W e l c o m e :

Mount Diablo Audubon Society is committed to the sustainable balance of our community's people, birds, other wildlife, and habitat through conservation, education, and advocacy.

Join our East Bay Birds Sightings Group to learn the birds currently being seen in our area and to share your own sightings.

With busy breeding season upon us, it's a great time to purchase our Breeding Bird Atlas at a lower price - details below.

Our monthly educational meetings include guest speakers, unusual bird sightings, refreshments, and conversation. Visitors are always welcomed! If you'd like to receive our educational meeting notices, provide your email address and click "Notify Me".

Mount Diablo Audubon Society is proud to endorse the Federal Wildlife Conservation Stamp project. This worthwhile project is a collaborative effort to promote a new wildlife stamp and funding stream for our National Wildlife Refuges. This effort is supported by birders, photographers, conservationists, wildlife rehabilitators, scientists, teachers and artists … joined by a common passion and concern for our nation's wildlife and wild habitats.

They propose the Wildlife Conservation Stamp to provide a consistent source of income for our Refuges, separate but parallel to the current Federal Duck Stamp program. The Wildlife Conservation Stamp would raise fees from the millions of non-consumptive users, wildlife viewers and conservationists — to help ensure a thriving future for our National Wildlife Refuge System and all of its inhabitants.

Learn more about this proposal at wildlifeconservationstamp.org/the-proposal and how you can help at wildlifeconservationstamp.org/faq.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to rid the county of anticoagulant pesticides, such as D-Con rat poison. Poisoned rats and mice may be eaten by hawks, owls and other wildlife, or by your pets. Even children can be at risk. There is NO credible need for this type of poison when other solutions are available.

This message will self-destruct only when there is no further need for it.

Mission Accomplished: Thanks to caring supporters, Good Housekeeping has withdrawn its seal of approval from D-Con, one of the anticoagulant pesticides still on the market. This is a small but important step toward the goal eliminating these poisons from our environment. There is still much to do - Click here to learn how you can help.

Please read Ted Williams's Building a Better Mousetrap article in the January-February issue of Audubon Magazine, Page 23. If you are not a member of National Audubon, you can find the article at the Audubon Magazine website. 

The American Kestrel is North America's smallest and most colorful falcon. Unfortunately, researchers believe the kestrel's population status is changing from "common" to "of concern".

The Peregrine Fund's new American Kestrel Partnership is a research and conservation initiative supported by Audubon chapters, researchers, families, and anyone else interested in kestrels.

Mount Diablo Audubon Society will be supporting the Kestrel Partnership by erecting and monitoring nestboxes. Learn how you can get involved at: http://kestrel.peregrinefund.org.

The habitat needs of the Western Burrowing Owl are unfortunately the same as those of sprawling shopping malls and housing tracts. The Owl's declining population has led to its status as a California Species of Special Concern.

Mount Diablo Audubon Society is proud to support the Burrowing Owl Conservation Network in its work to improve habitat for Burrowing Owls. We urge everyone to learn about this fine organization and to offer your support as well.

It's easy to do. Just click on this link: http://burrowingowlconservation.org

The Breeding Bird Atlas of Contra Costa County by Steven Glover is now available for purchase.  For each of the 161 species of the birds that breed in Contra Costa County, the book includes current and historical status, life history information, conservation  concerns, and range maps.  The book also contains 56 beautiful drawings by Dana Gardner.   This is a terrific book and a must have for birders.

Price: $15.00 (plus $3.31 postage) - Click Here to Order

Do you want to share your bird sightings with other Contra Costa and Alameda County birders? Would you like to know where birds are currently located?

You can now do both by joining the MDAS East Bay Birds Yahoo Group for bird watchers in Contra Costa County, Alameda County and the San Francisco Bay area. The group name is "EBB Sightings".

If you don't have a yahoo account, you will need to sign up for one. It is free and easy. Go to www.yahoo.com and click on Sign Up" at the top of the page.

If you have never joined a Yahoo Group, follow these instructions: Once you are logged into your Yahoo account, from the Yahoo home page click on the Groups link or go to Yahoo Groups. You will get a search page, enter EBB Sightings as your search and hit return. On the EBB Sightings page, click on "join this group" or the group icon and follow the prompts to enter your information. You do not need to use the yahoo email address unless you want to. To use a non-yahoo address, enter that address at "other address" and then select that address as your primary email address. Your posts will be sent from this address and posts from other members will be sent to this address. Watch your spam folder for messages initially because you may need to add or update your spam filter.