Sequoia Audubon Society

San Mateo County, California

— The October to December 2018 Newsletter is now available online—
Birder's Acrostic in this month's newsletter

Upcoming Meeting

Thursday, December 13, 2018
7pm at the San Mateo Garden Center
Additional meeting information

Panel Presentation: San Mateo County's Christmas Bird Counts: History and Best Practices

Don't forget that the annual Sequoia Audubon used book sale will also take place that night!

Additional Program Information

Pacific Wren by Jennifer Rycenga

The annual Christmas Bird Counts for San Mateo County are among Sequoia Audubon's favorite traditions. Sequoia's first Crystal Springs count was in 1948 with Santa Clara Audubon and began regular annual counts in 1955. The Año Nuevo Count began in 1972.

Register Now for the Christmas Bird Count!

In addition to the two counts sponsored by our chapter, two other counts cover parts of our county: the Palo Alto CBC, and the San Francisco CBC. Don't forget to participate in them, too, if you are able, to increase the percentage of our county that gets good observers onto our wintering birds.

The Half Moon Bay Review embedded a reporter with one of our teams; see the story here.

Additional information and registration form for the CBC here.

SAS 8th Annual Big Sit! and Big Ride

Sunday, October 14th, 8am - Pescadero State Beach & Marsh

Bald Eagle by Donna Pomeroy
Bald Eagle – Pescadero Marsh Nature Reserve – 10/14/18 (Donna Pomeroy)

Read the Final Report for the Big Sit 2018!

New Photo Resource

Donna Pomeroy has assembled a remarkable resource for birders - a photographic guide to the 240 most common bird species in San Mateo County! Here's the link (it's on iNaturalist).

Volunteers Wanted!

If you are interested in helping to shape the future of Sequoia Audubon Society please consider joining the
Board. While all members' ideas are welcome and encouraged, participating as a Board or Committee Member increases the opportunity to get involved in the "nuts & bolts" of the chapter. We have several open positions at this time, as shown below. Please have a look and let us know if you (or anyone you know!) are interested by contacting Sequoia Audubon at: (650) 529-1454 or office@sequoia-audubon.org

Open positions include:

Program Committee: Help arrange speakers for the monthly meetings.
See the Volunteer Page for other opportunities to help Sequoia Audubon Society

For more information about these open positions, please visit our Volunteer Page.

Radio Road birds

Photo by Donna Pomeroy

Is a Drone disturbing Wildlife?

What you can do if you see a drone disturbing wildlife:

Contact the Redwood City Police "non-emergency" number 650-780-7100
Contact Department of Fish and Game by using the CalTIP program
Get the license plate number of the drone operator's vehicle.
Obtain a photo or video of the operator using the drone in a manner, which is disturbing the birds. However, do not put yourself in danger while doing this.

Baby Birds in Distress

To report a baby bird in distress please contact the Peninsula Humane Society Wildlife Rescue,
650-340-7022, or take it to their center at 12 Airport Blvd, San Mateo

If at all possible please leave the baby where it is because the adults will usually continue to feed and care for it.

Have you tried our Birding Guide?

Please consider supporting Sequoia Audubon Society with a tax-deductable donation.

Your support is greatly appreciated.

Sequoia Audubon has registered in the
Amazon Smile Program.

Amazon Smile is a simple and automatic way for you to support Sequoia Audubon every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization.

Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will see eligible products marked "Eligible for AmazonSmile donation" on their product detail pages.

You use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile. Your shopping cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are also the same.

Learn Bird Sounds and Benefit
Sequoia Audubon Society!

Ever wish you knew how to identify birds by ear? It's one of the most essential birding skills, but one of the hardest to learn. Some folks from Seattle's Audubon chapter set out to make learning bird sounds truly accessible to everyone.

The result is Larkwire: a game-based learning system that uses cognitive techniques to make it easier to learn and remember bird sounds. Combining quiz games, an extensive sound library, and tips from renowned birdsong expert Michael O'Brien, Larkwire makes the learning process not only much easier but fun. Customizable levels from beginner to advanced invite both the backyard birder and the serious student to play and learn.

The company behind Larkwire is a social venture whose mission is not only to teach birdsong; a minimum of ten percent of all proceeds go to support conservation.

Sequoia Audubon Society has joined their affiliate program; enter our code when you purchase and we'll receive 20% of the purchase price! Our code: SEQAUD

Larkwire is now available as a native app
in the Apple App Store.

Learn bird sounds with Larkwire.
It's a great tool and your purchase supports Sequoia Audubon Society!

San Mateo County eBird Records

The immense power of the eBird database lends itself to instant availability of data.

Visit this link at eBird for San Mateo Co. sightings.

Sequoia Audubon Society protects native birds and other wildlife and their ecosystems in San Mateo County by engaging people of all ages in conservation, education, advocacy and enjoyment.

Become a Member of Sequoia Audubon

The Sequoia Audubon Society is committed to equal opportunity and abides by all relevant laws and regulations. All Sequoia Audubon programs and volunteer opportunities are administered without regard to race, gender, creed, national origin, age, political affiliation, marital status, sexual orientation, physical, mental or sensory handicap, or any other basis prohibited by law. However, Sequoia Audubon reserves the right to exclude volunteers who do not support its goals.