November 19, 2005

Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society to offer bird walks, classes

By Carolyn Straub
Special to the Times

If you wonder who that little brown bird is tap-tapping on your window, grab the binoculars. Better yet, take advantage of locally sponsored birding education offered by the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society this winter to teach you about avians.

Four human early birds look for feathered critters at a seasonal wetland in Mountain View. Their Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society guides helped them discover 25-40 species of birds during SCVAS’ annual Wildlife Education Day on Oct. 22. Photo by Cait Hutnik/Light of Morn

SCVAS, a countywide, nonprofit headquartered at McClellan Ranch in Cupertino, is offering a host of weekend bird walks and classes, as well as a holiday open house at the ranch on Dec. 10 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Yet the premier event is the annual Christmas Bird Count in December and January, a countywide swoop that tallies the number of bird species here. Four count walks across the county are planned in San Jose, Morgan Hill, Palo Alto and at Mt. Hamilton.

It is part of the nationwide 106th Christmas Bird Count under the auspices of the National Audubon Society, which began in 1899 when conservationists banded together to end the tradition of shooting birds enmass at holiday time. This resulted in recovery programs for endangered bird species and creation of waterfowl sanctuaries along major U.S. migration flyways. Local chapters were also born.

In Santa Clara County, the four counts will take place in 15-mile circle areas in San Jose, Palo Alto, and at Mt. Hamilton and over in the Calero-Morgan Hill area. Register early.

The San Jose CBC is set for Dec. 18 and will cover the Evergreen District and Lake Cunningham, as well as Alum Rock County Park east to Ed R. Levin County Park and Calaveras Reservoir. It will also encompass Alviso and southern San Francisco Bay, Santa Clara, Guadalupe River Park and Garden, and part of Sunnyvale, as well as other urban parks and neighborhoods.

Insect tattoo on cheek, Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society staff member Susan Bell teaches a Wildlife Education Day participant about native birds in Santa Clara County. Photo by Cait Hutnik/Light of Morn

“We will break up into eight sectors and could start as early as 6:30 a.m. (best time for bird viewing),” said count leader Kirsten Holmquist. Spotters and recorders are needed to keep count of the numbers of species seen. No special skills are needed, Holmquist added.

“San Jose’s is the biggest of the four counts and the oldest. Last winter, we counted 167 bird species and had 96 participants,” she said.

The Calero-Morgan Hill count, led by Ann Verdi, surrounds the southern top of Santa Clara County, covering the Diablo Range foothills through to parts of the Santa Cruz Mountains in the west. It includes Coyote Valley, South Almaden Valley, Santa Teresa and Almaden-Quicksilver county parks.

“Last year, we totaled 141 bird species,” Verdi said. “While the count’s purpose is to respond to our common resident birds and tally their numbers each year, we have had some highlights, such as Snow Goose, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, and Western Tanager. We also recorded a high number of over 300 Turkey Vultures, indicating the increase of this species in the oak woodlands of southern county. Of special interest to us is recording species in Coyote Valley, an area that is still rural but is slated for major development.”

Founded in 1926, SCVAS boasts 3,200 members with its mission is to foster public awareness of native birds and their ecosystems, primarily in Santa Clara County.

Karen Hoyt, founder of Sky Hunters Environmental Education, introduces awe-struck visitors to a Great Horned Owl at Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society’s Wildlife Education Day on Oct. 22 at McClellan Ranch headquarters in Cupertino. Photo by Cait Hutnik/Light of Morn.

“We are planning an 80th anniversary celebration next October for members,” said Brenda Torres-Barreto, new executive director. “SCVAS is the third largest chapter in California, and second oldest in the Bay Area after Golden Gate Audubon in San Francisco County founded in 1917.”

“People are getting more and more aware of the environmental crises,” Torres-Barreto said. “We must respond efficiently to the communities. We are trying to open up to a diverse population and targeting the Hispanic community. The county is 24-25 percent Hispanic,” said Torres-Barreto, who is from Puerto Rico and speaks fluent
Spanish and English.

Dates for Audubon’s 106th annual Christmas Bird Count in Santa Clara County are:

- Sunday, Dec. 18, San Jose Christmas Bird Count, contact Kirsten Holmquist, (408)747-0988; kirrose@earthlink.net;

- Monday, Dec. 19, Palo Alto Christmas Bird Count, Jack Cole, (408) 996-0434; snoyowl@yahoo.com;

- Friday, Dec. 30, Calero-Morgan Hill Christmas Bird Count, Ann Verdi, (408) 266-5108; wodu10@aol.com;

- Monday, Jan. 2, 2006, Mt. Hamilton Christmas Bird Count, Bob Hirt, (408) 821-2732.

A dinner, where species are totaled, follows each count. Prior to joining, there is a $5 charge per person to cover the cost of producing the national 106th Christmas Bird Count publication.

For more information about weekly birding walks, birding classes, and opportunities for volunteering with SCVAS, its Audubon Nature Shop, and environmental education and legislative activist programs, visit www.scvas.org or call ranch programs coordinator Kim Yuan-Farrell at (408) 252-3740.

For Audubon Magazine’s historic story about Christmas Bird Counts in the United States, go to http://magazine.audubon.org/features0412/hats.html.