Below are videos made by SCVBA staff, speakers and members. If you have a video you’d like to have considered for inclusion here, please check out our Video Submissions page. Find more of our videos, including birding advice, our Speaker Series, and virtual field trips on our YouTube Channel.
Rashi Sharma, a high school volunteer with the Environmental Advocacy Committee, speaks on light pollution to the City Council of Palo Alto.
Vayun Tiwari gives a talk on the birds of southern Ecuador in the Bay Area Bird Photographers meeting October 7, 2020.
Birding Basics: Bushtits. It's easy to dismiss these tiny insectivores with their less than eye catching plumage, but there's nothing drab about the personality of a Bushtit, and birding is all about appreciating the little details. This week we talk Bushtits, everything from how and where to spot them, their frankly adorable life cycle, and their hopes and dreams.
Birding Basics: The Pelican. What can we say about pelicans you don't already know? They're big, they eat fish, and they're one of the many examples of evolution taking a weird turn in the bird world. This week we'll discuss the quirks of the pelican family, and where you can spot them when you're birding.
Ask BirdGuy 18: In this introductory video, BirdGuy will discuss fall migration of Bay Area Warblers, a few of the most common species, and how "Eastern" Warblers end up on the west coast. Watch for more episodes in this series soon.
Birding Basics: The Woodpeckers. Woodpeckers are one of those birds that don't require any experience to recognize, but given that more than half a dozen different species of these birds nest in our county alone, it pays to give these avian architects a bit of your attention. This week we figure out what makes a woodpecker and how to tell our residents apart.
Birding Basics: The Shrike. Also known as the butcher-birds, these carnivorous passerines won't be featured in any home decorating shows save for the Halloween specials. But as we're all significantly larger than their favored prey (and decor) it's safe for our birders to seek these birds out. Join us this week as we explore the shrikes of California, and what earned them their bloody reputation.
Speaker Series: The Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance presents Mike Azevedo, the County Coordinator for SCVBA’s Cavity Nester Recovery Program, talks about creating a wildlife habitat in your yard and community, August 5, 2020.
Check out the Backyard Wildlife Resources page for follow-up information, articles and videos recommended by Mike.
Ask BirdGuy 17: BirdGuy discusses the variety of Terns that can be found in Santa Clara County during summer. From the very common to the quite rare... He'll also gloat for a few minutes about his recent trip to the Sierra, but you can fast forward through that section if you wish...
Birding Basics: Tytonidae & Strigidae. Turns out owls are even cooler when you can hear what we're saying about them. This week we learn about our local owls and what sets them apart from the rest of the birds (beyond the everpresent judging).
SCVBA member Carter Gasiorowski has produced a wonderful Virtual Field Trip of Joseph D. Grant County Park. Also check out the related Self-guided Birding Location Guide for the park.
Speaker Series: We are honored to present Ben Pearl, a biologist for the San Francsico Bay Bird Observatory. Ben discusses Snowy Plovers and Least Terns in the Bay Area, July 1, 2020 in our first online Speaker Series presentation.
Birding Basics: Hirundinidae. Summer is the season for swallows (in North America at least). This week we're taking a look at these zippy migrants to see what makes them tick (and hopefully learn a bit about telling them apart).
Ask BirdGuy 16: Water Spinners and Mud Pipers. If you're done finding breeding birds in your area, it's time to start looking for migrant Shorebirds. Phalaropes are coming through, Dowitchers are begging to be identified, and oh, those Peeps!! BirdGuy will try to help you identify all those northern birds as they pass through our area or arrive for the winter.
Birding Basics: Cathartidae. This week on Birding Basics we're showing our love for our New World vultures, these oft dismissed scavengers that work to keep our ecosystems healthy, and a favorite for students looking for gross facts.
Ask BirdGuy 15: BirdGuy attempts to explain how one decides which birds to pursue, and possibly where to find them in this latest video. Lean how eBird assists in the prioritizing of target birds during this traditionally slow birding season.
Ask BirdGuy 14: Summer can be a confusing time for birders who are confronted with young birds that don't always show the features we rely on for identification. In this episode, BirdGuy will describe how to distinguish young birds from adults and help sort out their identification.
Birding Basics Odontophoridae and Phasianidaee. This week on Birding Basics we take a look at our local chicken shaped birds
Birding Basics: Anatidae. Breaking birds down into their family groups makes the ID go a lot faster. Put simply, Anatidae makes up our waterfowl here in North America. We're looking at what makes the duck quack.
Birding Basics: Feeders. Bird feeders are one of the easiest ways to bring birds to your yard, patio, or balcony. SCVBA Education lead Carolyn Knight talks about the common feeders and other aspects of having a bird feeder.
Ask BirdGuy 13: Join BirdGuy on another neighborhood stroll as he narrates his experience using BirdsEye, a mobile bird finding app. Visit us at SCVAS.ORG
Birding Basics: Crash Course in Conservation. As with all things, it's easy to find yourself in the deep end of conservation pretty quickly once you take an interest. This week, we're taking a look at how the average person can get involved without getting overwhelmed.
Ask BirdGuy Episode 12: Join BirdGuy as he strolls around the neighborhood on a very hot day and explains how to use the eBird app to enter data. Watch him edit, update, submit the checklists to his account, change hotspots, and even see the path he took around town. Visit us at SCVAS.ORG
Ask BirdGuy Episode 11: BirdGuy will take you on the thrilling adventures of the "My eBird" section of the site where you can check your stats, edit and share your checklists, and create a profile for yourself. Visit us and become a member today at SCVAS.ORG
Ask BirdGuy Episode 10: BirdGuy will dive deeper into the eBird platform, and introduce some of the many features found in the Explore section of Cornell Lab's eBird.org website. From images, and maps to bar charts, and songs—all the best stuff can be found here to help you find the birds you want or research a location. Become a member of Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance at SCVAS.ORG
Ask BirdGuy Episode 9: BirdGuy examines the home page items and login on the eBird.org website, and begins a multi-episode real-time tutorial on the eBird platform. If you are a newcomer to eBird, this video will help acclimate you to its features. If you are an experienced user, stick around—you may find things you hadn't noticed before as the site continues to grow and improve. Visit us at SCVAS.ORG
Ask BirdGuy Episode 8: Complexers. BirdGuy introduces some more involved songsters in our area and helps to distinguish several oft-confused species. Feel free to sing along, if you can do so without hurting yourself.
Ask BirdGuy Episode 7: The Ways of Birds. BirdGuy attempts to explain how birds confuse us with their separate duties, and shifting feathers during the nesting season.
Birding Basics: Taxonomy. In this week's Birding Basics, Outreach lead Carolyn Knight talks about the concept of taxonomy and how it applies to birding.
Birding Basics: Identification. Education Specialist Carolyn Knight gets you started with the basics of identifying birds: shape, size, behavior and field marks. Today’s yard bird: California Towhee.
Ask BirdGuy Episode 6: Whistlers. Second in a series of Ask BirdGuy videos focusing on bird song. This episode covers common species with whistled songs such as American Robin, Western Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak and Warbling Vireo.
Ask BirdGuy Episode 5: Trillers. Matthew helps you your birding by ear with a discussion of birdsong and resources for learning more.
Birding Basics: Seasons. Carolyn discusses the seasonal patterns of birds.
birdbath: A birding-related music video by Lil Crinj with footage from the deDUCKtions Birdathon.
Ask BirdGuy Episode 4: Solitary birds that aren’t actually solitary? From solitary confinement in his “secret mountain laboratory”, Matthew Dodder discusses birds that were once called Solitary Vireos as well as the Solitary Sandpiper, and yet does not discuss the Townsend’s Solitaire. Why is that? We’ll you’ll have to watch and see.
Birding Basics: This week Carolyn covers birding checklists. Why are birders so enthralled by lists? Tune in to find out and learn about the Dark-eyed Junco, one of our most widely spread yard birds in the country.
Ask BirdGuy Episode 3: The calls of crows and other corvids. Identifying gulls as they fly overhead (California Gull vs. Ring-billed Gull) and some useful books for learning more about birds. Do you have a question for BirdGuy? Ask away!
Ask BirdGuy Episode 2: A weekly question and answer video with Matthew Dodder, avid birder and Executive Director of Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance.
Birding Basics: Carolyn Knight discusses Birding Ethics, followed by a discussion of our year-round resident Anna’s Hummingbird.
Ask BirdGuy Episode 1—Our Executive Director Matthew Dodder discusses owls, blackbirds, orioles and hummingbirds as well as birding resources you can use to learn more.
Ask BirdGuy Trailer—Ask BirdGuy is a new weekly short question and answer presentation on birds, their identification, habitats and behaviors, mostly in Santa Clara County, California Brought to you by the Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance and More Paprika! Studios.
Birding Basics: Equipment—Carolyn hosts a Facebook Live video to help you get started with birding.
Wildlife and Harvest Day 2019—Scenes from our annual community event, held on October 19, 2019 at Blackberry Farm in Cupertino, CA.
The Birds & Habitats of Los Altos Hills — From bluebirds to golden eagles, Los Altos Hills provides habitat for a wide variety of birds. Matthew Dodder, Michelle Unger and Mike Azevedo with Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance discuss the habits and habitats of our local birds and actions residents can take to conserve local species. Hosted by the Open Space Committee.
Birders — a Netflix film, explores the migration of a diverse number of birds who successfully traverse the US-Mexico border each year, and the bird lovers on both sides of the frontier who celebrate this journey.
Saving Western Burrowing Owls — conservation efforts for Western Burrowing Owls in the Santa Clara - San Jose region have brought several organizations together in an effort to prevent the extirpation of this charismatic species.
Western Screech-Owl at McClellan Ranch waking Up in the Evening
As one would expect, it was quite dark when this screech owl decided it was time to get up. He slept through all the kids coming in and out of the barn (it is a working barn) as well as cars driving up and parking right next to him.