#california-condor

#california-condor

"They didn't even try to fly away. They just feebly made noise," a woman told the Santa Barbara Independent on Saturday after spotting over two dozen dead or dying cormorants near Goleta Beach. "A few were on their stomachs, wings spread [and] gasping for breath.... Heartbreaking."

The Florida scrub jay, listed as 'critically imperiled' by NatureServe, is one of the 15 bird species fully endemic to the United States.

"It's the way they walk. That's what the main attraction is," said self-described amateur birder Sheeba Garg, who traveled to Bryant Park specifically to see the American woodcock during its migration.

Emily Taylor noted that her phone was 'ringing off the hook' with calls about rattlesnake sightings, indicating a dramatic increase in encounters this year compared to previous years.

It's an opportunity for people to get out and see birds without pressure, no matter how long it takes or how many birds we see, said OBara, a retired nurse who has been leading the accessible outings for three years. She said disabled people often cannot keep up on traditional outings, especially when competitive birders are focused on checking off a list of the greatest possible number of species.

Bay Area peregrine falcon numbers began plummeting after a massive, global outbreak of avian flu in 2020, the study documents, with only about a third of the nesting sites still in use as of 2025. The news, while dire, nevertheless helps scientists understand how the disease is impacting local populations, and what we can expect for their recovery.

Our team has been so dedicated working around the clock, over time, whatever it takes to continue monitoring this outbreak. It's a really hard, emotional thing to go through as undergraduate, graduate students and young scientists to watch the seals that you've gotten to know over the years get sick.

The question of how to protect fish and the ecological health of rivers that feed California's largest estuary is generating heated debate in a series of hearings in Sacramento, as state officials try to gain support for a plan that has been years in the making. "I am passionate that this is the pathway to recover fish," said state Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot. "This is the paradigm we need: collaborative, adaptive management versus conflict and litigation."