Santa Cruz Bird Club

Naturalist Traces The 'Astounding' Flyways Of Migratory Birds - https://www.npr.org//naturalist-traces-the-astounding-flyw

https://www.opb.org//salmonella-birds-pine-siskin-oregon/

EUROPEAN STARLING With its iridescent feathers & bright yellow bill in the summer, and its intricately spotted winter plumage, the easily-seen European Starling is a gateway bird for many people. Introduced from Europe in the 1800s, they are now among North America’s most numerous songbirds. They are gregarious, generally foraging in large flocks, often with cowbirds, crows and other species. But when it comes to nesting, starlings are very aggressive. They like cavitie...s and they’ll drive off other species from their chosen nest site. Since natural cavities, such as in standing dead trees, are disappearing from the landscape, this is a potential problem for native cavity nesters like bluebirds and some swallows. Starlings are even reported to have chased off larger birds, like Wood Ducks and Northern Flickers. Where do the European Starlings nest in our county? The Santa Cruz Bird Club’s Breeding Bird Atlas project is collecting data on these and other county breeders. Types of substrates they nest on in Santa Cruz County: buildings (40%), trees (33%), poles (16%), cliffs (11%). Support this valuable effort by sponsoring a starling or other breeding bird. For more info: https://santacruzbirdclub.org/auction. See more

https://arboretum.ucsc.edu//r/hummingbird-month/index.html

Brewer’s Blackbird a helpful pest? Next time you are in a parking lot, look closely at the noisy flock of blackbirds foraging on the ground. The male Brewer’s Blackbird is the one with glossy black plumage and bright yellow eyes. Although they are known for eating grains, they also eat a whole lot of insects, especially in summer when feeding their young. They’ve even been credited with helping curtail outbreaks of weevils, tent caterpillars, and termites. Brewer’s Black...birds may seem to be a common bird, yet they are declining in many areas. In Santa Cruz County, breeding bird atlas data shows they now only breed in 60% of the areas they did 30 years ago! Identifying declining breeding species, such as the Brewer’s Blackbird, is one reason why the Santa Cruz Bird Club is producing an updated breeding bird atlas. Help us finish the project by sponsoring the Brewer’s Blackbird or another local breeder. More info at https://santacruzbirdclub.org/auction/. See more

https://www.scientificamerican.com//what-scientists-have-/

American Goldfinch: Most seed-eating birds will occasionally eat insects and especially feed them to their young, but not the American Goldfinch. Their diet is exclusively vegetation and only by accident do they swallow an insect. In fact, if the parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird lays an egg in an American Goldfinch nest, the cowbird young seldom lives more than 3 daysthe cowbird young can’t survive the seed diet that the goldfinch parents provide. Breeding bird atlas data has... identified 7 host species the cowbird has parasitized in Santa Cruz County, and the American Goldfinch is not one of them. But are our cowbirds parasitizing any declining species? The breeding bird atlas will be able to provide that important information which helps guide local bird conservation efforts. Support this Santa Cruz Bird Club project by sponsoring the American Goldfinch or even the Brown-headed Cowbird. More info on the Atlas and the perks of sponsorship at https://santacruzbirdclub.org/auction/. See more

The cutest field guide ever made ! (by PepomintNarwhal)It's Penguin Awareness Day today, it seems.

https://kion546.com//warning-of-a-salmonella-outbreak-in/

Our bird celebrity is featured in the Park & Rec. news, making the San Lorenzo River famous. Happy Holidays~ jane

https://www.audubon.org//-pine-siskin-finch-irruption-fall

Birds need your help 3 Billion Birds have been lost during the last 40 years. Do you part: https://abcbirds.org/program/glass-collisions/learn-more/