POMONA VALLEY BIRD ALLIANCE
A chapter of the National Audubon Society (Formerly Pomona Valley Audubon Society)
Serving the Birds and the People who Love Them in Southern California's Pomona Valley since the 1950s
New Season, New Name: Pomona Valley Bird Alliance
click here for the full story
MEETINGS, TRIPS AND EVENTS
NEWS AND RESOURCES FOR BIRDERS
1500 N. College Ave. Claremont, CA 91711
Meet at the entrance at 8:00 AM for free admission. This family-friendly bird walk is approximately 2 hours long and is perfect for beginners and experienced birders alike. No binoculars? No worries! Loaner binoculars are available (limited number so first come first served.) You will receive instructions on their use as well. PVAS volunteer Ken Burgdorff (gwrencaps@gmail.com) and others will lead the walks. Please RSVP using this link to the Botanic Garden’s reservation site: http://11213.blackbaudhosting.com/11213/tickets?tab=2&txobjid=ad82c323-0dd5-44cd-92c2-a2d9fc84df19
7:00 – 9:00 pm at the Hughes Center (1700 Danbury Road, Claremont) Bird Id, chapter business, light refreshments, 3 lucky winners of door prize drawing and the featured presentation:
Alicia Wszelaki & Matthew Nothelfer – Join Us for Special Screening of HAWKWATCH
Join the directors, producers, and editors of Path 88 Productions for a special screening of HAWKWATCH, a documentary highlighting the spring migration of Swainson’s Hawks through the Borrego Valley. Alicia & Matt will introduce the film and lead a Q&A session afterward. The Borrego Valley hosts one of the largest spring gatherings of migrating Swainson’s Hawks in North America. Come learn about this remarkable migration and the people working to protect it!
Visit the website to watch the trailer at www.BorregoSpringsHawkwatch.com. The runtime is about 45 minutes.
HAWKWATCH is the latest documentary by the award-winning team of Alicia Wszelaki and Matthew Nothelfer. Their Path 88 Productions studio has been writing, producing, directing, and editing domestic and international projects for the last three decades. Their documentaries combine social issues with education, while inspiring others to make change. For more information, visit www.path88productions.com
(Difficulty: Easy to Strenuous (up to 4 mi./day). By day, we’ll be birding by car (especially at Owens Lake) and driving to local hotspots with some walking/hiking (optional). By night, we’ll be looking for owls. Target species include Tundra Swan, Prairie Falcon, Gray-crowned Rosy Finch and other area specialties. Final itinerary based on weather and birds in the area that weekend. Lodging is on your own (in Big Pine or Bishop). Limited to 12 participants. RSVP with trip leader before October 9th. (Est. driving 520 miles to Bishop RT, plus touring.) Please RSVP with Trip Leader: Eric Smith (661) 372-8946 or bird4life28@gmail.com
Parking Lot, 5 Riparian View, Irvine, CA 92612 Difficulty: Easy (up to 2.5 miles)
An Orange County gem consisting of a series of reclaimed freshwater ponds. Species may include herons, rails, ducks, raptors and even Roadrunners. Meet at 7:00 a.m. at Memorial Park in Claremont. If you plan to meet at the preserve, approach from the south on Campus Drive and enter on Riparian Drive. Bring snacks, water and lunch for a half-day trip. Please RSVP with Trip Leader:Dan Gregory (909) 456-4994 or DanRCRenee@verizon.net
Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park. San Dimas, CA 91773 – Difficulty: Moderate
Enjoy one of the richest birding sites in Southern California on our fourth Sunday of the month Bonelli Bird Walk. We meet in the parking lot of Brackett Field (airport) at 1615 McKinley Ave., La Verne, CA 91773 (better known as the Norm’s Hanger Coffee Shop parking lot.) To reach the parking lot, take McKinley Ave. west from Fairplex Drive to the parking area at the end of the road on the right. Meet at 7:45 AM to caravan into the park for free entrance and an 8:00 AM walk. 2-3 hours. Don’t forget your binoculars and comfortable shoes. Walk Leader: Patrick Gavit ebiner.gavit@gmail.com or 626.214.6905.
SPECIAL MONDAY MEETING
Sunday, December 7, 2025
First Sunday of the Month Family Friendly Bird Walks at the California Botanic Garden
1500 N. College Ave. Claremont, CA 91711
Meet at the entrance at 8:00 AM for free admission. This family-friendly bird walk is approximately 2 hours long and is perfect for beginners and experienced birders alike. No binoculars? No worries! Loaner binoculars are available (limited number so first come first served.) You will receive instructions on their use as well. PVAS volunteer Ken Burgdorff (gwrencaps@gmail.com) and others will lead the walks. Please RSVP using this link to the Botanic Garden’s reservation site: http://11213.blackbaudhosting.com/11213/tickets?tab=2&txobjid=3798231a-af70-4e29-a720-dcf2d004a2b1 If you have difficulty getting around and would like to bird from the tram, please contact the garden at registrar@calbg.org to reserve a spot.
Dan Stoebel is the new PVBA Christmas Bird Count (CBC) compiler. Dan will organize and lead PVBA teams as they record species and individuals across the chapter’s area on Saturday December 20. If you want to join this annual event, please contact Dan at dstoebel@mac.com
click here for a summary report on what your chapter has been up to this year
Help National Audubon celebrate 120 years of protecting birds and the places they need by sharing your journey with birds.
Share your own bird journey!
Visit https://www.audubon.org/get-involved/it-all-begins-birds
Submit your story by November 10 for a chance to be featured across Audubon’s social channels and on their website as part of their inaugural “It All Begins with Birds: Bird Migration Celebration campaign.”
(Courtesy of National Audubon Society)
Tens of thousands of people voted on their favorite avian species in New Zealand’s Bird of the Year contest. And on Monday, the Karearea (the Indigenous Maori name for New Zealand’s falcon) was crowned this year’s winner. The annual competition is a way to draw attention to Wellington’s diverse native bird species, most of whom face some degree of danger.
“This is not a land of lions, tigers, and bears,” Forest and Bird chief executive Nicola Toki said. “The birds here are weird and wonderful and not what you would expect to see perhaps in other countries.”
Local sources for rehabilitation of injured and orphaned birds: Always call first to see if they take the type of bird you’ve found. And PLEASE do not drop off ill, injured or orphaned birds without contacting the rehab facility first!
FOR PERCHING BIRDS (Passerines – Doves, Sparrows, Finches, and Corvids – Crows and Jays etc.)
Please start with this link from the Pasadena Humane Society –
https://pasadenahumane.org/services/wildlife/finding-baby-wildlife
Scroll down to RESCUING BABY BIRDS, use the flow chart to determine if the bird needs rescuing. If you’re not sure if your bird is a fledgling or what species it is, scroll to HOW TO IDENTIFY A FLEDGLING.
Songbird Care and Education Center in Fountain Valley – Vicki Anderson (714) 222-6817 http://www.songbirdcareandeducation.org/home.html
Sunshine Haven Wildlife Rehabilitation in Riverside – Currently operating from a temporary location as their new facility is being built, they have limited intake from 11 am to 3 pm only.
https://sunshinehavenwildlife.com/
Pond Digger Ranch Wildlife Rehab in Cherry Valley – Leslie Triplett, 909-800-7676, (Operates under Bear Paw Ranch listed below) Corvids and Passerines https://www.ponddiggerranchwildliferehab.com/home
FOR RAPTORS/BIRDS OF PREY (Hawks, Falcons, Owls, etc.)
San Dimas Raptor Rescue in San Dimas – Contact volunteer manager Kristine Koh (626) 559-5732. Located at the San Dimas Canyon Nature Center, drop-offs are by appointment only. (Please do not leave an ill, injured or orphaned bird at the Nature Center.)
Bear Paw Ranch Wildlife Rehabilitation in Oak Glen – Kandie Cansler (909) 790-1010 and her cell is (909) 289-0166. For Transport/Triage for Injured Wildlife call: Marsha: 909-289-2845
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3916463995252519/announcements
FOR SHOREBIRDS, SEABIRDS & WATERFOWL (Pelicans, gulls, sandpipers, ducks, geese, etc.)
International Bird Rescue is the best source for sick or injured seabirds and waterfowl. Contact info is on their website: https://www.birdrescue.org/contact/found-a-bird/helping-a-debilitated-bird/
FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF CERTIFIED WILDLIFE REHAB FACILITIES IN CA
https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Laboratories/Wildlife-Health/Rehab/Facilities
At her recent presentation to PVAS, Dr. Allison Shultz mentioned that her current research project focuses on understanding the effects of wild fires and smoke on birds. You can now read a full account of the work here
The latest edition of the Chaparral Naturalist is now available PVAS-Fall2025-singlepages
You can contribute a story to the Chapparal Naturalist by checking out these Story Submission Guidelines and emailing the editor Sam Atwood