Guidance in Protecting our Birds
Resources for beginning birders:
National Audubon’s Birding page and Guide to North American Birds
Museum Backyard & Nature Club House has several documents on local birding places and techniques
Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds page
And, of course, all the other links on this page!
Local downloadable documents:
Paul Lehman’s “The Birds of Santa Barbara County, California” now usually updated yearly is now being hosted on SBCOBirding. This is THE birding bible for the county. Available as an ebook or pdf and can be loaded to your mobile device for field reference.
Carpinteria Birdwatchers August 15, 2024 meeting had special guest Paul Lehman. “Paul is the author of the newly updated Birds of Santa Barbara County and the map editor for the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America. Paul shared his insights on how knowledge of when and where birds occur makes us better birders.”
BIRDS of Santa Barbara County CHECKLIST
The official checklist of Santa Barbara county birds created by Dave Compton and Joan Lentz in 2006 (now a bit antiquated).
Guide to Bird-Friendly Vegetation Trimming
SBAS’s guide on the Why, When and What to look for before trimming vegetation.
Santa Barbara airport area maps –
Sites where you can find great resources for birding locally:
Jamie Chavez’s excellent website, SBCOBirding.com, on all things birding in Santa Barbara County. Bird lists, where to bird guides, links to dozens of resources.
eBird Bird Observations in Santa Barbara County – List of birds known in Santa Barbara County showing frequency of occurrence and relative abundance
Rare Birds of Santa Barbara County photo page. A Flickr photos page of rare species seen in Santa Barbara County.
Santa Barbara County Birding The Groups.io ListServer. for Santa Barbara County. Join this group to access current sightings and trip reports by birders in the county.
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Santa Barbara Audubon Society has an excellent relationship with the museum. This is where our Eyes in the Sky rehabilitated raptors live and are available for public viewing every day the museum is open. The museum has an excellent bird hall that is definitely worth looking into as well as many excellent exibits and activities for the whole family.
50 Great Public Lands Destinations – Santa Barbara and Beyond
Other items of interest:
Hugh Ranson’s The Dragonflies of Santa Barbara County handout
Downloadable “Quick Finders” to ID Warblers at CornellLabs
Other Websites of Interest:
Books of local interest
Various Authors
A Birder’s Guide to Southern California
By Brad Shram
Birds of Cachuma Lake
By Roger Millikan
Out of print
The Birds of Lake Los Carneros
By Roger Millikan
Out of print
The Birds Of Santa Barbara County, California
By Paul Lehman
Download Here
Birds of the Pacific States
By Ralph Hoffmann
Out of print
By Joan Easton Lentz
Recordings Of Past Programs
Chasing a Desert Apparition: LeConte’s Thrasher
Our February 22, 2023 program featured Jay Sheppard presenting his data and stories of his graduate studies of the elusive LeConte’s Thrasher. His main area of study was in our near back yard of Maricopa, CA.
Hummingbirds, Shorebirds, And Wildlife Photography
The recording of our May 25, 2022 program presented by Jayden Washington Samuels focuses on this high school senior’s experiences photographing birds in the Los Angeles area.
District Ranger Daryl Hodges speaks on Los Padres Nation Forest District Projects
The recording of our April 27, 2022 program – on going projects by in the Los Padres National Forest Santa Barbara District. Also presentation by this year’s Joy Parkinson award winner.
Ornitherapy: For Your Mind, Body, and Soul
The recording of our March 23, 2022 program presented by Holly Merker on why getting your daily dose of Ornitherapy may be just what the doctor ordered.
Offshore Wind Along the Central Coast
The recording of our February 23, 2002 program presented by Kristen Hislop describing issues surrounding offshore wind energy.
Conservation and Drought in the Central Valley
Challenges and Opportunity
The recording of our January 26, 2022 program presented by Xerónimo Castañeda on his wetland projects in the central; valley of California and with the Tricolored Blackbird.
The Carpinteria Snowy Plovers:
A First Successful Nesting in 60 Years
This talk shares the story of the successful nesting by snowy plovers in Carpinteria in 2021, including photos and videos of the birds and a discussion of the human efforts that helped them succeed.
A Visual Journey through
Carrizo Plain National Monument
The recording of our October 27, 2021 program presented by Chuck Graham on his photographic adventures in the Carrizo Plain National Monument.
Goleta Coast Audubon Society
a new Student Chapter of the Audubon Society at UCSB
The recording of our September 21, 2021 program presented by Conor McMahon, a graduate student in the Geography Dept at UCSB. Visit them at https://www.goletacoastaudubon.org/
Saline Lakes in the West:
Eared Grebe Migration & the Lakes They Depend on
The recording of our May 26, 2021 program presented by Nora Livingston of the Mono Lake Committee.
Be sure to check out Nora’s blog Wings Above The World
The Breeding Bird Study of Santa Barbara County –
Five Years on, What Have We Learned?
The recording of our March 24, 2021 program presented by Adrian O’Loghlen and Mark Holmgren
Estuaries
California’s Marine Nurseries
The recording of our February 24, 2021 program presented by Andrea Jones of Audubon California.
Birding Colombia
The recording of our January 27, 2021 program presented by Santiago M. Escruceria, a Colombian-born American citizen residing in California for the past 41 years. For the last 21 years he has resided in the Eastern Sierras.
Plant for Birds: Using Native California Plants to Create Habitat at Home
The recording of our November 18, 2020 program presented by Scot Pipkin from the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and an SBAS board member.
Rodent Control Without Poisoning<br />Our Children, Pets, & Wildlife
The recording of our October 28, 2020 program. Presented by Kian & Joel Schilman, founders of Poison Free Mailbu and by Cathy Schoonmaker from Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
From Sea To Summit: The Marvelous Hummingbird
The recording of our September 23, 2020 program “From Sea to Summit: the Marvelous Hummingbird” presented by Benny Jacobs-Schwartz is now available with copyrighted content removed.
