Conservation
American Robin-Nature’s Troubadours If you have ever lived somewhere that American Robins breed, a spring without their bright, lilting “cheerily, cheer up, cheerily, cheer up” song lacks something magical. Yet in 1959, Michigan State University (my alma mater—go Spartans!) faced this catastrophe. In the early 1950s, campus arbor specialists began trying to eradicate Dutch elm…
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Red Shouldered Hawk-our fearless buteo If you live in a Red-shouldered Hawk’s territory, you know it. (If you aren’t sure, you most likely don’t.) Even non-bird-oriented people can’t ignore this noisy, fearless, small buteo. At one time mostly residents of the county’s lowland riparian woodland, Red-shouldered Hawks in widespread abundance today appear to be…
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The Bushtit, San Diego County’s smallest songbird, is a long-tailed, effervescent, beady-eyed wisp of a thing that would easily go unnoticed if it led a solitary life—which it most definitely does not. A creature of the pack except during breeding season, it is almost never found alone, often traveling in groups of 6−40 birds. A…
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Bird Names for Birds Wilson Warbler Leucadia Photo by Steve Brad I remember my first one. Bright yellow underneath, yellow-olive back and wings. Striking black cap. “What is that bird?” I whispered to my friend. “Wilson’s Warbler.” Huh. That’s a disappointing name for such a stunner. Who was Wilson? Why did HE get this bird?…
Read MoreOceanside Christmas Bird Count 2021 (December 26, 2021) PDF of summary results
The Cuckoo in the Coal Mine
Yellow-billed Cuckoos (Coccyzus americanus) are fairly common in the eastern U.S. But in the last half-century, they have become rare in the West. Over the past 10 years in San Diego County, eBird shows unique sightings only 15 times—almost always a single bird in June or July, at Lake Henshaw, Lake Hodges, the Anza Borrego…
Read MoreYES ON PROP “A” & NO ON PROP “B”
In March, there are two important ballot measures regarding land use in San Diego County. One is Measure B, the Newland Sierra development in North County (Vote NO), and the other is Measure A, Safeguard Our San Diego Countryside (SOS), a countywide measure (Vote YES). MEASURE B-NEWLAND SIERRA The proposed Newland Sierra project, located north…
Read MoreWinter Spectacle — Cedar Waxwings
Christmas Bird Count 2018, Anstine Audubon Preserve in Vista. Our small group climbs a hill and checks for birds. Craning my neck, I mutter, “I hear Cedar Waxwings.” We all start scanning the tops of trees, the sky, in all directions. Nowhere to be seen. As the enumerator, I could just mark down “1” and…
Read MoreEndangered Species Day – Design a Bookmark Contest
BVAS is excited to announce our Design-a-Bookmark Contest for this year’s Endangered Species Day. Please see this flyer for complete information. Age groups: 12 and under, 12-17 years, and over 18. Sizes should be between 2”x 7” and 2.75”x 8.5”. Bookmark should feature one or more of California’s endangered and/or threatened plant or animals (see…
Read MoreYes on Y/SOAR (Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources)
Measure Y (SOAR), a proposition on the November City of Oceanside ballot, simply requires that before agricultural, open space, or parkland can be rezoned to other uses such as dense housing or commercial, the people of Oceanside have a right to vote on the change. We all pay the costs of sprawl development – traffic…
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