The San Jose Mercury News has published a nice article about our upcoming Birdathon and the joys of local birding
Birdathon in the News
Backyard Birding in March
Spring is in the air! Learn all about what birds to look for now - and stay updated on the salmonellosis outbreak - with our latest Backyard Birding features.
Birdathon Kickoff Event
On March 17 at 7pm we celebrated the start of our annual Spring Birdathon. Join the fun, learn some bird songs and help support SCVAS’s expanding education program. This event is for everyone: team leaders, participants, supporters and the mildly curious.
Flycatcher Class
SCVAS is offering a two-part online class (beginning/intermediate-level) on one of our most confusing groups—the Flycatchers! Class members will gain access to our private discussion group where you can pose questions or photos. Matthew Dodder will be your instructor. Sign up and join the fun!
Monday: March 15 & March 22, 7:00 - 8:30 PM via Zoom. Sign Up Now →
Hummingbirds of the Northern Andes
The Bay Area Bird Photographers next online meeting will be Wednesday, March 3 — photographer Peter Hawrylyshyn will discuss the Northern Andes along with sites and techniques for photographing hummingbirds.
Missed the event? Watch the Video →
March 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 March. Also check out our new Salt Pond map!
Speaker Series: Sparky Stensaas
Join us Wednesday February 17 at 7pm as we host our special guest, Sparky Stensaas, the Executive Director of Friends of Sax-Zim Bog, Minnesota, as he discusses the famous Sax-Zim Bog and the assortment of Owls and other animal wonders that show up each winter.
Great Backyard Bird Count (and Competition)
Time to get counting! The Great Backyard Bird Count is here, and we are excited! This year participating SCVAS members can win themselves some SCVAS gear just by sending in their lists, all while taking part in one of the most accessible global bird counts to be found.
Open Space Authority Highlights Matthew Dodder
The Open Space Authority’s Community Connections blog has a wonderful article highlighting our Executive Director Matthew Dodder.
South Georgia and the Falkland Islands - Bob Lewis
Bay Area Bird Photographers online meeting was Wednesday, February 3 at 7:30pm, where photographer Bob Lewis presented “To the End of the Earth – South Georgia and the Falkland Islands.” The full presentation is available on our YoutTube channel.
February 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 February. Also check out our new Salt Pond map!
Action Alerts: Conservation in your Community
Just ten minutes of your time can have an impact across the Bay. Take a moment to speak up for the birds and nature that make our Bay Area such a unique place to live.
Speaker Series: Sahas Barve
Avian ecologist and Peter Buck Fellow at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington DC, Sahas Barve will discuss the social life of our Acorn Woodpeckers on January 20th.
Maps to Guide You
Now you can view the location of every Self-Guided Field Trip on an interactive map. We’ve outlined five areas of interest in our county: West Hills, Bayfront, East Hills, Urban Areas and South County. We have a separate map showing Out of County adventures. There’s also a new map with the locations of all the salt ponds in Santa Clara County.
COVID and the CBC
Read about how our Christmas Bird Count reacted to a pandemic and was still able to gather great data for Citizen Science — this Mountain View Voice article features many familiar SCVAS faces.
New Birding Class: Gulls
Were introducing a new series of birding courses starting with a 3-part class on Gull Identification. Join esteemed birding instructor Matthew Dodder who’ll provide you with tools to not just identify our local gulls, but make identification fun!
January Self-Guided Field Trips
Happy New Year! Need help finding great birding spots and figuring out what to look for? Check out our self-guided field trips for January.
Self-Guided Field Trip to Panoche Valley
There’s no winter birding experience quite like the dry rolling ranch lands and deserted flat earth of Panoche Valley. This trip nearly guarantees to provide the brave-hearted with world-class views of Ferruginous Hawk, Greater Roadrunner, Prairie Falcon, and Mountain Bluebird. It’s a magical, barren place!
Birds of the Maya - Alex Navarro
Bay Area Bird Photographers next online meeting is Wednesday, January 6, where photographer Alex Navarro will show us the birds of Central America.
Vayun Tiwari Featured on Cal-Hi Sports
SCVAS member and Harker School student Vayun Tiwari was featured on the television program "49er Cal-Hi Sports." Please enjoy watching Vayun discuss how he got started birding and his photography hobby during the first 5 minutes of the program.