Little Sanderling

v4.17

Monterey Audubon Society newsletter: August 14 - 28, 2023

 

Hi there birding buddies,

 

Another Little Sanderling for the history books! And my apologies if I've been difficult to contact lately. I've been really busy with some exciting projects, like our Young Birders Club and Big Sur Land Trust partnership (see more below). And while our summer programs may be winding down, we're already gearing up for the Point Pinos Seawatch (Nov 1 - Dec 15) and Christmas Bird Counts (Dec 15 - Jan 5). Stay tuned for more information on these exciting upcoming projects.

 

Thank you all so much for your support, either through donations, emails of encouragement, or attending our field trips and presentations. You all make the birding community special.

 

Amanda Preece

Environmental Advocate, MAS

 New MAS Field Trips posted!

 

Young Birders Club: Andrew Molera and Condor Discovery Center

Saturday, August 19  |  9:00 - 11:00

 

Birdability Field Trip: Elkhorn Slough

Monday, August 21  |  9:00 - noon

 

Frog Pond in Del Rey Oaks

Saturday September 9 |  9:00 am - Noon

 

Check out the details of these field trips and more on our website! 

Calling All Young Birders

 

We led two excellent field trips to the Toro Creek Bird Banding Station at Fort Ord National Monument with our Young Birders Club (YBC) this summer. On our first trip, kids got to see the dramatic size difference between a Bushtit (5 grams = 1 nickel) and a California Scrub-Jay (80 grams = about the weight of a standard bar of soap). Both where being measured, aged, and banded by our professional bird banding crew and operating under a federal banding permit. On the bird walk portion of the trip we spotted a California King Snake on the trail and observed it with our binoculars. At our second visit to the station we got to see a hatch year Pacific-slope Flycatcher with pristine plumage get a shiny new band placed on it's leg by the bird banding crew. During our bird walk we spotted two juvenile Cooper's Hawks in the nearby trees. Everyone got good looks through the spotting scope.

 

A key part of our bird banding station management is public outreach. Showing people, and especially kids, these songbirds up-close has a strong impact. They notice the fragility, the expressions, the little bristles around the beak. Sometimes for new birders these tiny details are lost when we are looking at birds through binoculars. Birds just don't often sit still and can be hard to see! The goal of our outreach work is to inspire these young birders to care about nature, stay excited about exploring our beautiful world, and encourage them to follow career paths that incorporate protecting the natural world. The bird banding season has wrapped up, but our YBC field trips continue! Upcoming Fall trips are listed below:

 

Andrew Molera State Park and the Condor Discovery Center

Saturday August 19, 2023, 9:00 - 11:00

 

Coastal Cleanup Day and Birding at Carmel River State Beach

Saturday September 23, 2023, 9:00 - 11:00

 

Del Monte Beach: Dead or Alive! Halloween Birding

Sunday October 29, 2023, 9:00 - 11:00

 

The November trip date is not finalized but we're aiming to host it in Salinas at Natividad Creek Park. For December, we want to have a field trip that coincides with the Monterey CBC which is held on Monday Dec 27 or join another CBC (Santa Cruz is Dec 17 and Moss Landing Jan 1). If anyone wants to help with organizing either of these I'd be glad for the assistance.

 

If you know any young birders or naturalists, please share the link to our website! You can also promote the YBC with local schools, libraries, youth groups or other groups in your community. We'd love to have more kids participate and learn about the amazing birds and wildlife that call Monterey County home.

 

Pictured below: Young Birder extraordinaire Ronaldo observes a Pacific-slope Flycatcher getting banded then assists with releasing it. Pictures by YBC supporter Paul Fleischman.

MAS Helps Survey Birds in New Salinas Park

 

The Big Sur Land Trust (BSLT) now owns 73 acres within the area known as Carr Lake in the middle of Salinas, California. This property is west of the current city park commonly known as Upper Carr Lake, and is currently comprised of agricultural fields. BSLT has been developing plans for building a neighborhood park at this property while also including wetland restoration and water quality improvements. This project is a win-win, as it will help address the lack of parks and open space in the Salinas area while also creating bird habitat. The park will include a 6-acre neighborhood park that will include a traditional playground, barbecues, picnic areas and more. Construction is due to begin this fall on this portion of the park. It will also include a 67-acre restoration area featuring seasonal wetlands, habitat for wildlife, and trails.

 

MAS stepped up to help survey birds at the site to document what birds are present pre-restoration and what starts to show up post-restoration, documenting the benefit of these types of restoration projects for wildlife. MAS Environmental Advocate Amanda Preece visits Carr Lake monthly, usually with a CSUMB student volunteer, to identify and count what birds are present. The diversity is surprisingly high given the existing conditions at the site! The eBird checklists for Carr Lake hint at the greatness that we'll see once the wetland restoration is complete, returning a small portion of the Salinas Valley to its former marshy state. This site will be especially beneficial to wetland birds, like ducks, waders, and shorebirds. During the past winter we observed Common Mergansers, stilts, yellowlegs, and even Ruddy Ducks in the flooded fields! Imagine how much more beneficial the site will be when there is emergent marshland vegetation, willows, and thules, recreating a fully functioning wetland habitat.

 

Amanda is also starting to survey for birds at the BSLT Marks Ranch property, to help the land managers determine how changing grazing practices might impact the local birds.

 

Your support gives us the availability to help community partners with their critical bird questions. Our unique knowledge and skills helps land managers better understand how their practices and protocols are effecting the ecosystems they are stewarding.

Death and Life at Point Lobos

by David laws, MAS Lifetime Member, shared with permission

 

Read David's lovely account of a day at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, where one can witness the beauty of nature on full display, poignantly counterbalanced with the reminder of death and loss that all organisms face. The story was originally published in the July 2023 Point Lobos Docent Newsletter. Read the article online at medium.com.

MAS and Estate Planning

 

Inspired by a friend who has been very proactive about estate planning, this seemed like an appropriate topic to bring up. Finalizing legal documentation related to your will, living trust, power of attorney, etc while you are not experiencing an emergency is just plain smart. Without an estate plan, the laws of your state determine what happens to your property, and those may not reflect your own personal priorities. By planning ahead, you can direct assets to organizations that you feel have enriched your life or helped improve your community or the world. Monterey Audubon Society is one of those organizations. Our mission to celebrate and conserve the birds and wildlife of the Monterey Bay region inspires many, and hopefully rings in your heart as well. Please consider your local birds and wildlife when you begin your estate planning. While we live day to day, enjoying the moment with the people and wildlife that we love, projecting out to the future is even more critical, especially in these tumultuous times. Thank you for your consideration and please get in touch with us if you have questions or ideas.

Bird Calls (aka Recent Rarities):

 

Hermit Warbler at the Big Sur Land Trust Glen Deven Ranch property, Northern Parula at Palo Corona Regional Park, Common Tern at the Pajaro River mouth, Scaly-breasted Munia at Elkhorn Slough, Tundra Swan continuing at Carmel River State Beach joined by the continuing juvenile Bald Eagle, Red-footed Booby continuing at the Monterey Harbor.

 

To view the up-to-date listing of rare birds, check out the Monterey County Rare Bird Alert page on eBird.

Other Upcoming In-person Events

 

140 Years of Local Natural History, with Nate King

Wednesday, August 16, 1:30 PM at Monterey Peninsula College

Nate is the Collections and Research Manager at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History. More info on his presentation online HERE.

 

Kayak cleanup excursion at Elkhorn Slough - Monterey Waterkeeper

Saturday, August 19, 9:00 AM - noon

Launch a the North Harbor in Moss Landing. There's also an option to clean up the shoreline by foot. RSVP for free kayak spots (for ages 5+) HERE.

 

Central CA Condor Recovery Program Update - CA Central Coast Wildlife Society

Sunday, August 20, 3:00 PM PDT

Wildlife Biologist Danaé Mouton from Ventana Wildlife Society will present on the status of the Central California condor flock. More information and registration HERE. Held at Hidden Hills Brewing and Blending in Carmel, CA.

Virtual Events

 

Mon, Aug 14, 7:00 PM - Native Plants of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge and Wildlife Benefits, California Native Plant Society

 

Wed, Aug 16, 6:00 PM PDT - Christian Cooper & 'Better Living Through Birding', L.A. Times Book Club

 

Thurs, Aug 17, 4:00 PM PDT -  Saving our Vanishing Birds, with Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal, authors of "A Wing and a Prayer", Cornell Lab of Ornithology

 

Thurs, Aug 17, 6:00 PM - BIRD BOMBS Falling for Warblers, Denver Field Ornithologists

 

Thurs, Aug 17, 7:00 PM PDT - Building a Bird Friendly City, Golden Gate Audubon

 

Sat, Aug 19, 2:00 - 3:00 PM - Bird Feeding 101: Summer Feeding, Wild Birds Unlimited Ventura

 

Thurs, Aug 24, 4:00 PM PDT - Condor Chat, Ventana Wildlife Society

 

Mon, Aug 28, 4:00 PM PDT - Natural Climate Solutions Milestone Webinar, National Audubon Society

 

Sign up early for the FIFTH ANNUAL Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference: September 13-17, 2023, Online. Registration is open.

Upcoming Birding Festivals

 

The Monterey Bay Festival of Birds is in the planning stages still, but registration will be opening soon! You can bet MAS will be in attendance, leading field trips (including an ADA accessible trip) and hosting a booth at the Nature Extravaganza in Watsonville, the heart of Monterey Bay. Workshops relating to bird photography, poetry writing, and nature journaling will also be offered. I hope you're getting excited - I sure am!

 

The Monterey Bay Festival of Birds will be held October 13-15th, encompassing World Migratory Bird Day and the eBird Global Big Day! There will be lots of reasons to celebrate.

 

Birding festivals are fun ways to see different bird species, give you a reason to travel, and allow you to meet like-minded birders from across the globe! The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a a repository of numerous upcoming festivals across the. Check it out to start planning a fun birding adventure!

Shorebirds Are Trickling In...

 

Fall migration starts early for the shorebirds! We're already seeing Black-bellied Plovers, Black Turnstones, Willets and Surfbirds back on our beaches. Time to prepare for small brown (and confusing!) shorebird season! The Cornell Lab has a free shorebird guide that is handy to study before heading out into the field. Download it HERE.

I've been seeing quite a few Green Herons lately, usually in the round "borb" form. Hard to believe all of that neck is stored in there!

Monterey Audubon Society

Monterey Audubon is an environmental non-profit dedicated to exploring, conserving and celebrating the birds and wildlife of the greater Monterey Bay region. Visit our website to sign up for field trips and learn about our efforts to protect local birds.

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

PO Box 5656, Carmel, CA 93921

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