Program Topic

John Beynon, past President of the Whittier Area Environmental Coalition (WAEC) will speak about the origins of  Earth Day and how Whittier celebrates it. The talk will be presented live at the community center, and you can join in person or online.

Beynon graduated with a decree in architecture from MIT in 1959.  He worked for UNESCO for 32 years, stationed in Paris and Bangkok. He was the lead architect of an international team tasked to introduce low-cost innovations in school design. During his final six years with UNESCO, he served as director of development cooperation in Education. Tasks included leading multi-disciplinary teams to assess and plan national educational systems including the Palestinian Authority and Bosnia Herzegovina. 

Since retirement in 1996 he headed the United Nations Association Chapters in Boulder, Colorado and Whittier. With the Whittier Chapter, the Whittier Area Environmental Coalition , WAEC was formed. WAEC is open to all Whittier Area organizations contributing to protect the environment. The Whittier Area Audubon Chapter is one of those organizations. The main event of the WAEC is the Earth Day event which will take place earlier in the week.

Program Format

Hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

The program is free and open to the public.

Program Topic

"Dark-eyed Juncos: Adaptations to the Urban Environment" will be presented by Ellie Diamant and Samuel Bressler.

Ellie Diamant is a behavioral ecologist and evolutionary biologist interested in the interaction between human-caused environmental change and wildlife response, particularly birds in the built environment. She is currently a Zuckerman Postdoctoral Scholar at Ben Gurion University of the Negev. Previously she conducted her doctoral research at UCLA with Pamela Yeh. She explored how populations respond to multiple stressor interactions, with an emphasis on the pattern and process of behavioral and morphological adaptation in an urbanizing songbird, the Dark-eyed Junco, across Southern California cities.

Sam Bressler is a Biological Consultant with LSA Associates, Inc. specializing in the birds of Southern California. He is also a long-time volunteer and former board member of Sea and Sage Audubon Society and compiles the organization's Puente-Chino Hills Christmas Bird Count.

Dark-eyed Juncos are a model species to study urban adaptation and response in California. Diamant and Bressler will discuss their six years of research into how juncos are being shaped by the urban environment and the patterns and processes underlying their adaptation to the urban environment . Dark -eyed Juncos exhibit differences and similarities in morphological evolution across Southern California , potentially in relation to behavioral innovation. Behaviorally, urban juncos have lower fearfulness across cities and nivel nesting behavior. The COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to explore how these behaviors are shaped by human activity, demonstrating key insights on behavioral adaptations to city living.

Program Format

Hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

The program is free and open to the public.

Program Topic

"Birds of Sri Lanka" will be the topic presented by Dinara De Silva.

Dinara is the 12 year-old who astonished us with her photos at our December photoshare. Currently she is studying in Sti Lanka and is in the 7 th grade. Dinara enjoys going on many birding trips. This program will focus on a birding trip to a rain forest and will show the birds found there. She will also show common Suburban birds and discuss their behavior. Suburban common wetland birds will also be featured. 

Dinara has been interested in birding and wildlife for about three years and photography for about two years. She uses a Canon R500 with a Sigma 75 to 200 lens.

Program Format

Hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

The program is free and open to the public.

Program Topic

Andrea Jones, Director of Conservation for Audubon California, will speak about the latest science and conservation projects at the Salton Sea and Owens Lake. Despite record breaking snowpack this past winter across the west, saline lake ecosystems are facing continued long-term water declines-- threatening habitat, birds, and surrounding communities. Learn more about Audubon's incredible network of chapters and advocates that make significant progress in protecting this irreplaceable network of habitats through science and policy efforts.

Andrea Jones is Director of Conservation for Audubon California. For the past 15 years, she has worked with staff and the network of Audubon chapters across the state to implement conservation projects at high priority Important Bird Areas. In particular, she has focused on leading Audubon's conservation efforts along the coast and in estuaries, focusing on restoration, advocacy and engagement. Her work has also included providing science expertise and negotiating conservation agreements at saline lakes, including Owens Lake and Salton Sea. She oversees efforts in priority bird species and serves as the spokeswoman for bird conservation across California. Prior to California, Andrea worked at Massachusetts Audubon where she served as the Director of the Coastal Waterbird and Grassland Bird Programs.

Program Format

Hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

The program is free and open to the public.

Program Topic

At the December meeting, we will share bird and nature photographs. Bring your photos to share on a flash drive to the meeting in person. Also please bring cookies to share.

Program Format

Hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Room 3. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

The program is free and open to the public.

Program Topic

Bruce Everett, volunteer at the Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority, will speak on “Hiking the John Muir Trail.” This trail, named after the 19th century naturalist, is a long distance trail in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California passing through Yosemite, King’s Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.

Everett is a retired neurosurgeon who volunteers as a docent at the Puente Hills Habitat Authority. His talk will include birds and flora and fauna on this Trail. 

Program Format

Hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Room 1 & 2. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

The program is free and open to the public.

Program Topic

The Stories within Ecology and Ecosystems

Everyone knows birds live within an ecosystem.  Also that birds directly affect and are affected by the myriad living and nonliving things in the ecosystem, including us.  However, all the functions and stories of interacting flora, fauna and environment make up a fascinating tale of millions of years of evolutionary history.  This talk will lead from fundamental building blocks of world ecosystems to more complex and little-known eco-stories, with emphasis on our southern California plants and animals.

Mickey Long retired in late 2010 after 39 years working in the County's Nature Centers and Natural Area Parks, ending this time as Administrator over the 19 Natural Areas.  These included sites from Antelope Valley to San Pedro, and local sites like Whittier Narrows and Eaton Canyon.  His academic studies and publishing have been in the realms of Botany, Ornithology and Herpetology, but ecology and biogeography of local flora and fauna is an overriding interest.

He continues to teach natural history classes for Docents at Whittier Narrows and Eaton Canyon and for Pasadena Audubon, and finds presentations among his most enjoyable pursuits (along with monthly folk music with Letty Brooks).

Program Format

Hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Room 1 & 2. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

The program is free and open to the public.

Program Topic

Birds have much to tell us. So they helped create a presentation. Then they asked Steve Kaye to include his photos and add a few words. Now they’re sending you an invitation to attend this meeting on September 21, 2023.

Please join us for a uniquely entertaining and provocative experience filled with stories, solutions, inspirations, and (of course) photos.

This is an excellent program for anyone who wants to know more about how they can help birds. And it’s a wonderful reminder of the extraordinary beauty that we have outdoors. So bring a friend. 

Program Format

Hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Room 1 & 2. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

The program is free and open to the public.

About the Presenter

Steve Kaye shows people who care about birds how small actions can make a difference.

He shows people who care about birds how small actions can make a difference.Steve Kaye has been taking photos casually since 1954 and professionally since 2011. He has conducted photo classes, led photo walks, and judged photo contests.

And he has shown his photos at Bird Festivals, Audubon Chapter meetings, Sierra Club meetings, Nature Center programs, plus many other events.

He has published 70 articles plus 166 blog posts (which appear on his web site) about birds, life skills, and photography. And he has created 6 self-published books containing his photos.

As you might expect, he follows an eco-friendly lifestyle and he talks to birds.

Find photos and more at: www.stevekaye.com

If you have yet to attend a meeting, this program is for you.

To cap off our Chapter year, join us at the Community Center to share food and photos.

Bring an appetizer, main dish, or dessert to share. Bring your own plate, utensils, and cup.

If you would like to share your favorite photos from this year, bring a thumb drive with up to 25 photos.

The program is open to the public and is free.

The program will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. We will be in the smaller room across the hallway due to a City event.

Program Topic

Scott Thomas, Chair of the Sea and Sage Audubon's Raptor Research Committee, will discuss what raptors nest or should be nesting in Orange County and the San Gabriel mountains. This will include the year-round residents and fairly common species, such as Great Horned Owls and Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks, to the more elusive, infrequent rare species, such as Long-eared Owls and Swainson's Hawks. The 2023 breeding season should be quite successful for raptors, as the early and favorable rains we have should prompt a boom in prey availability. Thomas has been studying raptors in the field for more than 40 years.

Program Format

Hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

The program is free and open to the public.

Program Topic

Andrea Gullo, Executive Director for the Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority, and Michell Mariscal, Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority Ecologist, will provide updates on current projects currently underway on the Preserve and also share information on other endeavors, in particular a special funding mechanism because the Habitat Authority currently faces a declining budget. The Habitat Authority is interested to hear from Audubon members about their priorities for the Puente Hills.

Andrea Gullo has over 25 years of experience in natural land management. She was staff for the Wildlife Corridor Conservation Authority, Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, and California State Parks before joining the Habitat Authority. She has served on the Board of Directors for various local and national nonprofit organizations. She holds a masters degree in Urban Planning from UCLA.

Michelle Mariscal is the ecologist for the Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority. Her responsibilities include coordinating the ecological activities of the Puente Hills Preserve and helping to monitor the long-term sustainable health of the Preserve’s natural resources in balance with recreation.

Program Format

Hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

The program is free and open to the public.

Program Topic

Hoo's There? will be presented by Whittier Audubon member, Susana Guerrero. Last summer, Susana participated as a citizen science volunteer in Northern Utah, on a project study involving Flammulated Owls. Susana will present photos taken while participating on the project and share details about her experience. Most recently, Susana traveled to Panama and will share additional photos of owls and other bird species observed in her travels there. 

Program Format

Hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

The program is free and open to the public.

Program Topic

Delving into topics of migration, tropical speciation, and biodiversity, this media-rich journey will share some of the fascinating and unique birds that inhabit the new world tropics. Sure to both educate and entertain, this presentation will leave you with a deeper understanding of tropical ecology, and knowledge about where some of our backyard birds spend their winters!

About the Speaker

Benny Isaac Jacobs-Schwartz owns and operates a bird-guiding business and lifestyle brand called BIRDS by BIJS (pronounced Bee-jus). Working professionally for over 10 years as a naturalist guide, expedition trip leader, and international bird guide, Benny has worked in a variety of locations coast to coast, including exotic places such as; coastal Alaska, Central America, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Benny is a passionate educator and photographer, specializing in birds! Benny uses his ample collection of nature-based content to leverage an active social media presence. BIJS uses his passion for the natural world to inspire others to put down their phone and pick up their Binos.

Program Format

Hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

The program is free and open to the public.

Program Topic

Local biologist, Robb Hamilton, will present Birds of the Colorado Lagoon. The Colorado Lagoon is a birding area in Long Beach, CA. The e-bird list has risen from 191 to 230 species in the last three years. The past three years have seen approval of the project to re-create an open channel between the lagoon and Alamitos Bay that was covered up with fill back in the 1950s when the idea was to create the 22 Freeway through Long Beach.

Fortunately, that never happened and the Port of Long Beach is now funding a project to remove the fill and put the open channel back in--starting this fall. This will make the lagoon an even more attractive and interesting place for birders.

Hamilton has great photos of the lagoon and its birds and other wildlife. He is a recognized authority on the status, distribution and identification of birds in California. He is the lead author of two standard references describing aspects of the state's avifaunta: Birds of Orange County: Status and Distribution and Rare Birds of California.

Program Format

Hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

The program is free and open to the public.

Program Topic

Mac Walter, a serious amateur photographer who has dazzled us with his wonderful photographs in the past, will be presenting a program on Costa Rica. Mac and his wife, Kathy, are close friends of Larry and Jennifer Schmahl and have traveled on several occasions with them.

Program Format

Hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

The program is free and open to the public.

Program Topic

Larry and Jennifer Schmahl visited Rio de Janiero and the surrounding areas of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. They will be sharing their experiences and some of the many birds found there.

Program Format

Hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

The program is free and open to the public.

Program Topic

Dave Weeshoff, Vice President of Pasadena Audubon and volunteer and Emeritus Director of International Bird Rescue, will speak about The Effect of Climate Change on Birds.

Dave's introduction to birds occurred when he became a volunteer for International Bird Rescue in San Pedro. While rehabilitating sick, injured, orphaned, and oiled aquatic birds, it became apparent that the water quality in our area was affecting the health of the animals. In response to this, Dave joined the Speaker's Bureau of Heal the Bay, an environmental organization dedicated to improving the water quality of the world's oceans, especially marine plastic pollution. He is a frequent guest speaker to adult and children's groups on avian environmental issues for International Bird Rescue, Heal the Bay and Audubon.

He is keenly interested in avian physiology, their evolution, behaviors, habitats, and especially Anthropogenic Climate Change, and is quite familiar with the National Audubon Society's Climate Change initiatives.

Dave travels frequently in search of interesting aquatic birds and mammals, including trips to the Antarctic, Iceland, Greenland, Nunavut (Arctic Canada), Galapagos,New Zealand, Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), Chilean Patagonia, Midway Atoll, as well as various U.S.destinations.

Program Format

Hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

The program is free and open to the public.

The Poo-Poo Project — Protecting Cavity Nesters will be presented by an avian care technician from the Teton Raptor Center.

Program Format

Hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

Program Description

Each year thousands of animals that prefer dark, narrow spaces for nesting and roosting become entrapped and die in vertical open pipes. Vault toilets, the self-contained restrooms found in many of America’s wilderness areas, feature vertical ventilation pipes that mimic natural nesting cavities. Birds enter the ventilation pipe and get stuck in the ‘basement’ of the vault toilet.

Teton Raptor Center’s Poo-Poo Project was created to address this problem by covering vault toilet ventilation pipes with screens that prevent wildlife entrapment without restricting airflow. TRC developed the screens, which are durable, easy to install and affordable.

Since 2013 the Poo-Poo Project has distributed more than 18,000 Poo-Poo Screens to more than 640 partners in all 50 states as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada.

The Poo-Poo Screen 2.0 is durable, easy to install, allows for ventilation and are affordable at just $34.50 per screen. Teton Raptor Center has distributed more than 18,000 of these screens throughout North America.

Teton Raptor Center was awarded the “Wings Across the Americas Award for Habitat and Partnership” from the USDA Forest Service in recognition of the conservation impact and partnership of its Poo-Poo Project."

The program is free and open to the public.

To cap off our Chapter year, join us at the Community Center to share food and photos.

Bring a dish to share, and if you would like to share your favorite photos from this year, bring a thumb drive with them.

The program is open to the public and is free.

This will be an in-person only meeting. It will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Michelle Mariscal, Ecologist from the Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority will be giving a presentation on “Preliminary results of the Puente Hills Preserve Wildlife Camera Study”.

The program is free and open to the public.

This will be a hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

Dave Weeshoff of Pasadena Audubon and International Bird Rescue will present “Birds vs. Oil”, a look at oil spills - their causes, consequences, response activities, and prevention. The recent Huntington Beach oil spill will be used as an example.

Dave has been a volunteer at International Bird Rescue, San Pedro, for 17 years where he assists the Staff in the rehabilitation of sick, injured, orphaned and oiled aquatic birds. IBR is a world leader in oil spill response and has been active in over 230 oil spills world-wide in their 50 year history. They operate two world-class facilities in California as well as an emergency response facility in Anchorage, Alaska.

He has participated in 5 oil spill responses, and consistently maintains his skills and knowledge through seminars, trainings and hands-on activities.

The program is free and open to the public.

This will be a hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

Our own Dr. Kathleen Barry will be presenting our hybrid in-person/virtual program on the U.S. Corps of Engineers Whittier Narrows Dam Safety Modification program.

Dr. Barry is the Whittier Area Audubon’s Conservation Chair and has been a member of the Whittier Area Audubon for over 30 years. She is a medical doctor, with a B.A. from UCLA and a medical degree from University of California at Irvine.

The program is free and open to the public.

This will be a hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.  

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

Michelle Mariscal, MS, Ecologist for the Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority will present Habitat Restoration for the Coastal California Gnatcatcher.

Once considered locally common, coastal California Gnatcatchers populations declined significantly by 1960 because of widespread destruction and fragmentation of its habitat. The coastal California Gnatcatcher is a small, insect-eating bird that ranges from Southern California to northwestern Baja California, Mexico. Coastal California Gnatcatchers occur in or near sage scrub at elevations of less than 2, 500 feet. On March 30, 1993, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority has restored over 300 acres of habitat across the Puente Hills Preserve. The majority of the restored habitat has been coastal sage scrub specifically to benefit Coastal California Gnatcatchers as mitigation for offsite impacts to this species’ habitat elsewhere in the region.  In her presentation, Michelle will describe the restoration process and highlight the success of these efforts on the Preserve for this special species.

The program is open to the public and is free.

This will be a virtual meeting, please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

For many birders, the pandemic has provided an opportunity to get out there and see more and different birds. Do you have any photos you want to share with the Chapter? Get a link to the Google Meet and let us know you want to participate.

This is a hybrid meeting, so you can also bring a thumb drive to share in person.

The program is open to the public and is free.

This will be a hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

Joanna Wu will present The Most Overlooked Birds in America: Females.

Joanna Wu is a Ph.D. student studying female birds in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCLA. She previously worked at the los Angeles Audubon Society in the Important Bird Areas program.

This talk explores the history of focus on make birds, female vocalizations, conservation implications of overlooking female birds, and female bird identification tips.

Female birds are frequently more drab and inconspicuous than males, leading to an unconscious bias towards male birds in birdwatching.

The program is open to the public and is free.

This will be a hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

Former Whittier Council member, Bob Henderson, will discuss concerns about the proposed expansion of the Hsi Lai Temple.

This will be a hybrid meeting - It is your preference: Join in person or online.

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. Please wear a mask.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

Science writer, artist and creator of the webcomic Bird and Moon, Rosemary Mosco, will present virtually at our monthly meeting. Join Rosemary and learn how to blend nature and art while observing the natural world around you - from phainopeplas to pigeons!

It is your preference: Join in person or online.

In person: the meeting will take place at the Whittier Community Center, located at 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier.

Online: please RSVP here and we will send you a link to the meeting.

Speaker to be announced.

This will be a virtual event in Google Meet. Please RSVP here to receive the link to the meeting.