Birding Info: David Robinson, from our sister chapter Golden Gate Audubon, will share information about Auk the Vote! Partnering with groups such as the League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club Independent Action, Environmental Voter Project, 350 Bay Area, Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action, and others, Auk the Vote! helps birders do all we can to elect leaders who share our values and our sense of urgency about birds, the environment, environmental justice, and climate change. David Robinson is…

Birding Info: Join Paul Detjens of Contra Costa County Flood Control District and Krista Vossekuil of John Muir Land Trust to learn about the Lower Walnut Creek / Pacheco Marsh Restoration and Public Access Project. The Project will restore and enhance more than 232 acres of salt marsh habitat and become a favorite destination for birdwatchers throughout the region. More here: https://jmlt.org/our-places/pacheco-marsh Main Program: Wildlife and Wildfire: Animal Adaptations for a Dynamic Ecosystem with Lynn Schofield Wildfires are an important part…

Birding Info: Do you love Northern Saw-whet Owls? Julie Woodruff will provide an update on her Northern Saw-whet Owl banding project, a local program supported by Mt. Diablo Audubon Society.           Main Program: Tricolored Blackbirds with Xerónimo Castañeda Xeronimo Castañeda is a Conservation Project Manager with Audubon California. A native of California he has lived and worked from Monterey to Arcata, ventured to the east coast and eventually finding his way to Sacramento. His work with…

Karla Banding Owlet, photo by Chris Sargent Birding Info: Mt. Diablo Audubon Society President Jerry Britten will report highlights of the 2020 Christmas Bird Counts. Photo by Brian Plath Main Program: Real Life Great Horned Owl Soap Opera with Karla Bloem A real-life soap opera has played itself out over the past 15 years between over 25 captive and wild Great Horned Owls that have formed the basis of an in-depth vocal study on the species. You’ll experience owl dating,…

Verdin photo by Eddie Bartley Birding Info: Frank Ruiz, Salton Sea Program Director for Audubon California, will provide an update on some recent breakthroughs for conserving the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is a perfect example of the water crisis in the west, affecting thousands of birds and exacerbating the already existing health crisis in the region. Water diversion and the ongoing drought has prompted the Salton Sea to recede at a faster pace calling for an expedite implementation of the…

California Poppies photo by Stephen Smith Birding Info: We are trying something new this month! Instead of a birding info speaker, we are going to spend 15 minutes socializing with other Mt. Diablo Audubon members in Zoom breakout rooms. Meet some new people, or reconnect with old birding buddies! Globe Lily, photo by Stephen Smith Main Program: Wildflowers of Mount Diablo with Stephen Smith Local wildflower enthusiast Steve Smith will present Wildflowers of Mount Diablo: Flower Lore.  Ever wonder why…

Adélie penguin photo by Annie Schmidt Birding Info: Beginning with a brief introduction to the Female Bird Day effort (established 2019), Joanna Wu, GIS Analyst and Biologist with the National Audubon Society, will explain the consequences of overlooking female birds, both in birding and the sciences. Then she will cover some tips for female identification based on appearance, vocalizations, behavior, and more. Annie Schmidt in Antarctica Main Program: Coldest, Driest, Windiest: studying Adélie penguins on the harshest continent with Annie Schmidt Annie Schmidt,…

Photo by Ivan Phillipsen Picture from one of the YES Nature Day Outings at a local Regional Park. Photo credit to YES N2N Birding Info: In partnership with nature, YES Nature to Neighborhoods nurtures leaders who champion the wellbeing of our community. Eric Aaholm, Executive Director, and Luis Pacheco, YLP Program Manager for YES will discuss its role in developing strong youth and adult leaders starting as young as age eight via engagement in both nearby nature and backcountry settings. Rufous-capped Warbler, photo…

Photo by Lauren Schmaltz Birding Info: Krista Vossekuil and Rosalie Howarth will show us the winning photos from the Second Annual MDAS Photo Contest. See the top five finalists in each of eight categories, and learn what the judges had to say about the top pictures. Admire the work of some of our chapter's finest photographers in this special slideshow presentation. Main Program: Why Save Parrots? with Lauren Schmaltz The World Parrot Trust (WPT) is an international leader in science-based, results-oriented parrot…

Main Program: Birds (and Other Wildlife) of Zambia Jerry Britten, MDAS President Zambia may not be one of the first countries in Africa one thinks of as a safari destination, but perhaps this lends to its appeal. Zambia in fact is a politically stable country about the size of Texas, with many parks and safari areas teeming with diverse wildlife in a variety of subtropical habitats, offering a true wilderness experience far from crowds. Jerry Britten, currently MDAS President and Christmas Bird…

Main Program: Twenty Seasons of Nest Box Monitoring Lee Pauser As a volunteer, Lee Pauser has been building, installing, and monitoring nest boxes (a nest box is an artificial cavity) for twenty nesting seasons. The presentation includes photos and videos of the eighteen species of cavity nesting birds that have graced his nest boxes. His effort have resulted in 16,858 birds fledging of which 6,670 are Western Bluebirds. Lee is a member of the California Bluebird Recovery Program (CBRP), Santa…

Birding Info: Cabin Lake Bird Blinds Photos Jerry Britten, MDAS President MDAS President Jerry Britten will share some photos he has taken at the Cabin Lake Bird Blinds in Central Oregon. Main Program: Owls Through the Ages Karla Bloem, Executive Director of the International Owl Center Owls are omens of death. Owls are creator beings. Owl eggs can cure serious diseases. These are all views that are currently held in different cultures on different continents. Why is it important to understand these different…

Birding Info: Pine Canyon's Peregrines Peregrine Team Members of the Peregrine Team will share a video synopsis of the Pine Canyon peregrines' historic and memorable year, taken directly from the notes and photography of the Peregrine Team. Main Program: From Mono Lake to Mar Chiquita: A Future for Phalaropes and Saline Lakes Ryan Carle, Science Manager, Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge Wilson's and red-necked Phalaropes are tiny but charismatic shorebirds that rely on saline lakes like Mono Lake and Owens Lake as…

Birding Info: Highlights Of The 2021 Christmas Bird Counts Jerry Britten Mt. Diablo Audubon Society President Jerry Britten will report highlights of the 2021 Christmas Bird Counts. Main Program: Audible Mount Diablo Joan Hamilton, founder and owner, Audio Guides to the Outdoors Joan Hamilton is a writer, editor, and multimedia producer. She is founder and owner of Audio Guides to the Outdoors, which has created multimedia guides for Save Mount Diablo, Mount Diablo Interpretive Association, Midpeninsula Open Space District, Save…

Birding Info: Mt. Diablo Audubon Society draft Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging statement Mt. Diablo Audubon board members Juan Pablo Galván Martínez, Ariana Rickard, and Krista Vossekuil will present a draft Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Statement for the chapter. Main Program: Mount Diablo—an Island in Suburbia  Michael Marchiano, Naturalist Michael will provide an overview of plant and animal life on Mount Diablo, including trees, shrubs, wildflowers, insects, spiders, reptiles, birds, and mammals. This short natural history presentation will also…

Birding Info: The Mt. Diablo Audubon board will provide an overview of the chapter's activities, projects, and programs. Main Program: SF Baykeeper and the State of the Bay Sejal Choksi-Chugh Sejal Choksi-Chugh, Executive Director of San Francisco Baykeeper, will discuss the state of the Bay and the major issues Baykeeper is tackling. San Francisco Baykeeper has defended the Bay since 1989 by patrolling on the water, investigating pollution, holding polluters accountable, and strengthening the laws that protect the Bay and…

Main Program: Cooperation and conflict in the communal world of the Acorn Woodpecker Walt Koenig Acorn Woodpecker, best known for their unique habit of storing acorns by the thousands in special structures known as “granaries”, exhibit one of the most complex social systems of any bird. Family groups of this species, sometimes numbering a dozen or more birds, contain multiple breeders of both sexes, a rare phenomenon called “polygynandry”, along with young from prior years that serve as “helpers-at-the-nest”. Based…

Main Program: Soundscapes to Landscapes Dr. Leo Salas and David Leland The earth’s biodiversity and associated ecosystem services are in a severe state of decline due to human pressure, however, our knowledge of these changes and impacts is often incomplete and limited to few and small areas. Join us to learn how Soundscapes to Landscapes is using a combination of multiple technologies and the power of citizen/community scientists to fill this data gap – starting with a focus on Sonoma…

Birding Information: MDAS President Jerry Britten will present highlights of his summer Alaskan birding trip to the High Arctic Tundra and the Anchorage area. Main Program: Gardening for Birds with California Native Plants Eddie Bartley and Noreen Weeden You can have a beautiful native plant garden that attracts amazing birds, butterflies and other wildlife. Learn about the benefits of local, native plants and some of the wonderful birds that are drawn to this place and to these plants. We will…

Birding Information: Mt. Diablo Audubon Society is way ahead of a lot of other bird conservation groups. We help birds where they live year round, not just where we see them around Diablo. Many of California’s birds are migratory, and spend half the year south of the border. We financially support conservation groups in Latin America where birds winter, but also where the species and habitats are much more numerous and diverse than around here. Juan Pablo Galván Martínez, our Conservation…

Birding Information: Highlights Of The 2022 Christmas Bird Counts  Jerry Britten, MDAS President Mt. Diablo Audubon Society President Jerry Britten will report highlights of the 2022 Christmas Bird Counts. Main Program: Highlights of a Career in Journalism Joan Morris Joan Morris will talk about the highs, lows, and crazy assignments she had during her 44-year career as a newspaper reporter and columnist — assignments that included a double homicide on her first day on the job, a mass shooting in Concord…

A 27 Year Wildflower Journey: The Making of Beauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers and Climate Change Rob Badger and Nita Winter Rob Badger and Nita Winter take you behind the scenes on their 27-year journey photographing wildflowers throughout California and the West. It began in 1992 when they discovered and fell in love with California's spectacular wildflower blooms in the Mojave Desert's Antelope Valley California Poppy Preserve. Photographing these beautiful landscapes and individual flowers evolved into their documentary art…

Ornitherapy: Watching birds: not only fun, it’s good for you!  Holly Merker Learn why getting your daily dose of Ornitherapy is just what the doctor ordered….Long to-do lists, digital demands, people to connect with- life can be busy! If we allow birds and nature to slow us down, we are practicing “selfcare”. Research shows that exposure to nature actively reduces stress, depression, and anxiety, while helping build a stronger heart and immune system. Birds are gateways into deeper experiences with…