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Nature

Birders Agog When (Neo)Tropic Comes to Stanislaus County

August 31, 2020 By Ralph Baker 2 Comments

Neotropic Cormorant 30 August 2020 Richard Brown

Few things excite birders more than seeing a new bird for their “Life List.” It’s even more exciting when the new bird is also a “first” for a given region, often the birder’s home county. When the bird is exceptionally rare and out of range, the excitement builds even more, so when Ralph Baker found a bird that normally occurs in the tropics and southern United States from Texas east, […]

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: Birder Jim Gain, Birder Ralph Baker, Neotropic Cormorant in Central Valley, Neotropic Cormorant in San Joaquin Valley, Neotropic Cormorant in Stanislaus County

When One “Least” Bird Leads to Another — a Rare Find

June 12, 2020 By Jim Gain Leave a Comment

Least Bittern by Eric Begin

  Jim Gain’s Reflection’s of the Natural World offers a record of his experiences in nature, documented by beautiful photographs and exciting narratives. He is one of our best local naturalists and photographers. The following is adapted from his latest post; the original has a bit more detail. The Discovery It was 6:30 am and I found myself, once again, in a restricted area at the southern part of the […]

Filed Under: Nature

When Social Distancing is for the Birds

April 17, 2020 By Eric Caine 7 Comments

Broad-winged Hawk by Jim Gain

Like the rest of us, Jim Gain couldn’t have imagined that 2020 would bring a devastating pandemic when he retired last year. Gain was Supervisor of Educational Technology for the Modesto City Schools district. A gifted photographer and naturalist, Gain was looking forward to updating his Reflections of the Natural World website, visiting some of the nation’s most famous birding hotspots, and enjoying family life with his wife and son. […]

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge birds, Stanislaus County bird list

Ultra-rare Gull Visits Stanislaus County

February 23, 2019 By Jim Gain 1 Comment

Few experiences in birding match the thrill of finding a “first” record, which involves not just seeing a bird for its first occurrence in a given place, but documenting (recording) its presence. His impressive skill at photography has enabled Jim Gain to document many of our rarest visitors, including the ultra-rare gull he found a few days ago. More of Jim’s birding adventures and superb photos are at his website, […]

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: San Joaquin Valley birding, Stanislaus County birding

The Raven

February 14, 2019 By Jim Gain 2 Comments

Jim Gain is one of the San Joaquin Valley’s most accomplished naturalists and photographers. We’re pleased to publish one of his most recent posts. Find more of Jim’s fine work here. “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, …” This post was supposed to be about Short-eared Owls, not about the embodiment of a symbolic metaphor for never-ending remembrance. THE PLAN WAS… Early yesterday morning as […]

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: Birding in Merced Counting, Central Valley birding

Jim Gain: A Gift for Nature

January 29, 2019 By Eric Caine 1 Comment

Decades ago, after a Biology class taught by legendary Modesto Junior College Professor Joe Medeiros, Jim Gain knew what his college major would be, and he followed up with a degree from California State University Stanislaus in Turlock. His early fascination with “herps”—reptiles and amphibians—led to an interest in nature in general, and especially birds. After he started showing up at few Valley birding “hot spots” and took part in […]

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: Stanislaus County birds

Birder on a Run with 321

October 31, 2017 By Eric Caine Leave a Comment

These days, Harold Reeve says he’s only running, “12 to 15 miles a week.” He runs more when he’s training for a marathon or shorter race, but no matter how often or how far he runs, he always carries a pair of binoculars. The binoculars are Reeve’s way of combining passions; he loves running, but he also loves birding. Combining the two sports sounds implausible, but in addition to keen […]

Filed Under: Featured, Nature Tagged With: Stanislaus County bird list, Stanislaus County birding, Stanislaus County birds

Reeve Notches another New Bird

October 16, 2017 By Eric Caine Leave a Comment

Whenever Harold Reeve has a few minutes away from family, work, and church, he generally squeezes in a little birding. He’s been compiling lists of Stanislaus County birds for over thirty years, including lists of nesting birds, wintering raptors, and, most especially, all species ever present in the county. Late last Saturday afternoon, Reeve had a few minutes before a concert in Denair. He decided to drive east and look […]

Filed Under: Featured, Nature Tagged With: Stanislaus County bird list, Stanislaus County birding

State Double-Feature is for the Birds

April 17, 2017 By admin Leave a Comment

Though it’s one of the most altered landscapes in the west, the northern San Joaquin Valley still retains remnants of its marvelous natural history. The most obvious are the winter flights of waterfowl, still numbering in the hundreds of thousands. But many of the Valley’s natural treasures, even some of the most spectacular, are hidden from all but a select few Valley residents and visitors. These hidden gems include common […]

Filed Under: Featured, Nature Tagged With: Merced County birding, Stanislaus County birding, Stanislaus County birds

Tiny Bird Returns for Audubon Christmas Count

January 9, 2017 By Eric Caine Leave a Comment

Last Monday morning, an ambitious birder said she had high hopes for seeing a bright red bird. Local birders of the hard core variety knew Sharon Reeve was hoping to see a Vermilion Flycatcher, a winter rarity that resides many miles south of the Valley. The species had been recorded only twice previously in Stanislaus County. Over a dozen birders, most of them members of the Stanislaus Audubon Society Board […]

Filed Under: Featured, Nature Tagged With: Stanislaus Audubon Christmas Count, Vermilion Flycatcher Stanislaus County

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Off The Wire

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Audubon Files Lawsuit to Protect Migratory Bird Treaty Act
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Trump Authoritarianism Denial Is Over Now
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PO Box 156
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