Connecting People with Birds

Our mission is to share the fun of birding, promote conservation and scientific understanding of wild birds and their habitats, and offer engaging, science-based education emphasizing the communities of Napa and Solano counties.
Learn more about us

Welcome to Napa Solano Audubon Society!

Bird of the Week – White-tailed Kite
 

NSAS Monthly Speaker Series Presents: “Galapagos Birds and the Study of Evolution with Dr Jaime Chaves
March 12th at 7:00 p.m. at the Napa Valley Lutheran Church

About the Program: Dr. Chaves’s research centers on understanding how biodiversity is generated and maintained in the Neotropics, with a particular emphasis on the connection between molecular variation and phenotypic traits. He has applied phylogenetic comparative methods and integrated data from fieldwork and museum collections to investigate evolutionary histories of organisms, addressing fundamental questions in biodiversity. By combining molecular genetics with field biology, his presentation will explore evolutionary processes at multiple levels: from population divergence and speciation in action, to species-level phylo-geography and systematics.

About the Presenter: Dr Jaime Chaves is an Associate Professor of Evolutionary Biology at San Francisco State University whose work is rooted in a fascination with how life diversifies and adapts. His research integrates genomics and field ecology to study adaptation and diversification in birds, with a particular focus on Galápagos species, including Darwin’s finches. His primary research goal is to better understand evolutionary processes and inform conservation.

NSAS will be Participating in the CA Breeding Bird Atlas Project

What is a Breeding Bird Atlas (BBA)? And why is it so important? A Breeding Bird Atlas (BBA) is a large-scale, multi-year project that documents the breeding distribution and activity of bird species within a specific geographic area, such as a state or county. It provides crucial data for understanding changes in bird populations and their habitats, informing conservation and management efforts. This current State-wide project, being coordinated by the California Bird Atlas organization, with well- known birder, Van Pierszalowski serving as the Executive Director, is especially important, as California is one of only 6 states that has never engaged in a state-wide atlas. In fact, only 16 of our 58 counties have ever published a BBA. We are proud of the work by our many volunteers who completed 2 of the 16 state-wide atlases in both Napa and Solano Counties in years past. However, it has been 32 years since NSAS completed the field work for the first Napa Breeding Bird Atlas in 1993. The information was published 10 years later in 2003. The field work for the first Solano County BBA was held from 2005-2010 more than 15 years ago and was published in 2014. Many changes have occurred in our area during the past 15–30 year span as a result of housing and urban development that are sure to have impacted birds and their habitats since our last BBAs were completed. A new BBA would be of huge value to document the changes to birds, our landscape, and consequential conservation needs and priorities.

See our Spring Newsletter for more details on using eBird to post Breeding Bird observations!

In order to support this endeavor, we are attempting to raise $10,000 to contribute to the success of this project. We are hoping that our members will value this project as much as our Board of Directors and support us during the coming months both as volunteer birders, and in or efforts to raise these funds. We would like to thank our members in advance for their incredible support over the years. We are hopeful this BBA Project will continue our important work of supporting birds and protecting critical habitats throughout our region and across our state. To help us with the costs of this project, please select the Donate Button at the top of this page. To read more about the BBA CLICK HERE!

NSAS Monthly Field Trip to Mines Road and Del Puerto Canyon:
Saturday, March 28th 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. with Robin Leong & Wendy Cole

Mine’s Road stretches 35 miles from Livermore to San Jose! We meet at the junction of Tesla and Mines Roads at 8 a.m. with a full tank of gas, money for entrance fees, lunch and plenty of liquids. The majority of this trip is not a hiking trip, but a true road trip. Participants should try to carpool, as much as possible as there are very few pull outs for a long caravan. We will be using Jean Richmond’s book “Birding in Northern California” as our guide. As we head down the beginning of Mines Road in arroyos at the lower elevations we hope to observe Acorn and Lewis’s Woodpeckers, Phainopeplas, Yellow-billed Magpies and Lark Sparrows. At Del Valle Regional Park we will stop at the reservoir that hosts a variety ducks and waterbirds and look for Green Herons, Wood Ducks, Greater Yellowlegs, Great Horned Owls, and a variety of Warbler species. Along the road at higher elevations in the extensive chaparral zone we have a chance to see a variety of exciting birds including Lawrence’s Goldfinch, California Thrashers, Rufous-crowned and Bell’s Sparrows and there is even the possibility of a sighting a Roadrunner! At the junction of Mines and Del Puerto Canyon Road we will head East with a stop at Frank Raines County Park. There we will visit a riparian woodland that has a host of resident birds and we should also be treated to a number of early migrants as well. The trip will end at HWY 5, where we turn north and head back home which will complete our 75 mile journey. Look for eBlasts with more details about this exciting Field Trip!

Weekly Field Trips to Napa & Solano County Hotspots with Andrew Ford are in Full Swing!
Everyone is Welcome to Join In! Sign up for Field Trips and you will receive Weekly eBlast with details.

Beginner Field Trips to American Canyon Wetlands
with Carol Boykin and Tom Slyker Alternating Sundays, During the Spring

So, if you are dipping a toe into birding, or dusting off a pair of binoculars for the first time in a while and you want some company as you learn about birding, we’d be delighted to have you join us for our Beginners Bird Walks.  We hold Beginner’s Walks at  the American Canyon Wetlands Edge Park on two Sundays each month beginning at 9:00 a.m.  Our tentative Spring Schedule are the following Sundays at 9:00 a.m.: March 8, March 22, April 12th & April 26th. No reservations are necessary, just plan to show up and enjoy being outdoors for a little while. Sign up for Field Trip Notices by clicking on the Activity Sign-up Button at the top of our Home Page or Check our Calendar for the next Beginner’s Bird Walk. These walks are open to birders of all levels and ages. It’s free, it’s fun, and loaner binoculars are on hand if you need them.  Napa Solano Audubon membership is not required.  Karina Garcia, Carol Boykin, and Tom Slyker lead these walks.  They are citizen science volunteers and participate in the Napa Solano Audubon’s CA Birdseasons project at this wetlands park location.  NSAS has been monitoring birds at this site every Monday morning since 2016.  This monitoring has provided the participants with a wealth of knowledge about the birds you might see at this location. They have been observing numerous species of waterfowl, a variety of shorebirds including American Avocets and Black Necked Stilts, as well as a variety of raptors, while looking and occasionally spotting the secretive Sora and Virginia Rails. Be on the lookout for our upcoming eBlast on trip details and registration timelines.

To Sign Up to Receive Field Trip Announcements
Select the Activity Sign-up Button at the Top of our Home Page.
Beware our Field Trip eBlasts may end up in your Spam Folder!

Job Announcement – Napa Solano Audubon is Looking for Classroom Instructors

Do you like watching birds? Would you like to inspire the next generation of birders and conservationists? Are you interested in part-time work with a flexible schedule? If so, apply to be a Classroom Instructor for Napa Solano Audubon Society. Our classroom instructors conduct classes in elementary schools in Napa and/or Solano Counties. They may also assist with Beginning Bird Walks, the Christmas Bird Count for Kids, and may provide support for other NSAS Events, and Citizen Science activities, to fit their schedules and interests.  Training will be provided, as needed. The position runs from September to June 2025-26, with potential to become an ongoing position. For more information about this job and its qualifications, and to send a letter of interest, please click here.

Searching for Volunteers

We are looking for volunteers to help support our beginning bird walks that take place in our local parks. Please consider helping out with this rewarding activity. We are also looking for supporters to assist us with Education Programs in our Schools, Tabling for Community Events such as Earth Day and in a number of Citizen Science activities from Monitoring Bluebird Boxes to Christmas Bird Counts. If you are interested in serving in any of these areas in any capacity, please click on the volunteer opportunities link below or contact Mark Stephenson at  for more details.