Conejo Valley Audubon

Monthly Program - Bird Diversity Through Time
2024-02-05 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
NOTE: This program will be presented via Zoom ONLY. The Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology will NOT be open. Join the Zoom meeting at the start time.
Jessica A. Oswald Terrill, PhD: Bird diversity through time, and the role of humans in shaping the diversity and distributions of living species
Modern bird diversity and distributions have been shaped by climate and human impacts across the past few thousand years. Understanding the role of climate vs human driven change requires data from paleontological (pre-human), archaeological (human occupation), and modern contexts. I will present fossil data and genomic data from living and extinct bird species to answer questions centered on evaluating diversity change in tropical birds.
Jessica earned her PhD from the University of Florida, was a postdoc at Louisiana State University, and was research assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is currently a forensic ornithologist at The National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon.
Jessica A. Oswald Terrill, PhD

Monthly Program - March 2024
2024-03-04 19:00 - 20:30 | Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, 439 Calle San Pablo, Camarillo, CA, 93012
JANUARY MONTHLY PROGRAM
BIRDING IN TAIWAN, COSTA RICA, AND NICARAGUA
Presented by Taylor Driggs
Taylor will compare and contrast his birding and nature travel experiences in Taiwan, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. In this presentation he’ll share his birding adventures, show his best sightings, and give a little of his general travel advice for both regions. He’ll offer travel tips and considerations for each country, such as which birding guides he used, and what’s compelling about each of these fabulous locations.
Taylor Driggs is a 25 year resident of the Conejo Valley in Oak Park, an avid birder, hiker and natural history travel enthusiast. He works professionally in the Financial Technology industry.
To attend this meeting, use this link (https://zoom.us/j/6155249106) at the meeting time.

Monthly Program - May 2024
2024-05-06 19:00 - 20:30 | Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, 439 Calle San Pablo, Camarillo, CA, 93012
MAY MONTHLY PROGRAM
“Pelagic Birding off Southern California: Searching for Seabirds in the Open Ocean”
by David Pereksta
Nazca Booby Copyright David Pereksta
While 70 percent of the earth is covered by oceans, the lives of the birds that inhabit those waters still hold a number of mysteries that science is only just starting to unravel. Many seabirds come ashore only to breed and then spend the majority of their lives ranging around the world’s oceans; some of which travel incredible distances during foraging trips and migratory movements. The waters offshore of southern California are one of the last birding frontiers in the state, where an exciting mix of seabirds that are rarely if ever seen from land can be found at sea if you know when, where, and how to look for them. A limited number of trips, unpredictable weather, and challenging viewing conditions make pelagic birding trips an adventurous way to explore this frontier. Birders wishing to see these special birds must find some of the few scheduled trips each year, get a reservation before they sell-out, and hope that the weather and birds cooperate.
David Pereksta took his first pelagic trip in 1994, which was a major birding-life changing event. That trip was the start of David’s fascination with seabirds and since then he has spent a considerable amount of time at sea looking for them. With hundreds of days on the water in the Pacific and Atlantic, and trips to remote breeding areas in Russia and the South Pacific, David has immersed himself in understanding the lives of seabirds. David will show us what experiences southern California pelagic birding trips offer including the species that occur off our coast, how the status and distribution of many species have changed recently, where local pelagic trips go and how they operate, and how to best schedule a trip to see the birds (and marine mammals) you are looking for. He will also share anecdotes from some of the most memorable local trips. Bring your soda crackers, Dramamine, and binoculars for this program that is richly illustrated with the best of the thousands of photos David has taken at sea.
David Pereksta is an Avian Biologist with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, where he studies and analyzes the effects of offshore oil and gas, and renewable energy development on birds off the Pacific coast and Hawaii. Prior to his position at BOEM, Dave spent 16 years working on endangered species issues with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Throughout his career with various Federal and State agencies, he has studied several imperiled bird species including Snowy Plovers, Piping Plovers, Least Terns, Ospreys, Northern Goshawks, Brown Pelicans, Spotted Owls, and Ivory-billed Woodpeckers. An avid birder for over 45 years, Dave has traveled throughout North America, South America, the American tropics, the South Pacific, and East Asia including leading trips to Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Peru, and Chile. He also organizes pelagic trips off southern California and leads trips elsewhere in the Pacific and in the Atlantic. He has seen over 2,300 species of birds in his travels; photographing nearly 1,800 species along the way.
The May program will be live at Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology. The meeting starts at 7:00 pm, doors open at 6:30. It will also available via Zoom. The link is, as always, https://zoom.us/j/6155249106.

CVAS ANNUAL PICNIC
2024-06-02 08:00 - 14:00
THE CVAS ANNUAL PICNIC
Sunday, June 2 at Los Robles Open Space
Meet at 8:00 am for the morning bird walk,
then at 11:00 for the potluck lunch.
It’s been twenty-three years since we first held our CVAS Annual Picnic at the Los Robles Trail area adjacent to the original Janss House in Thousand Oaks, and the area has changed a bit. We can no longer drive right down to “our” oak tree, the lawn is gone, and a few new picnic tables have been added, but “our” tree is still there as shady as ever.
At the south end of Moorpark Rd. turn right onto Greenmeadow Ave. and proceed approximately one mile to the parking area. Carpooling is encouraged as parking is limited. Please bring your own table service, drinks and chairs, and this year, bring whatever dish you like. 🙂

Monthly Program--Colombia: South America’s Birding Mecca
2024-12-02 19:00 - 20:30
Get ready for a dive into South America’s birdiest country! Together we’ll explore Colombia’s unique ecology, breathtaking scenery, and unparalleled avian diversity! Colombia holds the record with nearly 2,000 bird species and an impressive 80 endemics!

During our time together, we’ll discuss what has given rise to such incredible diversity. Topics include the country’s five regions, how the Andes Mountain Range formed into three distinct cordilleras, the importance of the mighty Rio Magdalena, and national conservation successes. From sloth-eating Harpy Eagles to shy antpittas, and menageries of colorful tanagers and hummingbirds, Colombia’s astonishing diversity will leave you wanting more!

Benny Isaac Jacobs-Schwartz owns and operates a bird-guiding business and lifestyle brand called BIRDS by BIJS (pronounced Bee-jus). With a background in biology, ecology, and outdoor education, Benny has worked for over 13 years as a naturalist guide, expedition trip leader, and international bird guide. Benny offers guided birding outings in Southern California and small-group birding tours to his favorite tropical locales like Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Colombia.

Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/6155249106.

*Last-minute Bonus Monthly Program* Yellow-headed Amazons of Belize by Jonathan Urbina 🦜
2025-06-02 14:00 - 15:00 | Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, 439 Calle San Pablo, Camarillo, CA, 93012
We have a last-minute special guest from Belize, Jonathan Urbina, presenting a bonus program about the Yellow-headed Amazon this Monday, June 2nd from 2-3 pm at the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology.

Born and raised in Belize, Jonathan went to school at Murray State in Kentucky, majoring in environmental sciences. He has gone on to work in various conservation projects in Belize, including working with the highly sensitive Orange-breasted Falcon. Currently, he is an active birding guide, leading trips in both Belize and Guatemala.

We will try and have this program available via Zoom. Please check back here for the link!

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86956744308?pwd=[REDACTED]

Monthly Program - Free-Flying LA Parrot Project
2025-10-06 19:00 - 20:30
Free-Flying Los Angeles Parrot Project

Non-native parrots have become a very present and boisterous element of the urban ecosystems throughout Southern California. Now through the Free-Flying Los Angeles Parrot Project (FLAPP) on iNaturalist, we created a dataset focused on two of the more prominent species in Southern California, the Red-crowned and Lilac-crowned Parrots. After being introduced through the illegal pet trade, these sister-species have established their populations and even created mixed-species flocks that would not be possible otherwise. Our research has focused on distinguishing the two species based on morphological features, comparison of the environmental conditions between their respective native ranges and their introduced range, and we are now shifting to understanding how their genetic makeup has been affected.

Join Brenda Ramirez to learn how you can help contribute to our research from your own neighborhoods! Become a member of FLAPP on iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/free-flying-los-angeles-parrot-project.

If you’re interested in joining us for dinner before the meeting, text Chrystal at (805) 261-9885 and meet us at WoodRanch Camarillo at Daily and Lantana by 5:00 pm.

Join us at the Western Foundation

We have the privilege of holding our meetings at the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology (also known as the Bird Museum), 439 Calle San Pablo in Camarillo. If you arrive when the doors open at 6:30, you’ll have the rare opportunity to look around the museum’s collections for a half hour before the meeting starts at 7:00 pm. (Also check out wfvz.org)

Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology collections

CVAS’s meetings will be hybrid, simultaneously live at WFVZ (recommended) and on Zoom. The link to join on Zoom is https://zoom.us/j/6155249106.

Also

Anyone interested in joining us for dinner at Wood Ranch Camarillo before the meeting, let Chrystal know you’re coming (805-261-9885), then meet at the restaurant by 5:00 pm.

Program: Waterfowl of Mono Lake
2025-11-03 19:00 - 20:30
Mono Lake is well-known for its breeding population of California Gulls, and for the large numbers of Eared Grebes and phalaropes that use the lake in fall migration. Tucked away in the scattered wetlands, ponds and creeks around the shores of Mono Lake, there is also an established breeding waterfowl population. Deborah House has monitored the waterfowl at Mono Lake for over two decades, and she will take you on a virtual tour of the habitats that support waterfowl at Mono Lake, discussing the dynamic nature of these areas, how these systems have varied with lake level, and how breeding waterfowl have responded to these fluctuations.

Deborah is a semi-retired community ecologist who has conducted several long-term bird monitoring programs in the eastern Sierra region of California. She has spent her summers walking the incredibly beautiful and dynamic shoreline of Mono Lake, keeping track of the breeding waterfowl and their habitats as part of the restoration program for the lake.

December Program-Patch Birding in Long Beach
2025-12-01 19:00 - 20:30
Patch Birding the Colorado Lagoon in Long Beach

Patch-birding will lead to better understanding of how our local birds use different parts of the landscape from year to year and season to season, which may be more useful than knowing how often birds stray far off-course.

Over the course of 8 years, Robb Hamilton has birded about 800 times at Colorado Lagoon, a cozy little body of water in Long Beach, recording 228 species out of the 246 that have been reported on eBird, and photographing the different species.

By achieving good coverage of the lagoon throughout the year, and across multiple years, Robb has been able to capture inter-annual variability, and has established the baseline conditions ahead of a major change in the configuration of the lagoon — the opening of a large channel between Alamitos Bay and the lagoon, which will greatly increase the tidal flushing of the lagoon and increase the area of native habitat available to the birds. Ultimately, Robb intends to collect several years of post-channel data and compare it with the extensive pre-channel data already collected.

Born in Santa Barbara, Robb Hamilton has been birding since he was 15. He’s been an independent biological consultant since 1994.

January-How Does a Songbird Learn to Sing
2026-01-05 19:00 - 20:30
How Does a Songbird Learn to Sing?

Especially when he’s a cowbird who has never met his parent?

Steve Rothstein will discuss generalizations regarding how songbirds learn their vocalizations as well as some exceptions to those generalizations. He will also discuss cowbirds and what’s known about their vocal development and how both innate and genetic aspects combine with learning to produce vocal repertoires.

Steve Rothstein is a Research Professor, Professor Emeritus of Zoology, Department of Ecology, Evolution & Marine Biology, at UC Santa Barbara.

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