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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Birding Information: Local Birds from MDAS Photo Contests Krista Vossekuil, MDAS Education Chair Krista Vossekuil will share some of the photos from the MDAS Photo Contests! Check out all the amazing entries and enjoy pictures of some of our incredible local birds. Bullock's Orioles, Morgan Territory, photo by Jerry Britten Main Program: Emperors of the Ice: […]

Birding Information: Eagle Scout Nest Box Projects Georgette Howington, Nest box monitor for the California Bluebird Recovery Program Georgette Howington will introduce several Eagle Scouts who completed Nest Box and other projects to help birds and wildlife in our community. Be inspired by their hard work and ingenuity! Main Program: A Gallop Through the Galapagos […]

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 […]