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April 2, 2021

The Reserve Rides Again!

Sycamore fighting back A group of eleven volunteer leaders of SFVAS’s special walks at the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve toured the reserve on March 25, looking at the fire impacts and the process of recovery. Those who had not visited since shortly after the devastating fire last September 6 were greatly heartened by the large…
March 25, 2021

Now Landing: Birdathon 2021

April and May mark the advent of Birdathon, the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society's major annual fund-raising event. Once again, we have a dedicated team of leaders who will ask for our pledges of support based on the number of bird species they can spot during their outing.  Click HERE to see the schedule of…
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March 21, 2021

Know Your Natives! Get Involved!

Get Involved with the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area Habitat Restoration Effort! The California Native Plant Society Invasive Plant Removal Team is offering another free Saturday training/work session/ 8:00 to 11:30 on May 29  We had 26 Volunteers for our last weeding and accomplished a great deal. We filled 58 bags and donated a total of more than…
February 25, 2021

Feeder Freakout? No…

Update on this post: the "salmonella pandemic" in SoCal continues to be a non-event and a freakout kept alive on social media because that's what social media does best. Be a good bird-lover and keep your feeders clean, refresh your bird-baths regularly, and plant bird-friendly natives when it's practical to do so -- but don't…
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January 27, 2021

Guide to Preventing Window Strikes

It's common -- and depressing -- knowledge among birders that residential windows account for a significant portion of the many millions of avian deaths caused by glass every year. Until fairly recently, there wasn't much a homeowner could do about it; the outside of a glass pane reflects landscape and sky, with interior blinds, curtains,…
December 15, 2020

A New Year’s (Bird) Resolution

(Illustration by Wuchun Davis) As we look forward to this New Year that promises so much good news, I can’t help but think about the wildlife around us who are part of our world.  They don’t make resolutions, they don’t celebrate holidays, but they work hard 24/7 to stay alive and follow instincts that have…
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November 4, 2020

2020 Christmas Bird Count

Saturday, December 19, 2020 -- Birders Needed! Once again this year, the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society will join chapters across the country and in North and South America, Hawaii, and the Caribbean to take part in the National Audubon Society’s 121st annual Christmas Bird Count. The initial San Fernando Valley CBC was held in…
October 30, 2020

The Cavalry Has Arrived!

Shortly after the recent, devastating fire, oxygen-depleting water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) was discovered on the surface of the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve's lake. San Fernando Valley Audubon reacted swiftly: our volunteers went to work scooping out as much of the fast-spreading plant as they could, working from the shore with nets and rakes. We were…
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October 26, 2020

A Step in the Right Direction

On Tuesday October 20th at O’Melveny Park I led the first bird walk for SFVAS since our Coronavirus pause. It it was so nice to go out with a group of people to spot and talk about birds again.   With a full limit of ten participants, all of whom had made a reservation, agreed to…
October 22, 2020

SFVAS Announces Scholarship Results

The San Fernando Valley Audubon Society (SFVAS), affiliated with the National Audubon Society, is pleased to announce three new scholarships awarded this year to promising college students who are involved in the study of conservation or ornithology.  Originally the scholarships were to support their participation in our national conferences, but since the pandemic hit SFVAS…
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