths, and population findings. Birds have long been regarded as a barometer for […]
Down on the Carpinteria State Beach, between the mouth of the Carpinteria Creek and southeast of the Tarpits, a nesting colony of western snowy plovers continues to grow on the popular summertime beach. Nesting season is March 15 to September 15, and in 2021, the first successful western snowy plover nest since 1960 saw three […]
The translucent, salty ocean droplets rolled off its velvety sheen feathers, glistening like crystal clear marbles as it streamed off the back of a wayward Pacific Loon. It was early summer 2022. Typically, not a time to catch a glimpse of a seabird that should’ve been well north, maybe even as far north as Alaska […]
First, it was their undeniable kyeer, kyeer. Then a blur of red and orange instantly diverted me toward their lofty refuge, 30 feet up the sturdy trunk of a Monterey cypress. Swooping to and from, the pair of northern flickers worked at a feverish pace readying their nest for their impending brood. This cypress stands […]
The prominent sandstone rock outcropping was riddled with gritty alcoves, clefts, lofty ledges, and shadowy caves. As I scanned with binoculars for any feathered occupants, I found five barn owls nesting in the upper reaches of this remote, sandstone cathedral. However, there was something else that caught my attention while attempting to conceal themselves 20 […]
On Saturday, May 14, an unusual influx of emaciated, weak, and hypothermic brown pelicans began arriving at the Wildlife Hospital at the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network (SBWCN). The amount of pelicans that are being rescued and delivered are increasing at a daily rate, but the cause of their condition is still unknown. There are […]
Relinquishing an exotic pet bird is rarely ideal, but an owner admitting they have run out of options to handle the full-time needs of a mature parrot is honest and very real. Most people are unprepared for the possessive commitment a parrot exhibits toward its owner or other beloved family member. When that commitment can’t […]
Bob Hazard’s recent piece, “Should the Montecito Water and Sanitary Districts Consolidate?” needs a host of corrections, out of respect for the intelligence (and ratepayer costs) of the citizens of Montecito, particularly Water District customers. As part of the “Montecito Water Security Team,” Hazard praises a number of studies – MORE STUDIES – on studies […]
