The Carpinteria “Little Big Day” event will be happening in just over a week, on Saturday, April 23, 2022. So far there are two teams that have signed up for the team competition: The UCSB Roadrunners, consisting of team leader Max Laubstein and additional team members Alex Castelein, Jeremy Cowan, and Lucas Gaede The Old…

For this month’s Carpinteria Birdwatchers online meeting we’ll continue the discussion of “better identifications” that we began last month. This month we’ll cover how to report rarities, and go through some examples of birds I’ve misidentified recently, with a focus on lessons learned to avoid misidentifications in the future. Join us at 6:30 p.m. on…

Snowy plovers are again attempting to nest at Carpinteria State Beach just east of the mouth of Carpinteria Creek. State park biologists discovered the nest on Monday, March 21, 2022, when they placed an anti-predator exclosure over the nest and established a protective rope fence around the area. I learned about the nesting attempt when…

For our next group outing we’ll return to a favorite spot: the Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park. Hope to see you there on on Saturday, March 19, 2022 at 8 a.m. — John Callender Location: Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park Date/time: Saturday, March 19, 2022, 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Details: Take Linden Avenue south toward the…

For this month’s Carpinteria Birdwatchers online meeting we’ll continue the theme of becoming a better birder by talking about making better identifications. We’ll talk about key techniques for identifying birds, how to document what you see and hear, and how to avoid common pitfalls that can lead to misidentifications. Join us at 6:30 p.m. on…

Carpinteria Birdwatchers is sponsoring what I think will be a fun event: a friendly “little big day” competition in which teams see who can find the most birds in a 7-mile-diameter circle between 8 a.m. and noon. (There will also be a non-team, non-competitive category for people who want to participate less formally.) The event,…

For this month’s Carpinteria Birdwatchers group outing we’ll put our skills to the test with a trip to the beach to check out the local gull flock (along with whatever else we can find). On Saturday, February 19, 2022, we’ll meet at the south end of Linden Avenue at 8 a.m. Will we be able…

For this month’s Carpinteria Birdwatchers online meeting I thought we’d take a fresh look at a subject where there’s always more to learn: gulls. We’ll focus on the big picture, brushing up on local species and talking about some aspects of gull ID we haven’t talked about before. Join us Thursday, February 17, 2022 at…

For our next group outing we’ll head back to the Carpinteria Bluffs. On Saturday, January 29, 2022, we’ll go birdwatching from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. We’ll see what’s in the grassland, at the flower fields, and take a look at the beach and ocean from the harbor seal pupping site. Hope to see you…

For January’s Zoom meeting I thought we’d kick off a new series of meetings for 2022 by focusing on a new topic: how to become a better birder. Our special guest will be longtime Santa Barbara birding teacher Rebecca Coulter. I’m looking forward to a wide-ranging discussion with Rebecca of what it even means to…