Need help finding great birding spots and figuring out what to look for? Check out our self-guided field trips for January. Varied Thrush by Sarah Chan
January Self-Guided Field Trips
Special Event: Doug Tallamy
Join SCVAS and Audubon chapters around the Bay for a presentation by Doug Tallamy, author of Nature’s Best Hope and a leading proponent of native plant gardening. Building habitat for wildlife can start at home, and we’re excited to have this opportunity to learn from Tallamy.
New County Checklist
We are pleased to announce an updated Santa Clara County Checklist of Birds, now including Rarity codes and three new species!
Winter Avocet
Backyard Birding in December
Meet our backyard bird of the month, the Western Bluebird, and browse our list of 28 backyard birds you need to know. How many of these birds are in your yard or neighborhood? Photo: Carol Ann Krug Graves.
Preserving Coyote Valley
The Coyote Valley has been, and remains, a battleground for open space and wildlife conservation. While SCVAS and our allies have won a number of battles in this beautiful location, the fight continues as we look to support the California 30x30 efforts. Shani Kleinhaus lays out the importance of the Coyote Valley in her opinion piece in the Mercury News.
Christmas Bird Count
The Christmas Bird Count is coming up! Join the local counts and learn more about this longstanding birding tradition.
SCVAS Annual Report
If you missed a newsletter, here’s what we’ve been up to in the past year (June 1 2021 - May 31 2022)!
Avocet Update Online
The December issue of the Avocet Update newsletter is now available. You can also read all our back issues of the update as well as PDFs of the printed Avocet on the Avocet page.
BIRDING DURING SHELTER IN PLACE
This month’s Bay Area Bird Photographers presentation by Corey Raffel discussed great birding opportunities in your own backyard or neighborhood.
December Self-Guided Field Trips
Need help finding great birding spots and figuring out what to look for? Check out our self-guided field trips for December. Northern Pintail by Vivek Tiwari
Annual Appeal
As we approach the end of 2022, we reflect on the many good things and the generosity you have shown SCVAS. For this we are truly grateful. They would not have happened without you.
Backyard Birding in November
Listen to a pair of owls, and learn about winter warblers, in our latest backyard bird report. And it's not too late to join Project FeederWatch! Photo: John K. Edwards
Light at Night: A Glowing Hazard
SCVAS, the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, and the Sierra Club Bay Alive Campaign put on a free online symposium on light pollution, with presentations from leaders in the field.
Plan to restore Baylands site as parkland divides environmentalists
Open space planning is always a subject that inspires debate. SCVAS’s Rani Fischer weighs in on this issue as Palo Alto’s “Measure E” puts the question to voters.
Avocet Update online
The November issue of the Avocet Update newsletter is now available. You can also read all our back issues of the update as well as PDFs of the printed Avocet on the Avocet page.
Feederwatch Starts Soon
This winter, join FeederWatch and count birds for science! Learn more in our Avocet article and sign up here. FeederWatch is a project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada. Photo: Curt Bianchi.
BACKYARD BIRDING IN OCTOBER
Meet the Pine Siskin, our featured backyard bird, and see who's arriving and passing through town in our latest backyard bird report. Photo: Tom Grey
An Evening With Richard Crossley
Join us for an evening with author Richard Crossley of the Crossley ID Guides! Bring your books and your questions Friday, October 28!
SCVAS Learn: Swimmers
There’s a bevy of waterbirds that can be found in Santa Clara County! In this 2-part online class Matthew Dodder will help you build your ID skills for all those floating fellows that aren’t ducks so you can visit the ponds with confidence.