Welcome to Wildlife & Harvest Day 2020!

This festival ran from October 24 through Thanksgiving, 2020.

Here’s your hub for all things Wildlife & Harvest, where you can explore our participants, find crafting materials, and see every video we’ve made to celebrate our local wildlife and ecology.

Latest Videos:

As the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Wildlife and Harvest Festival draws to a close for 2020, we would like to thank all of the organizations that participated -- and all o...

videos from week 3 of the wildlife and harvest festival

Max, Teddy, and Parker are Rolling Hills 4-H's alpaca trio that you can see at McClellan Ranch. These animals are raised for their fur, but we can't deny tha...
We're making pinecone feeders! Tune in to this fun and messy craft session to bring birds to your yard.
American Alligators are a great example of a conservation success story. And the babies are surprisingly adorable. Learn about these animals with Happy Hollo...
Goats are great! Rolling Hills 4-H shares their adorable goats with us in this great look at the antics of these animals. If you're interested in getting inv...
Carolyn Knight of SCVAS and Keith Wandry from the City of Cupertino swap wildlife talk while watching the feeders at McClellan Ranch. We'll ID your common ya...
Crayfish can be found in many of our local creeks, streams, and ponds here in Santa Clara County. The folks at Youth Science Institute are teaching us all so...
Jaguars! These beautiful cats catch the eye and the imagination, and we're excited to hear more about them from Happy Hollow Park & Zoo. https://happyhollow....
We're taking an in depth look at the beekeeping process with the Santa Clara Valley Beekeepers Guild! https://www.beeguild.org/
Rolling Hills 4H is bringing us up close and personal to the birds they're raising! There's more than just the standard egg-laying chickens in the world of p...
Learn about honeybees with the Santa Clara Valley Beekeepers Guild! These amazing insects have a long history with people, and are incredibly important for o...
We're making our own watersheds with the Guadalupe River Creek Conservancy, the stewards of the Guadalupe River which runs through downtown San Jose! Learn m...
Who doesn't love a mini horse? Rolling Hills 4H shares their experiences with raising these awesome animals! https://rh4h-site.appspot.com/
Take a real-time walk along the Creek Trail at McClellan Ranch. Hear the bird sounds and see how many nest boxes you can spot hanging from the branches along...
Peaches is the cutest creepy crawly we've ever gotten to learn about! Happy Hollow Park & Zoo shares the self-defense strategies and behaviors of these fasci...

VIDEOS FROM WEEK 2 OF THE WILDLIFE AND HARVEST FESTIVAL

Do you know why Burrowing Owls are special? Get a peek at some of these rare birds up close and personal. See how they live, listen to their sounds, and learn t...
Get to know a few birds you might see in your neighborhood park. This Spanish and English video introduces you to Las Aves de Parques y Lagunas: the Canada g...
Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County volunteers explain what "three sisters" gardening is. Who are the sisters anyway, and how do they help each other grow...
Science doesn't always take place in a lab! San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory is an organization of professional and citizen scientists whose research studi...
The Girl Scouts are a fantastic group that encourages girls across the country to pursue their interests. Join Jordan as she talks about how she got interest...
Happy Hollow Park & Zoo is opening up their Education department to introduce you to Sal, a fascinating amphibian here to teach you about our local salamande...
Join Matthew for a nature walk around Charleston Slough, Coast Casey Forebay and Shoreline Lake. See birds and animals you might encounter when you visit the...
African four-toed hedgehogs might not be native to California, and we definitely don't want to find them in our gardens, but that doesn't mean we can't learn...
Santa Clara County is the home to some amazing wildlife. But sometimes these animals need some help out, and the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley is here to...
Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County volunteers explain how they educate the public about the subtleties of gardening, and how you can become a an expert o...
Have fun decorating your own Owl mask. Use felt pen, crayon, colored pencils... whatever you want. Go ahead and use crazy colors because you can-it's your pe...
Did you know the giant coastal redwoods come from a tiny seed, no larger than one from a tomato? Learn more about these huge wonderful trees, and what makes ...
Chuck, a long-time volunteer for SCVAS, has built hundreds and hundreds of nest boxes that benefit our local population of Bluebirds and other cavity nesters...
Our City Forest plants trees to help keep our environment healthy. In this presentation, you will learn about why trees are so important for our community an...
Anna from the Wildlife Education & Rehabilitation Center does important work. She, along with other staff members, care for injured and orphaned birds and ot...

Videos from Week 1 of the Wildlife and Harvest Festival

Kaitlin, one of the knowledgable staff members at Happy Hollow introduces us to Tortolini, the California Desert Tortoise. We will learn about how Tortolini ...
Beth and Jonathan talk about African Gray Parrots, some of the smartest birds in the world. They describe the interesting habits of Cookie, Molly, and Lou, a...
Miss Molly describes what Waterfowl are, and how to recognize them. They aren't all the same, and they aren't all ducks! See some of the different ways they ...
Kendra, one of the knowledgable staff members at Happy Hollow introduces us to Raj, the Indonesian Blue-tongued Skink. We will learn about how Raj lives and ...
Hey kids! You can make your own pair of binoculars at home! With some simple materials-things you probably have at home already-you can make, and decorate yo...
Mount Diablo is the tallest mountain in the Bay Area. It is home to many species of animals and plants. Among the is the American Kestrel, a small falcon tha...
The California Bluebird Recovery Program has an interesting history. Learn about how it began, what it does, and how important it is not only to Western Blue...
Corky introduces us to the world of Bats. Meet a tiny Mexican Free-tailed Bat and here about how she lives with her friends in a colony. If you want to learn...
Beavers in the Bay Area? Well, yes! And they are very important to the environment. Watch the famous Martinez Beavers and listen to the story of how the whol...
Visit Happy Hollow in San Jose for a fun learning experience! See Animals from around the world and talk to knowledgeable staff about what makes these animal...
Meet Sequoia the Bald Eagle, and Olive the Western Screech-Owl as volunteers explain these wonderful birds and how they came to live at the Palo Alto Junior ...
Richard and Carlos take us on a 4-mile hike about Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve to introduce us to some of the many birds and plants that make this area ...
The Annual SCVAS Wildlife & Harvest event is now a MONTH-LONG video festival! Watch dozens of nature videos from our favorite exhibitors. Wild animals, natur...
Stunning trail-cam footage of wild animals living in our area. Reclusive species like Bobcat, Coyote, Badger and Mountain Lion live in our open spaces and ex...

Craft Center:

Activities for you and your family! You can find materials and instructions here for the craft videos we’re releasing throughout the festival. Our crafts are designed to be easy and fun for kids, and we love to see what you make!

  • Owl Mask: Our owl masks are fun for all ages. We’ve got some amazing owls in Santa Clara County, but there’s no need to stick to their color palettes when it comes to decorating your mask!

  • Watershed Maps: Create your own watershed map with the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy! Watersheds can be incredibly complex, but with this art project GRPC breaks it down for all ages.

  • Binoculars: These binoculars are the most kid and budget-friendly optics around, made from materials found around the house.

  • Pinecone Feeder: Bring birds to your yard with this fun (and messy) craft!

  • Nest Box: Nest boxes are a great way to support native birds with safe nesting habitat. Build a box and experience the wonder of watching the life cycle of birds. This is citizen science in your own backyard!

Wildlife & Harvest Day 2020 Participants: These partners are amazing resources for exploring our open spaces, learning about local ecology, and delving into the incredible diversity of wildlife that can be found in Santa Clara County and beyond. Each of them has worked with us to create special videos which will be released during the festival. Check out their websites to learn more about how they work to protect the environment and provide environmental education!