Date: 1/7/26 4:00 pm From: Anne Spence <aspencerrt...> Subject: [MBBIRDS] Mountain Lion Sightings in Watsonville
Public service announcement!
Another Mountain Lion was spotted in daylight hours this morning in
Watsonville near 1075 N. Main St. The cat/s are apparently moving around
this general area & near Ramsey Park. This is not the first time a Mountain
Lion has been spotted in this area. But, as everyone knows they can walk
several miles in a few hours. So please be cautious & be prepared while
walking the adjacent Slough trail systems.
Here is the map & post from Watsonville Police from Facebook. Copy & paste
the coordinates into Google Maps.
36.9128549, -121.7685862
“A mountain lion sighting has been reported this morning in the area behind
1075 Main Street and last seen heading toward Harkins Slough Road.
While there are currently no photos or videos of the sighting, we’re
sharing this information to remind residents to always remain alert,
especially when walking in open or rural areas. Animal Control and the
California Department of Fish and Wildlife have been notified.
Residents in the surrounding area, please:
• Bring pets indoors, especially at night
• Keep a close eye on young children when outside
• Never approach a mountain lion and call 9-1-1 immediately
If you encounter a mountain lion:
• Do not run
• Do not stare into its eyes
• Spread your arms wide to appear bigger to the lion
• Make loud noises
𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗔Ñ𝗢𝗟
Queremos informar a nuestra comunidad sobre el avistamiento de un puma esta
mañana en el área detrás de 1075 de Main Street. El puma fue visto por
última vez dirigiéndose hacia Harkins Slough Road.
Aunque por el momento no hay fotos ni videos del avistamiento, compartimos
esta información para recordar a los residentes que permanezcan alerta,
especialmente al caminar en áreas abiertas o rurales. Se ha notificado al
Control de Animales y al Departamento de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de
California.
Se recomienda a los residentes de la zona:
•Meta a sus mascotas a su casa, especialmente por la noche
•Vigile de cerca a los niños cuando estén afuera
•Si ve un puma, no se acerque y llame al 9-1-1 inmediatamente
Si se encuentra con un puma:
•No corra
•No lo mire fijamente a los ojos
•Abra los brazos para parecer más grande que el puma
•Haga ruidos fuertes”
Within a couple of days there is a White Throated Sparrow. We have a long history (12 or 14 years?) Of generations of this WTS family visiting and staying the winter. Our yard is like a favorite vacation spot for generations of this family.
Date: 12/31/25 7:43 am From: <plants...> Subject: [MBBIRDS] if you have a few minutes, read this amazing piece by J. Drew Lanham on extinction, human impact, birders, technology etc - an invitation to think deeply as we end the year
Date: 12/30/25 11:53 am From: Paul Miller <paulbug.2876...> Subject: [MBBIRDS] More Varied Thrush
Today's field trip to Henry Cowell yielded more great looks at some cooperative VARIED THRUSH--probably 5 total. They were in the same spot as previously, near the very large parking lot within the picnic day use area. They seem to favor the bay trees! Need more info? Email me <paulbug...> Paul Miller
I live in the Aptos hills and watch Quail regularly. All of mine are
flocked up in their covey right now. They all look mature. Come Spring
they will separate out into pairs. Then the pairs will be herding chicks.
Next it seems that a couple of pairs will join forces and watch over the
nursery. Then it's back to all together in the covey. A male will often
be slightly separated from the others and up in a tree standing guard.
That male will call out alarm or other instructions.
On Sun, Dec 28, 2025 at 11:45 AM Heidi Sandkuhle <mrskuhle...>
wrote:
> Hi Shantanu,
> I live in Corralitos which has many coveys of quail seemingly everywhere,
> now. I cannot ever recall seeing a singular quail, except for a female on
> a nest.
> I observe quail of both sexes, and age ranges together all the time on my
> property. Quail are very vocal, so a single one should be alert to ones
> nearby. Is it sick? Lost?
> Who knows? Nature will take its course, but a single member of a flock,
> alone, out of probable habitat will be a target for predators—cats included.
> Sorry to be of no help, but I hope you enjoy your visitor!
> Keep us posted!
> Heidi Sandkuhle
>
> On Dec 28, 2025, at 11:04 AM, Mary Anne Goldberg <mapmg2011...>
> wrote:
>
> To anyone who is responding to Shantanu's question -!please reply to the
> group as well. I'd love to read the replies.
> Thanks,
> Mary Anne Goldberg
> Royal Oaks
>
> On Sat, Dec 27, 2025, 12:52 PM Shantanu Phukan <phukan...>
> wrote:
>
>> I have an adult, male California Quail hanging out in my backyard for the
>> last 5 days. I know this is a common yard bird for those of you who live
>> near chaparral, but for me in my neighborhood near Ocean and Soquel this is
>> highly unusual. In the 19 years I have lived in this house I have only seen
>> a quail once (a female in 2023). I first saw this quail in my toyon tree on
>> the 22nd, and scared it off and it flew off into the neighborhood where I
>> lost it.
>>
>> Every day since then it has appeared and foraged in the backyard where I
>> throw millet seeds for the sparrows. It also roosted and preened in my
>> persimmon tree for an hour and is still here now after 5 hours. I do live a
>> block from Branciforte Creek but the creek is channeled at this point so
>> its hard to think how it could even have got near my house which is
>> surrounded by homes and fenced backyards for at least ten blocks all
>> around.
>>
>> We are all being held hostage to the quail since we dont want to step out
>> lest we scare it off. But if I had to be held hostage this is a wonderful
>> way for it to happen.
>>
>> Now my questions:
>> I would normally expect quails to be in coveys at this time of year, so
>> what is this quail doing all alone for the last 5 days?
>> Do young adult males disperse and leave their natal flocks after they
>> have grown up?
>> Would a young adult born this summer already have attained adult plumage
>> by December or does it take them till later into the next year for this to
>> happen?
>> Is it in danger from lurking cats or are quails a little too big cats?
>>
>> Shantanu Phukan
>>
>> --
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
>> "mbbirds" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
>> email to mbbirds+<unsubscribe...>
>> To view this discussion visit
>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mbbirds/<2f3531bd-1f13-745e-f5d1-54c99aab68c5...> >> .
>>
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "mbbirds" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to mbbirds+<unsubscribe...>
> To view this discussion visit
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>
>
> --
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> email to mbbirds+<unsubscribe...>
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>
Hi Shantanu,
I live in Corralitos which has many coveys of quail seemingly everywhere, now. I cannot ever recall seeing a singular quail, except for a female on a nest.
I observe quail of both sexes, and age ranges together all the time on my property. Quail are very vocal, so a single one should be alert to ones nearby. Is it sick? Lost?
Who knows? Nature will take its course, but a single member of a flock, alone, out of probable habitat will be a target for predators—cats included.
Sorry to be of no help, but I hope you enjoy your visitor!
Keep us posted!
Heidi Sandkuhle
> On Dec 28, 2025, at 11:04 AM, Mary Anne Goldberg <mapmg2011...> wrote:
>
> To anyone who is responding to Shantanu's question -!please reply to the group as well. I'd love to read the replies.
> Thanks,
> Mary Anne Goldberg
> Royal Oaks
>
> On Sat, Dec 27, 2025, 12:52 PM Shantanu Phukan <phukan...> <mailto:<phukan...>> wrote:
>> I have an adult, male California Quail hanging out in my backyard for the last 5 days. I know this is a common yard bird for those of you who live near chaparral, but for me in my neighborhood near Ocean and Soquel this is highly unusual. In the 19 years I have lived in this house I have only seen a quail once (a female in 2023). I first saw this quail in my toyon tree on the 22nd, and scared it off and it flew off into the neighborhood where I lost it.
>>
>> Every day since then it has appeared and foraged in the backyard where I throw millet seeds for the sparrows. It also roosted and preened in my persimmon tree for an hour and is still here now after 5 hours. I do live a block from Branciforte Creek but the creek is channeled at this point so its hard to think how it could even have got near my house which is surrounded by homes and fenced backyards for at least ten blocks all around.
>>
>> We are all being held hostage to the quail since we dont want to step out lest we scare it off. But if I had to be held hostage this is a wonderful way for it to happen.
>>
>> Now my questions:
>> I would normally expect quails to be in coveys at this time of year, so what is this quail doing all alone for the last 5 days?
>> Do young adult males disperse and leave their natal flocks after they have grown up?
>> Would a young adult born this summer already have attained adult plumage by December or does it take them till later into the next year for this to happen?
>> Is it in danger from lurking cats or are quails a little too big cats?
>>
>> Shantanu Phukan
>>
>> --
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "mbbirds" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to mbbirds+<unsubscribe...> <mailto:mbbirds%<2Bunsubscribe...>.
>> To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mbbirds/<2f3531bd-1f13-745e-f5d1-54c99aab68c5...> >
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "mbbirds" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to mbbirds+<unsubscribe...> <mailto:mbbirds+<unsubscribe...>.
> To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mbbirds/CAET0BvTR5hV3wN54R%<2BHgFntzbFzCg4GsOgfxcnUOMoVnmP_5hg...> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mbbirds/CAET0BvTR5hV3wN54R%<2BHgFntzbFzCg4GsOgfxcnUOMoVnmP_5hg...>?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.
Date: 12/28/25 11:05 am From: Mary Anne Goldberg <mapmg2011...> Subject: Re: [MBBIRDS] Odd Quail Behavior
To anyone who is responding to Shantanu's question -!please reply to the
group as well. I'd love to read the replies.
Thanks,
Mary Anne Goldberg
Royal Oaks
On Sat, Dec 27, 2025, 12:52 PM Shantanu Phukan <phukan...> wrote:
> I have an adult, male California Quail hanging out in my backyard for the
> last 5 days. I know this is a common yard bird for those of you who live
> near chaparral, but for me in my neighborhood near Ocean and Soquel this is
> highly unusual. In the 19 years I have lived in this house I have only seen
> a quail once (a female in 2023). I first saw this quail in my toyon tree on
> the 22nd, and scared it off and it flew off into the neighborhood where I
> lost it.
>
> Every day since then it has appeared and foraged in the backyard where I
> throw millet seeds for the sparrows. It also roosted and preened in my
> persimmon tree for an hour and is still here now after 5 hours. I do live a
> block from Branciforte Creek but the creek is channeled at this point so
> its hard to think how it could even have got near my house which is
> surrounded by homes and fenced backyards for at least ten blocks all
> around.
>
> We are all being held hostage to the quail since we dont want to step out
> lest we scare it off. But if I had to be held hostage this is a wonderful
> way for it to happen.
>
> Now my questions:
> I would normally expect quails to be in coveys at this time of year, so
> what is this quail doing all alone for the last 5 days?
> Do young adult males disperse and leave their natal flocks after they have
> grown up?
> Would a young adult born this summer already have attained adult plumage
> by December or does it take them till later into the next year for this to
> happen?
> Is it in danger from lurking cats or are quails a little too big cats?
>
> Shantanu Phukan
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "mbbirds" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to mbbirds+<unsubscribe...>
> To view this discussion visit
> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mbbirds/<2f3531bd-1f13-745e-f5d1-54c99aab68c5...> > .
>
I have an adult, male California Quail hanging out in my backyard for the last 5 days. I know this is a common yard bird for those of you who live near chaparral, but for me in my neighborhood near Ocean and Soquel this is highly unusual. In the 19 years I have lived in this house I have only seen a quail once (a female in 2023). I first saw this quail in my toyon tree on the 22nd, and scared it off and it flew off into the neighborhood where I lost it.
Every day since then it has appeared and foraged in the backyard where I throw millet seeds for the sparrows. It also roosted and preened in my persimmon tree for an hour and is still here now after 5 hours. I do live a block from Branciforte Creek but the creek is channeled at this point so its hard to think how it could even have got near my house which is surrounded by homes and fenced backyards for at least ten blocks all around.
We are all being held hostage to the quail since we dont want to step out lest we scare it off. But if I had to be held hostage this is a wonderful way for it to happen.
Now my questions:
I would normally expect quails to be in coveys at this time of year, so what is this quail doing all alone for the last 5 days?
Do young adult males disperse and leave their natal flocks after they have grown up?
Would a young adult born this summer already have attained adult plumage by December or does it take them till later into the next year for this to happen?
Is it in danger from lurking cats or are quails a little too big cats?
Date: 12/24/25 2:05 pm From: 'Jane Orbuch' via mbbirds <mbbirds...> Subject: [MBBIRDS] [The Washington Post] After more than 125 years, the Christmas Bird Count is more popular than ever
Happy Holidays!
The Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count is underway, and more participants than ever are expected to take part in one of the longest-running citizen data projects.
https://wapo.st/4b6RlXD
Date: 12/23/25 4:24 pm From: Alex Rinkert <arinkert...> Subject: [MBBIRDS] Santa Cruz CBC, Dec 20 - preliminary results
The 69th Annual Santa Cruz Christmas Bird Count was held on Saturday, December 20. We were expecting to be rained on all day, but fortunately, the forecast shifted and fog and mist prevailed.
The preliminary total for this year's count is 173 species, which is a handful higher than the recent 10-year average of 169 species and actually the second-highest total within that period. The final count results, including an analysis of both species and abundance, will appear in the Albatross newsletter early next year.
A few highlights found on count day include the following:
Orchard Oriole (Coast Road, 1st count record but recorded on count week 3x previously) Red-naped Sapsucker (Empire Grade) Elegant Tern (Twin Lakes Beach, 6th count record and 1st since 2001) Eurasian Wigeon (continuing at Younger Lagoon, 4th count record) Barrow's Goldeneye (continuing at Main Beach, 4th count record) Pacific Golden-Plover (2 continuing at Ohlone Bluff, 4th count record) Wandering Tattler (Panther Beach, 1st since 2016) Black Scoter (Ohlone Bluff, 1st since 2016) Black-and-white Warbler, Summer Tanager, Parasitic Jaeger, Hermit Warblers, and more.
Some notable misses on count day included Cackling Goose, White-winged Scoter, Marbled Godwit, Least Sandpiper, Golden Eagle, American Barn Owl, Burrowing Owl, and Scaly-breasted Munia.
Many thanks to Ann Chandler, Larry Corridon, and the Santa Cruz Bird Club for organizing a warm and festive countdown dinner, and to all the section leaders and 100+ participants for making this another successful count. Happy holidays to all!
Date: 12/18/25 10:49 am From: Mark Allaback <markallaback...> Subject: Re: [MBBIRDS] Homeless Garden
Hello,
I'm a local wildlife biologist on the mbbirds group and have done quite a bit of work over the years around Antonelli and Younger Lagoon. In response to the questions regarding the homeless garden property, the Director asked me to provide this response. Please direct any further queries to the email address provided.
Thanks.
Mark Allaback, Wildlife Biologist Biosearch Environmental ConsultingP.O. Box 1220 Santa Cruz, CA 95061
For 35 years, the Homeless Garden Project has welcomed the community onto our farm. Part of our mission relates to bringing the community together in the beauty and security of the farm. We love the birds that come to the farm and the birders! We also welcome local businesses, school groups of all ages, volunteers, CSA members, local employers, guest lecturers and any community members who want to visit the farm.
We have been farming on Natural Bridges Farm since 1995. In 2025, we harvested (so far!) more than 36K pounds of organic produce, which was used in trainee lunches, sold at our farm stand and to Community Supported Agriculture members, as well as to neighbors experiencing food insecurity via our Feed 2 Birds program. Our main program is a workforce development program, providing transitional employment to people experiencing homelessness, wage paid, time-limited employment, with the goal of getting jobs in the community. In 2024, 93% of our graduates secured jobs and housing.
The Natural Bridges Farm land is privately owned and we've been working to secure entitlements to purchase 4 acres of the land to ensure we can continue to provide this needed and successful service. We receive about 1% or our support from County CORE funding, about 61% from donations and 25% from earned income at our farm and social enterprises--these percentages change from year to year. In 2024, we received a one time grant that made up the difference.
Farming is wonderful work--our farmers love working with the soil, growing food, and connecting with the community. It is also hard work, at times working in cold, wet weather, addressing pest and crop problems. The fence protects our crops from deer and the gate ensures food safety and protects our crops from people who vandalized the farm, such as tearing up beds of crops, leaving the crops strewn about the farm. We depend on these crops for our customers. The farm is open 8-4 every day, please feel free to stop by during these hours. The farm stand and volunteer hours are 10-4, Tuesday-Sunday. Occasionally, such as for our staff retreat or holiday party, the farm will be closed to allow our staff to be together.
Thank you for your understanding. If you'd like more information, please visit our website www.homelessgardenproject.org or email <info...>
On Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 09:56:56 AM PST, 'Stephanie' via mbbirds <mbbirds...> wrote:
If anyone does go meet with them, please let me know. I'm just about finished with a handout to give them, introducing common birds of the garden. It'd provide a nice opening to start the conversation.
~Stephanie
On Sat, Dec 13, 2025 at 8:47 AM, Cliff Bixler<clifford.bixler50...> wrote: Does anyone know how it came to be that the Homeless Garden is now locked to early morning birders?Gates locked and hours posted Tuesday to Sunday 10-4. Early morning and late afternoon are prime birding times. Perhaps some representatives of the bird club could talk with them and work out an arrangement similar to Younger Lagoon?It is city owned property after all and they exist due to our support from individual and tax dollars. It seems like they could allow access to birders without sacrificing security. Perhaps having us there would actually deter theft.Cliff Bixler Bonny Doon
--
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By Emily Anthes
For ecologists, the Covid-19 pandemic has presented a remarkable natural experiment in what can happen to wild animals when humans stay home.
Published Dec. 15, 2025Updated Dec. 16, 2025, 9:12 a.m. ET
About two decades ago, the dark-eyed junco, a forest-dwelling sparrow, began to colonize urban Los Angeles. The birds proved to be remarkably successful in the city, making themselves at home on the bustling campus of the University of California, Los Angeles.
They also rapidly diverged from their wildland counterparts, adopting different breeding behaviors and displaying different physical traits, including shorter wings. The urban juncos also developed shorter, stubbier beaks, a shift that may have been driven by a change in diet.
But when U.C.L.A.’s campus shut down during the pandemic, something remarkable happened: The beaks of juncos born on campus reverted to their wildland shape. Several years later, after the pandemic-related restrictions had been lifted, the distinctive urban beak shape returned, researchers reported in a new study on Monday.
For ecologists, the Covid-19 pandemic represented a remarkable natural experiment, an opportunity to study what wild animals did when humans stayed home, en masse. During what has become known as the “anthropause,” mountain lions crept closer to cities and sea turtles ventured closer to shore, while birds lowered the volume of their songs, scientists have found.
But the new study, which was published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to link the pandemic lockdowns to a change in the physical form of a wild animal population.
“We were really shocked,” said Pamela Yeh, who is an evolutionary biologist at U.C.L.A. and an author of the study.
Rapid morphological change in an urban bird due to COVID-19 restrictions
Date: 12/16/25 8:34 am From: Jean Brocklebank <jeanbean...> Subject: [MBBIRDS] Day 3 – An Ode to Gulls
Hello birders ~
I subscribe to a Wordpress blog called the California Water Blog for news and articles about, well, water. Today's short blog is delightfully educational.
Enjoy,
Jean
California WaterBlog
Day 3 – An Ode to Gulls
By Christine Parisek on December 16, 2025
By Lynette Williams Duman
Clockwise from left to right: The Heermann’s Gull, Bonaparte’s Gull, Short-billed Gull, and Lesser Black-backed Gull. A small slice of winter visitors to California. (Images courtesy of Lynette Williams Duman and Konshau Duman).
There is no better cure for the winter blues than looking at birds, and there is no better group of birds to look at in the winter than gulls. In California, winter is the time of massive gull flocks that will commute between landfills, beaches, rice fields, reservoirs, and rivers. No matter where you are, odds are that there will be a gull nearby.
Take the Heermann’s Gull (Larus heermanni), who, instead of following the expected winter migration south with its avian compatriots, chooses to move north in the winter and delights coastal Californians from San Diego to Mendocino (and beyond!), but rarely ventures inland.
Or consider the adventurous Bonaparte’s Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia; named for Napoleon’s ornithologist nephew, Charles). They charm us in winter with their acrobatic flight, petite stature, and gregarious nature, but in the summer, they nest arboreally (!!) in scattered spruces near bogs and lakes in far northern Canada and Alaska.
We also get rare visitors to our coast in the winter. The Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus), a species most commonly found in the Old World, has become an infrequent winter invader in California. If you have the pleasure of scanning through a flock of gulls, keep your eyes peeled for rarities, like this individual (Figure 1) from the Davis Landfill in February 2022.
Sometimes there are gulls that taxonomically we are… not sure what to do with. The Short-billed Gull (Larus brachyrhynchus) was once a subspecies of Mew Gull (Larus canus; “Mew” refers to an old Dutch word for “gull” – so yes, that means they were technically called the “Gull Gull”). Mew Gull was taxonomically split in 2021 and is now two separate species: Short-billed Gull and Common Gull. This thrilled many birders, as now there are two additional (difficult to identify) gull species to find every winter!
So whether you are gull-curious or a fully-fledged lariphile, keep an eye out for our beautiful, enigmatic winter visitors.
* To celebrate 15 years of the California WaterBlog during this season of giving, consider making a gift to the Center to help us create more meaningful opportunities for students across our programs.
About the Author
Lynette Williams Duman is a PhD Candidate in the Aquatic Research Collective (ARC) at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences, where she studies multi-benefit tidal restoration. You can often find her at the landfill looking at gulls.
Further Reading
Burger, J. and M. Gochfeld (2020). Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bongul.01
Burger, J., M. Gochfeld, G. M. Kirwan, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana (2020). Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.lbbgul.01
Islam, K. and E. Velarde (2020). Heermann's Gull (Larus heermanni), version 2.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald and B. K. Keeney, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.heegul.02
Moskoff, W. and L. R. Bevier (2021). Short-billed Gull (Larus brachyrhynchus), version 1.1. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.mewgul2.01.1
* As always, but especially during “12 Days of CWS,” we’d love to hear from our readers too! Whether you’ve been part of CWS before or just love observing the seasons, appreciating a nice lake, or have your own naturalist adventures, drop us a comment below. Share with us a surprising nature encounter, your favorite aquatic species, or a bit of mischief – someone else might nod along and share a smile! We’re excited to share “12 Days of CWS” with you, and for you to be a part of it too!
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Date: 12/13/25 7:46 pm From: Pete Sole <pete...> Subject: [MBBIRDS] Owl Trifecta!
Hi birders,
One saying that resonates strongly with me is: "Any day you see an owl,
is a great day!"
Today, I scored 3 different species making for a terrific day. GREAT
HORNED OWLS woke me up, hooting early in the morning. The continuing
BURROWING OWL, although shy to begin with, showed nicely at Scott Creek
beach, and an AMERICAN BARN OWL appeared at the appointed time, 4:50pm,
at Terrance Point and Coastal Science Campus. For ebird lists, some with
documentary photos see:
I would be open to going having been a supporter of their program and a
frequent visitor/birders.
I think pitching access as a way for them to gain allies and actually
enhance their security might work.
Any thoughts?
Cliff
On Sat, Dec 13, 2025, 9:56 AM Stephanie <singersa...> wrote:
> If anyone does go meet with them, please let me know. I'm just about
> finished with a handout to give them, introducing common birds of the
> garden. It'd provide a nice opening to start the conversation.
>
> ~Stephanie
>
> On Sat, Dec 13, 2025 at 8:47 AM, Cliff Bixler
> <clifford.bixler50...> wrote:
> Does anyone know how it came to be that the Homeless Garden is now locked
> to early morning birders?
> Gates locked and hours posted Tuesday to Sunday 10-4. Early morning and
> late afternoon are prime birding times. Perhaps some representatives of the
> bird club could talk with them and work out an arrangement similar to
> Younger Lagoon?
> It is city owned property after all and they exist due to our support from
> individual and tax dollars. It seems like they could allow access to
> birders without sacrificing security. Perhaps having us there would
> actually deter theft.
> Cliff Bixler
> Bonny Doon
>
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Date: 12/13/25 9:57 am From: 'Stephanie' via mbbirds <mbbirds...> Subject: Re: [MBBIRDS] Homeless Garden
If anyone does go meet with them, please let me know. I'm just about finished with a handout to give them, introducing common birds of the garden. It'd provide a nice opening to start the conversation.
~Stephanie
On Sat, Dec 13, 2025 at 8:47 AM, Cliff Bixler<clifford.bixler50...> wrote: Does anyone know how it came to be that the Homeless Garden is now locked to early morning birders?Gates locked and hours posted Tuesday to Sunday 10-4. Early morning and late afternoon are prime birding times. Perhaps some representatives of the bird club could talk with them and work out an arrangement similar to Younger Lagoon?It is city owned property after all and they exist due to our support from individual and tax dollars. It seems like they could allow access to birders without sacrificing security. Perhaps having us there would actually deter theft.Cliff Bixler Bonny Doon
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Does anyone know how it came to be that the Homeless Garden is now locked to early morning birders? Gates locked and hours posted Tuesday to Sunday 10-4. Early morning and late afternoon are prime birding times. Perhaps some representatives of the bird club could talk with them and work out an arrangement similar to Younger Lagoon? It is city owned property after all and they exist due to our support from individual and tax dollars. It seems like they could allow access to birders without sacrificing security. Perhaps having us there would actually deter theft. Cliff Bixler Bonny Doon
