Tag Archives | Altacal Audubon Society

Ecuador – 488 species in 10 days

Ecuador is arguably one of the most species-rich countries in the world. As a science teacher, it was Ken Sobon’s lifelong dream to visit the Amazon jungle. Follow his journey from Quito, the historical city on the Equator, to the high-altitude cloud forest, making stops all the way down to the Amazon Basin’s Rio Napo.

Ken Sobon is an avid birder and has been a science teacher to middle school students in Oroville since 1995. He is the President of AltaCal and is the Northern California representative on the California Audubon state board. He has also been the Director of the Northern Saw-whet Owl Research Project for the past seven years.

Click here for Zoom Link

Or join Zoom using Meeting ID: 814 1922 0519 and Passcode: 067194

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Purple Martins in the Central Valley: Going, Going, Gone

Take a tour of the birding hotspots in Pt. Reyes: there are such diverse habitats, from grasslands, estuaries and sandy beaches, lagoons to coastal chaparral and hardwood/conifer forests, and this leads to a great diversity of bird species. This program will highlight many of the past Altacal trips and all the rare migrants and other cool birds that have been seen at Pt. Reyes National Seashore. Altacal has been leading camping trips to Pt. Reyes for decades, and we have seen some really interesting birds (as well as other wildlife) there over the years. During fall migration, some eastern warblers and other birds somehow get off track and end up migrating south along the west coast, and Pt. Reyes is the perfect stopping point. Mary will introduce you to the main birding spots with maps and photos and share stories about them all. If you have never joined Altacal on one of these trips, you will want to after watching this presentation! Black-throated Blue Warbler by JT Lewis Purple Martins have been in long-term decline in California due to factors such as habitat loss, competition with the European Starling, disturbance from construction projects, and declines in their insect food supply due to neonicotinoid insecticide use. Dan Airola has been studying and working for over two decades to conserve the last Central Valley population of Purple Martins, which nest in elevated freeways and overpasses in Sacramento. This program will present his study results and describe conservation measures that have been implemented and are needed to protect this species and help it recover. Dan Airola is a wildlife biologist and ornithologist who has worked for over 40 years on bird conservation issues in Northern California. His recent research addresses status, ecology, migration, and conservation of at-risk species including the Tricolored Blackbird, Swainson’s Hawk, Yellowbilled Magpie, fire-adapted forest species, and migrant songbirds. Dan also serves the Central Valley Bird Club as a Director and Conservation Chair.

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Altacal Audubon’s Annual Members’ Slide Show

Join us for a virtual zoom program when members and friends of Altacal Audubon show off their photos at our annual Members’ Slide Show, a favorite program for many. There are always some great new, and sometimes old, (that’s OK too) pictures to see and tales to hear. We will also hear about plans for the annual Chico and Oroville Christmas bird counts taking place over the following weekends. Contact Jennifer Patten at jpchico@sbcglobal.net, so we know ahead of time how many will be showing photos.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82857100070?pwd=U3JpMFBZV2hJOTNENTd4M0RqMnpmdz09

Meeting ID: 828 5710 0070

Passcode: 709497

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Winter Birds – Neighbors & Visitors: Birds of Your Backyard

Say's Phoebe

Say’s Phoebe

During this age of COVID, many of you have cancelled your birding trip to Surinam or Borneo. So maybe it is a good time to revisit some information on resident birds and our winter visitors. Mac’s presentation is a program to help refresh the minds of experienced birders, as well as provide a general introduction to those more curious about who’s hopping around in their backyard. During the course of the talk, Mac will include tips on bird identification, feeders, feathers, and a few humorous anecdotes of his almost 50 years of “birding”.

John “Mac” McCormick is a retired high school biology teacher of 37 years, and has been an avid birder since the 1970s. He is the former co-director of the San Francisco State University (SFSU) Sierra Nevada Field Station Bird Banding Program. Mac has literally handled thousands of birds during the seventeen summers he spent banding. Since his retirement in 2000, he has traveled the world, bird watching in such exotic places such as the Peruvian Amazon Basin, Brazil, Central America, Australia, and Japan.

Join Altacal’s Zoom Meeting
Monday February 15th
at 6:30pm
Meeting ID: 831 6580 6866 Passcode: 201364
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Altacal Members’ Slide Show & Christmas Bird Count Update

Western Screech-Owl

Western Screech-Owl

Join us for a virtual zoom program with members and friends of Altacal Audubon sharing their photos at our annual Members’ Slide Show, a favorite program for many. There are always some great new, and sometimes old, (that’s OK too) pictures to see and tales to hear. Also, at this program we will hear about plans for the annual Chico and Oroville Christmas bird counts taking place over the following weekends. Contact Jennifer Patten, jpchico@sbcglobal.net, so we know ahead of time how many will be showing photos. You will need to get your photos to Mary Muchowski (director@altacal.org) beforehand on a flashdrive, or have a PowerPoint prepared that you can share on Zoom.

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