The first Sunday of every month brings San Fernando Valley Audubon Society’s iconic Sepulveda Basin Bird Outing. Over 300 avian species have been reported to eBird along the route of this approximate 2 mile tour, from the huge American White Pelican wintering in the Wildlife Lake to the tiniest of hummingbirds there year round. It is common →
A Bird Sit is an alternative approach to birding. Instead of extended walking and standing, it involves finding a comfortable spot in nature to sit, slow down, be in the moment, and notice details and behavior patterns. A Bird Sit is not list-driven. It is not always trying to get the next bird. It is a way →
O’Melveny Park and the trails which begin there into Bee Canyon provide an interesting contrast. The park is home to an orange grove and trails through sycamores and alders. The Bee Canyon trail is chaparral and riparian area set between high rock walls. The last rest area for birds going north over the Santa Susana Mountains, →
San Fernando Valley Audubon invites you to guided tours of the reserve on Second Saturdays. The walks will include the many birds, other wildlife, habitat, and recovery from the devastating fire of September 2020. The emphasis of each tour will vary with participants’ interests. Second*** Saturdays, 9:00 A.M. October 2024 – March 2025 *** Except →
Kathy and Dave Participants in this outing will enjoy a leisurely stroll along Malibu Creek, its oak and sycamore woodlands set amidst a stunning backdrop of chaparral-covered slopes and rocky buttes. Birds, deer, bobcat, butterflies, reptiles and, in season, a bewildering array of wildflowers can be found in this jewel of the Santa Monica Mountains, now →
This year, SFVAS provided support for two advanced undergraduate researchers from the Moore Lab at Occidental College, to present their research at an international ornithological research convention. Amelia Barnard ‘25 and Mason Lynch ‘24 will describe research on divergence and speciation in Neotropical birds. Amelia’s research looks at close relatives of the Broad-tailed Hummingbird in →
Hansen Dam is a huge area with varied habitat, and like the Sepulveda Basin is part of the City of Los Angeles flood control infrastructure operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Unlike the Sepulveda Basin, in the event of heavy and prolonged precipitation water may be retained behind Hansen Dam for prolonged periods. →
SFVAS is continuing to work with our partners, the Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR) and the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) on the ongoing Habitat Restoration efforts in the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve (SBWR). This group gathers every Fourth Saturday morning to work and weed. If you would like to get involved and get your hands dirty, →