El Tecolote

Articles from our Newsletter.

El Tecolote Spring 2020

Posted by · El Tecolote

Santa Barbara Audubon’s Spring issue of El Tecolote is now available. In this issue read about:
  • Our results of the 120 Christmas Bird Count
  • The highlights of the 6th Annual Winter Bird Count for Kids
  • Executive Director highlights
  • Meet our student representative
  • Science and conservation news
  • Report on the Strauss Wind Project
  • West coast survey of the Brown Pelican
  • Upcoming Field Trips, Friday Bird Walks & Programs
To download the pdf file, click the thumbnail image to the right.

  El Tecolote Staff:
  • Joyce Carasa – Editor
  • Alex Loos – Layout

Finding a Silver Lining and a Call to Action – The 120th Christmas Bird Count

Posted by · Christmas Bird Count, El Tecolote

By Rebecca Coulter, Liz Muraoka, Joan Murdoch, & Libby Patten

Let’s just get this on the table: North American birds are in trouble. In late January, Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Dr. Kenneth Rosenberg spoke at the Museum of Natural History about the Decline of the North American Avifauna, his recent article and its message of three billion birds lost since 1970, which fell upon the national birding scene like a ton of bricks. As a community of birders and conservationists, we—like Rosenberg—have been astonished at the extremes evident in the data.

… Continue Reading

Santa Barbara Audubon Society – Nest Box Program

Posted by · Advocacy, El Tecolote, Science, Tree Swallow Program, Volunteer

By Steve Senesac – Science Chair

Brief History

In 2004, Jan Wasserman presented the Tree Swallow Nest Box Program that she was doing in Ventura.  This ignited the interest of some our members at that time, David Kissner, Dave Eldridge, and Don Schroeder.  Dave Eldridge was instrumental in building many of the boxes and Don Schroeder developed a scientific methodology for monitoring the boxes, as well as the basic training materials that we still use. In time, the reins passed on to Andy Lanes and Richard Figueroa, who involved students from UCSB and evolved our basic training program.  Elaine Tan, Peter Thompson, Betsy Moony, Jayne Wamsley, Diane and Leah Vasquez, and again, Don Schroeder have been the mainstay of the program these past several years, as well as a continued interest from UCSB.  Recently Conor McMahon has started a UCSB chapter of Audubon and is injecting new vigor into our UCSB connection, and the program overall.  David Kissner came back into the larger picture a couple of years ago, developing a parallel program at La Cumbre Country Club.  Lots of activity!

… Continue Reading

WHAT AUDUBON ACCOMPLISHED ON THE STRAUSS WIND PROJECT

Posted by · Advocacy, Conservation, El Tecolote

By Steve Ferry, Project Leader

The Strauss Wind Energy Project is a wind farm slated to be built on 3,000 acres of range land about four miles south of the city of Lompoc. The project will comprise 29 wind turbine generators (WTGs), most about 500 feet tall, near the end of San Miguelito Road. Strauss will be built by a German company called BayWa on the same site where a previous project, the Lompoc Wind Energy Project, was proposed about 12 years ago.

The Strauss site has an exceptional bird diversity, particularly raptors.  In fact, the site has one of the highest raptor concentrations in Santa Barbara County.  Red-tailed hawks are abundant and Golden eagles are seen nearly every day.  Other raptors seen regularly include White-tailed Kites, Northern Harriers, Cooper’s Hawks, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, American Kestrels, and Ferruginous Hawks.  Strauss presents a significant risk of harm to these raptors – 60% of raptors observed in surveys were within the rotor-swept zone of the WTGs.

… Continue Reading

“3 Billion Birds Lost” Lecture: From “What If?” to Full House!

Posted by · Advocacy, El Tecolote, Other Events

By Janice Levasheff, Membership Chair

We feel fortunate that we were able to bring Dr. Kenneth Rosenberg here, from Lori Gaskin’s “what if” idea, to Katherine Emery’s reaching out to a fellow Cornell alum with the enticement of a January visit to sunny Santa Barbara, to UCSB Arts & Lectures arranging his trip and talk as part of their Thematic Learning Initiative, and to the S.B. Museum of Natural History graciously providing their recently renovated Fleischmann Auditorium as the venue for his talk. This was truly the happy result of a successful collaboration among our three organizations!

… Continue Reading

El Tecolote Fall 2019

Posted by · El Tecolote

Santa Barbara Audubon’s Fall issue of El Tecolote is now available.

In this issue read about:

  • The June Annual Meeting
  • The Board summer retreat
  • Meet new Executive Director
  • Meet our new Education co-chairperson
  • The Strauss Wind Energy Project
  • New Members & Donor thank you
  • Premier trip to Point Mugu
  • Upcoming Field Trips, Friday Bird Walks and Programs for the fall

To download the pdf file, click the thumbnail image to the right.

A big Thank You to Trent Watanabe of Montecito Journal and SB Sentinel for the layout of El Tecolote

El Tecolote Summer 2019

Posted by · El Tecolote

Santa Barbara Audubon’s Summer issue of El Tecolote is now available.

In this issue read about:

  • The June Annual Meeting – Vote for next year’s Board & updated By-Laws.
  • Farewell to our 1st Executive Director
  • Meet our Publicity Chair person
  • UCSB’S North Bluff Lighting Fix
  • The Joy Parkinson Science Fair Award Winner
  • SBC Species Milestone
  • EITS Volunteer news
  • Upcoming Field Trips, Friday Bird Walks. No Programs during the summer

To download the pdf file, click the thumbnail image to the right.

A big Thank You to Trent Watanabe of Montecito Journal and SB Sentinel for the layout of El Tecolote

El Tecolote Spring 2019

Posted by · El Tecolote

Santa Barbara Audubon’s Spring issue of El Tecolote is now available.

In this issue read about:

  • Our results of the 119 Christmas Bird Count
  • The highlights of the 5th Annual Winter Bird Count for Kids
  • Meet our new EITS Director
  • Meet our student representative
  • Santa Barbara County Condor Milestone
  • What the Science Committee is up to
  • Upcoming Field Trips, Friday Bird Walks & Programs

To download the pdf file, click the thumbnail image to the right.

A big Thank You to Trent Watanabe of Montecito Journal and SB Sentinel for the layout of El Tecolote

El Tecolote Winter 2018-19

Posted by · El Tecolote

Santa Barbara Audubon’s Winter issue of El Tecolote is now available.

In this issue read about:

  • The coming 119th Christmas Bird Count
  • Our 5th Winter Bird Count 4 Kids
  • Meet Board member Kathleen Boehm
  • EITS News
  • The Brown Pelican Survey
  • SBAS birding outreach
  • Upcoming Field Trips, Friday Bird Walks, Programs and other events

To download the pdf file, click the image on the right.

A big Thank You to Trent Watanabe of

For the layout of El Tecolote

El Tecolote Fall 2018

Posted by · El Tecolote

Santa Barbara Audubon’s Fall issue of El Tecolote is now available.

In this issue read about:

  • The annual membership picnic
  • The summer Board Retreat
  • Meet new Board member Lori Gaskin
  • EITS News
  • Farewell to Gabriele
  • SBAS birding outreach
  • Gil Perleberg the Hummer Whisperer, RIP
  • NCOS Kids Bird Festival
  • Big Day with Wes Fritz supports SBAS
  • Upcoming Field Trips, Friday Bird Walks, Programs and other events

To download the pdf file, click the link at the top of this post.

A big Thank You to Trent Watanabe of

For the layout of El Tecolote

El Tecolote Summer 2018

Posted by · El Tecolote, News

Santa Barbara Audubon’s Summer issue of El Tecolote will soon be available.

In this issue read about:

  • The annual membership picnic
  • Board members we are losing
  • Conservation Committee
  • The SBAS overlook at NCOS
  • EITS news
  • Upcoming Field Trips, Friday Bird Walks, Programs and other events

To download the pdf file, click the link at the top of this post.

Two articles in this issue of ET reference online files. Unfortunately the references in ET are incorrect. Please use the links below to access the files mentioned.
1) Full text of “The SBAS Conservation Committee…In Context”
2) “Audubon Overlook” article with graphics

 

 

A big Thank You to Trent Watanabe of

For the layout of El Tecolote

El Tecolote Spring 2018

Posted by · El Tecolote

Santa Barbara Audubon’s Spring issue of El Tecolote is now available.

In this issue read about:

  • The Christmas Bird Count results
  • The highlights of the 4th Annual Winter Bird Count for Kids
  • Meet a co-chair of the Conservation Committee
  • SBMNH honors EITS
  • Our Raptors’ experience during the Thomas fire
  • Judy Hogan In Memoriam
  • Upcoming Field Trips, Friday Bird Walks, Programs and other events

To download the pdf file, click the thumbnail image to the right.

A big Thank You to Trent Watanabe of Montecito Journal and SB Sentinel for the layout of El Tecolote

El Tecolote December 2017 – February 2018

Posted by · El Tecolote

Santa Barbara Audubon’s December – February 2017 issue of El Tecolote is now available.

In this issue read about:

  • The upcoming Christmas Bird Count (CBC)
  • The CBC Dinner!
  • Meet our new SBAS Treasurer
  • The fun we had at the Goleta Sanitary District open house
  • The fall Brown Pelican Survey
  • Snowy Plovers at the Santa Barbara Zoo
  • News from Eyes In The Sky
  • Upcoming Field Trips, Friday Bird Walks, and programs

To download the pdf file, click the thumbnail image to the right.

A big Thank You to Trent Watanabe for the layout of El Tecolote