Monterey Audubon Society newsletter: December 4 - 18, 2023

Hi there birders,

Going in to the holiday season, make sure to resist getting pulled into the frenzy of buying things. Of course it's nice to give little gifts to friends and family, but pause a moment to think about the items' longevity and purpose. Is it just going to end up in a landfill or thrift store before the end of 2024? I think hard about this before purchasing items for the kids in my extended family. Personally, I'd value time with family, tasty treats, or a planned activity over any material item. What are other ways to show love or caring this holiday season?

Inspired by The Story of Stuff, I remind my family members to not buy me any items for the holiday season. We'll have Zoom calls, exchange gift cards to restaurants, or plan future outings instead. You can't take it with you, plus there is no more room in the apartment. :)

Peace to you all, and many happy bird sightings!

Amanda Preece

Environmental Advocate, MAS

Ongoing Monterey County Gives! Fundraiser

Need another reason to donate to Monterey Audubon this winter? Swing by the Point Pinos Seawatch in Pacific Grove and learn about the stunning bird life we're documenting in Monterey Bay. We are past the halfway point in the Seawatch season (the final day is December 15), and our counter Alison and the outreach and birding volunteers are still going strong! Our Seawatch project was featured in the Monterey Herald last week - did you see us? Alison will give a short summary of the season at our December 12th presentation night at the Pacific Grove Museum. Also big thanks to the birders who have covered for Alison on Sundays - Paul Fenwick, Blake Matheson, Bill Hubick, Kai Russell, Don Roberson, Rita Carratello, and Fred Hochstaedter. Learn more about this project on the Sewatch Program page of our website!

Each year the board has to weigh the costs of our multiple conservation projects, including the Point Pinos Seawatch Project, Central Coast Black Oystercatcher Monitoring Project, and others. With a small budget, we work hard to ensure the greatest impact with the resources we have. This winter, we are again participating in Monterey County Gives!, a year-end campaign that inspires local philanthropy and benefits selected nonprofits. This effort amplifies year end giving by providing a partial matching donation (usually about 10%) to participating organizations. You can pay online by credit card, mail in a check, donate IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD), or even stocks! Thank you to the many folks who have already donated. It means a lot to us!

Donations can be made at the link below through the end of the year. Thank you for the support!

https://www.montereycountygives.com/audubon

Monthly Program Speaker - Chris Tenney

Tuesday, December 12, 2023, 7:30 PM

Our December speaker will be of interest to the Lepidopterists (i.e. you like butterflies) in our community. Local author, photographer, birder, and butterfly enthusiast Chris Tenney will be our speaker. In 2015, he set a record doing a "Big Year" for butterflies in the United States, and has become the local expert on Monterey County’s butterflies. Chris recently published the first butterfly field guide for our region, which is available in the Pacific Grove Museum's gift store. He will have copies to sell after his presentation as well.

The Museum doors open for refreshments and socializing at 7:00 PM and the program begins at 7:30 PM. Monterey Audubon's Board Meetings are also open to the general MAS membership and begin at 5:30 PM in the same room.

Mark your calendars for 2023/2024 winter birds surveys (aka Christmas Bird Count)! More count locations and contact information is on our website.

Preventing Window Collisions is Low-hanging Fruit - Can You Help?

Want to get involved with encouraging local cities to adopt bird safe window ordinances? There is a lot of information online about this topic, especially from the American Bird Conservancy. We'd love to have residents of cities within our chapter area take up the mantel of "window warrior" and spearhead efforts to enact city code that requires bird friendly windows or window treatments in the building code.

Bird-window collisions are a growing area of focus for conservation management. The recent Interdisciplinary Symposium on Bird-Window Collisions from the American Ornithological Society & Society of Canadian Ornithologists meeting integrated perspectives from scientific research, industries, and policy. Speakers came from diverse vocations, career stages and institutions across North America to discuss topics in avian sensory biology and behavior, conservation management, and architecture and industrial design. Presentations were recorded and are available at THIS link. Check them out! No need to reinvent the wheel. Want to hop on the window wagon? Email Amanda to join the cause.

Other Upcoming In-person Events

Pinnacles National Park Bird Walk - Fresno Audubon

Wednesday, December 6, 7:00 am

This trip starts on the east side of the park. Hosted by Fresno Audubon. Register online HERE.

Struve Slough field trip - Central Coast Birding Collective

Sunday, December 10, 9:00-11:00 am

Join CCBC for their last outing of 2023 along West Struve Slough, one of the beautiful wetlands of Watsonville. More info online HERE.

Plan for Early 2024 CA Birding Festivals

Morro Bay Bird Festival
January 11 - January 15, 2024

Promoting an understanding and appreciation of birds and other wildlife and an awareness of environmental and conservation issues of the Central Coast. More info and registration online HERE.

Salton Sea Bird Festival

January 13, 2024 @ 7:00 am – 5:00 pm

The Evolving Salton Sea: What you See and What the Sea Provides. More information online HERE.

Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway (Chico, CA)

January 25, 2024 - 28, 2024

Join us in the search for winter birds of the Pacific Flyway on 4-days of action-packed field trips with experienced trip leaders and lots of geese. More online HERE.

More birding festivals from around the country are listed on the All About Birds website.

Virtual Events

Tues, Dec 5, 9:30 AM PT - Catalyzing a “Blue Mind” for Ocean Health and Personal Health, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation

Tues, Dec 5, 4:00 PM PT - Federal and Local Bills that Protect Birds, American Bird Conservancy

Tues, Dec 5, 4:00 PM PT - The Power of Storytelling with BirdNote, Audubon Everglades

Thurs, Dec 7, 4:00 PM PT - A Conversation with Anne Hecht, endangered species biologist for Piping Plovers, NYC Plover Project

Thurs, Dec 7, 5:30 PM PT - TLC for Native Trees, CA Native Plant Society

Tues, Dec 12, 9:00 AM PT - Live Broadcast Condor Release Event, Ventana Wildlife Society

Tues, Dec 12, 4:00 PM PT - Birds at Home: Winter Bird Feeding, Black Swamp Bird Observatory

Tues, Dec 12, 7:00 PM PT - Top10 Most Wanted Yard Birds: A Christmas Bird Count Primer, Ventura Audubon

Tues, Dec 12, 7:00 PM PT - Rich Cimino's Favorite Birds of the Sierra Nevada, Fresno Audubon

Thurs, Dec 14, 7:30 PM PT - Distribution and Ecology of Vernal Pools, CA Native Plant Society

Sun, Dec 17, 6:00 PM PT - Birding Adventures in the Central Himalayan Kingdoms of Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan with Dr. James Bland, Morro Bay Bird Festival

Mon, Dec 18, 3:00 PM PT - Audubon's Role in Protecting Saline Lakes of the Intermountain West, National Audubon Society

eBird's 2023 Taxonomy Updates webinar

Did you notice a few weeks ago when eBird was down, and perhaps you gained or lost a few species on your life list without actually going out bird watching? How's that possible? Join avian taxonomy experts from eBird and Birds of the World for a discussion of recent updates to the eBird/Clements checklist. The checklist is now showing across all Lab projects including eBird, Macaulay Library, Merlin, and Birds of the World. The team will provide a brief overview of the 2023 taxonomy updates and recent efforts to standardize bird taxonomy across all major global checklists. They will also present interesting taxonomic shifts and discuss what changes are most likely to affect your life list. This a recording of the webinar and is posted on YouTube at THIS link. Enjoy, taxonomy nerds!

Getting close to the end of the year, that means holidays, food, and fun is in store. Have a lovely time!

Visit our website to sign up for field trips and learn about our efforts to protect local birds.