Mt. Diablo Audubon newsletter editor goes to bat once again for woodpeckers

22 Acorn woodpeckers were shot under a depradation permit issued to the Rossmoor condominium community from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service before intervention from Mt. Diablo Audubon and Audubon California. Following the intervention, the depradation stopped and the permit lapsed. However, just before the permit lapsed, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services unexpectedly trapped over 20 woodpeckers to use in an experiment to determine the best way to discourage them. Mt. Diablo Audubon QUAIL newsletter editor Ellis Myers commented on the latest development in the ongoing Acorn woodpecker controversy at Rossmore in Walnut Creek in the Bay Area. His letter to the editor of CONTRA COSTA TIMES is here. More coverage is on Mt. Diablo Audubon's website here and in the July/August QUAIL which will be posted on that site.

Pasadena Audubon, Los Angeles Audubon, Audubon Center at Debs Park launch 3rd annual AUDUBON FILM FRIDAYS

Los Angeles Audubon, Pasadena Audubon and Audubon Center at Debs Park are hosting our third annual FILM FRIDAYS at the Audubon Center at Debs Park. The free series in Spanish and English is shown on a wide screen outdoors under the stars for families and kids.

 
Friday, June 26th: Over the Hedge: A comedy about a group of animals taking back the neighborhood... One snack at a time.  (Spanish with English Subtitles)
 
Friday, July 24th: Water and Watersheds explored through two shorts-  Stream Spirit Rising and On the Arroyo Seco and the internationally acclaimed FLOW (English with Spanish Subtitles)
 
Friday, August 28th: The Education of Little Tree:- Little Tree is an 8-year-old Cherokee boy, who, learns the wisdom of the Cherokee way of life.  (English with Spanish Subtitles)
 
Prior to the shows, we will have Birds Walks in the park starting at 6:45 p.m. and running to 7:45 p.m.  Showtime is at 8 p.m. in the courtyard of the Audubon Center at Debs Park. Refreshments are provided by Trader Joe's!
 
Location: Audubon Center at Deb's Park 4700 North Griffin Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90031
For more information call: 323.221.2255

Bay Area Audubon Chapters (BAAC) united for Alameda Wildlife Refuge

Bay Area chapters are advocating for USF&W Service to accept Alameda Wildlife Refuge from U.S. Navy because of Least Tern colony. Audubon California has also written a letter of comment supporting that position. 

Friends of the Alameda Wildlife Refuge, a project initiated by Golden Gate Audubon Society, trains and maintains a corps of volunteers committed to protecting and enhancing the wildlife of the proposed Alameda National Wildlife Refuge.

In cooperation with the College of Alameda and Encinal High school, Friends of Alameda Wildlife Refuge has developed an environmental education program that involves training volunteers to act as docents for the refuge.  

Good news for seabirds at Gualala!

The Sea Ranch California Coastal National Monument Task Force won a national award given by the Bureau of Land Management in recognition of its monitoring efforts at Gualala Point Island.  The Task Force was one of eight volunteer groups to be recognized this year.  Madrone Audubon’s Diane Hichwa will be going to Washington, D.C. to receive the award. 

Also, California Coastal Commission decision to consider fireworks “development” needing a permit was ratified by California State Appeals Court on Friday, April 17. 

Central Sierra Audubon hosts Central Valley/Sierra Council meeting

Highlights:

• presentation of genetic study on 5 populations of Great Gray Owl that suggests the California population is isolated and distinct. (Josh Hull, UC Davis)
• Funding availability for restoration of San JoaquinRiver. (Jordan Wellwood, Audubon California)
• Important Bird Areas in the Central Valley/Sierra (Andrea Jones, Audubon California)
• Building your chapter through grant funding 

Big Day at Tejon Ranch

Audubon California Executive Director Graham Chisholm snapped this photo of eleven California Condors roosting in an oak tree during a visit to Tejon Ranch. The visit was part of a two day effort during spring migration to document species of plants, birds and other animals on the ranch. Prior to the effort, Jim Hardesty of San Fernando Valley Audubon Society led Olga Clarke of Los Angeles Audubon and others on a private field trip on the ranch as part of the Southwest Bird club. To join the club, contact Jim by email here

Sacramento Audubon publishes bird guide

Bird enthusiasts who live in the Sacramento area really have it good. Not only does their area feature one of the state's most spectacular array of birds and wildlife, but they also have a great local Audubon chapter. Sacramento Audubon Society recently made things even better by publishing a new, greatly expanded edition of "Birding in the Sacramento Region," a must-have guide for bird enthuasiasts.

The guide covers 77 sites, nearly twice as many as the previous edition, all described by experienced birders familiar with the birding spots. New Google maps allow more precise pinpointing of site locations, and the seperate section on where to find different species is much more detailed.

The nearly 200-page guide also includes information on where to find checklists and guides for other areas of Northern California, how to contact Audubon chapters and other conservation organizations in this part of the state, with addresses and websites, and a rundown on special events throughout the year.

It's ring-bound to withstand heavy use, with a sturdy plastic cover featuring portraits by Dan Brown of Nuttall's Woodpecker, California Thrasher, and Yellow-billed Magpie, all unique to this area.

The book can be purchased for $10 from Sacramento Audubon Society and at the Effie Yeaw Nature Center, and with a slight mark-up from Wild Birds & Gardens at Madison and Fair Oaks, Wildli Birds Unlimited at Loehman's Plaza, and The Naturalist in Davis.