Elated nature lovers celebrated the end of August with news that California Assemblymember Adam Gray had acquired $40 million to further enhance development of wetlands and riparian forests at the confluence of the Tuolumne, San Joaquin and Stanislaus Rivers. Led by River Partners, the project will restore natural habitat and add tremendous value to the nearby San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge. With over 90% of Valley wetlands lost to […]
Nature
Learn 100 Valley Birds #6: Loggerhead Shrike
The Loggerhead Shrike is a Fairly Common Resident in the San Joaquin Valley and can be found in grasslands, freshwater wetlands and chaparral habitats. There are two species of shrike regularly found in the US, the Loggerhead Shrike and the Northern Shrike. However, the Northern Shrike is a very rare vagrant to the Central Valley. Status Loggerhead Shrikes are currently considered a California Bird Species of Special Concern (breeding), priority […]
Remembering Bill Amundsen
Modesto resident Bill Amundsen, a founding member of Stanislaus Audubon Society, passed away earlier this week. He was on the Audubon Society’s Board of Directors for almost forty years. His only interruption in service after its establishment in 1973 was during the period he served as his son’s Boy Scout Master. He was a big man who during his college years served as a nightclub bouncer. His love of nature […]
Learn 100 Valley Birds #5: Dark-eyed Junco
Among the many joys of birding, the arrival of winter visitors is an ongoing thrill. With September looming, birders and nature lovers will be looking forward to the arrivals of White- and Golden-crowned Sparrows as well as the distinctive “little birds with the hoods.” Here, Jim Gain gives us his usual spectacular images and the proper name of our distinctive winter visitors, those, “little birds with the hoods.” They should […]
Learn 100 Valley Birds #4: Western Kingbird
Number 4 in Jim Gain’s “Learn 100 Valley Birds” series is the Western Kingbird. Anyone who’s driven along the Valley’s many country roads during spring and summer has seen Western Kingbirds, whether or not they know the name. Below, Jim describes the field marks for these beautiful birds, and also alerts observers to watch for the far less common Cassin’s Kingbird. Western Kingbirds are Common Summer Visitors to the San Joaquin Valley […]
Learn 100 Valley Birds #3: Common Valley Owls
Today’s post is another three-fer offering that includes the three owls that most Valley Visitors are likely to encounter in an urban setting: Great Horned Owl, Barn Owl and Western Screech-Owl. There are other possible owl species that one might come across in the grasslands and foothill woodlands away from town. One of those, the Burrowing Owl, will have its own future post and the others are considerably less likely […]
Learn 100 Valley Birds #2: Anna’s Hummingbird
Jim Gain calls Anna’s Hummingbird, the second in the “Learn 100 Birds” series, a “three-fer” because it illustrates one of the basic tactics for building a local birding list. This tactic involves knowing a birding fundamental: Learn the most common bird and you will often also learn one or two other similar but less common birds. The Anna’s Hummingbird offers a classic case. In the San Joaquin Valley, if you […]
Learn 100 Valley Birds with Jim Gain
Jim Gain’s Reflections of the Natural World is one of the finest online explorations of nature anywhere. Jim has graciously permitted us to publish his new series, “Learn 100 Common Valley Birds.” While it may sound daunting, with Jim’s expert help and superb photos, learning to identify 100 common species is not only possible, it’s a great incentive to get outside and enjoy the Valley’s splendid natural history. Here’s Jim’s […]
Dos Rios: The Many Facets of a Natural Gem
“It looks like a bunch of weeds,” said David Froba when he pulled over to look at an early stage restoration project near the confluence of the Tuolumne, San Joaquin and Stanislaus Rivers, just west of Modesto. The “weeds” may not be as attractive as the ducks, geese, and songbirds that capture the attention of nature lovers when they visit the nearby San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge, but they’re […]
Goose Music Greets Birders for Frosty Count
January 2, Stanislaus County birders and friends scraped the frost off their windshields well before the sun rose and motored out to their assigned areas for the 122nd annual Audubon Christmas Count, a worldwide event that provides a huge database for fluctuations in bird populations around the world. One of hundreds of compilers of local counts in the United States, Harold Reeve was joined by his wife Sharon and their […]