Read Article
July 7, 2020

Back to the Drawing Board…

Only a few days ago, SFVAS was discussing the resumption of birdwalks, contacting leaders and getting pretty excited about a limited and careful return to our favorite pastime. Here at the website, we were sharpening our digi-pencil to write the welcome words in bright red at the top of the landing page: WALKS RESUMING! Alas,… read more
June 20, 2020

Can’t Bird But Got the Itch?

Did you know you can get live closeup views of Bald Eagle and Peregrine Falcon nests from the comfort of your own home? Snoop on Penguins and Avocets? Access more than a dozen webcams hosted by Cornell, some located in exotic, far-off locations? It may not equal getting out in your sunhat and binoculars, but… read more
Read Article
Read Article
June 10, 2020

We Stand Together

When we go out to birdwatch we bring our equipment and our knowledge, and foremost our respect for nature and our fellow birdwatchers. In recent weeks we have been made aware of the inequity experienced by our fellow enthusiasts, in the Black communities, who do not feel safe and fear encounters that quickly and easily… read more
May 18, 2020

A Great Season for Horned Owls

Great Horned Owls (GHOWs) are amazing creatures. These night-hunting apex predators have adapted to almost every nook and cranny of the N. American continent. They prey on just about anything that walks, crawls or flies -- as long as it isn’t more than two or three times their size. Woodley Park, home of the Sepulveda… read more
Read Article
Read Article
April 23, 2020

Bored? Bird!

No doubt many, if not most, of our members and friends are doing some birding – or a lot – while in forced domestication. After all, it is migration season. Even though most of the choicest migrants are seen in parks and on hikes, nevertheless the observant back-yard birder will see an itinerant stranger from… read more
April 4, 2020

Griffith Park Raptor Survey

In January of this year, Courtney McCammon contacted SFVAS to see if our chapter wanted to partner with Friends of Griffith Park in their 3rd season of monitoring raptor nests. Courtney partners with Dan Cooper and their data is shared with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. We were excited to learn about this program and… read more
Read Article
Read Article
March 17, 2020

Sometimes The Good Guys Win

Since 2007, the Mountains Recreation and Conservancy Authority (MRCA), a local public agency established in 1985 to manage, promote and protect open and wild land for public enjoyment, had its eye on 285 idyllic acres in the southern Santa Susana Mountains. MRCA works with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC) and other local groups and… read more
March 7, 2020

Cub Scouts In the Basin!

Saturday, March 7, members of local pack 564 joined SFVAS volunteers for a walk in the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve. The lads ranged from Lions (Kindergarten) through Tigers, Bears and Wolves to Webelos (Fifth Grade). All were experienced outdoors-kids, knew how to use binoculars and were very observant. We saw California Towhees; Bluebirds; Yellow-rumped Warblers;… read more
Read Article
Read Article
March 5, 2020

A Hazard to Birds: Plastic Grass in Easter Baskets

Easter is right around the corner, and however we're going to celebrate it during this "situation," it's not hard to envision gleeful children tearing into their baskets full of candy and toys. The goodies are embedded in layers of cheap shredded plastic meant to simulate grass. The grass flies everywhere as the children grab the… read more
February 28, 2020

Wild and Free — in the Basin

On Wednesday, February 26, a group of parents and their home-schooled children, age 2-8, joined SFVAS leaders for a nature walk in the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve. This group, which calls itself "Wild and Free," goes on a hike somewhere every Wednesday in parks and on trails from Thousand Oaks to Simi Valley to the… read more
Read Article