Gillian Martin

Desert Martins Need a Home for the Next 150 Years

Desert Martins Need a Home for the Next 150 Years

A Nestbox Design Challenge Desert Purple Martins need your creativity!  The hesperia subspecies of Purple Martin, those that breed only in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and northern Mexico, needs your help. Desert Martins nest exclusively in cavities in giant saguaro and cardon cactus.  Their range and population size, now down to 5,900 individuals, seems […]

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Webinar: how to reduce impact on nesting birds

Webinar: how to reduce impact on nesting birds

Are you in the landscape or tree care industry? Here’s an opportunity to set yourself apart and elevate your services to clients. Attend a short live webinar to learn bird protection regulations in California, how to reduce impact to nesting birds during tree and landscape care, and how to handle bird emergencies. CEUs are available. […]

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New Study Shakes Up Long-held Belief on Woodpecker Hammering

New Study Shakes Up Long-held Belief on Woodpecker Hammering

Photo by Willie Linn The findings refute the theory that the birds’ skulls act like helmets, absorbing the shock of impact. Instead, they minimize it to strike harder. Read more…

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Our fourteen-year-old student scientist achieves her first published manuscript on the timing of calcium consumption of Western Bluebirds

Our fourteen-year-old student scientist achieves her first published manuscript on the timing of calcium consumption of Western Bluebirds

Early in 2019, Lara Tseng, then a middle school student aged thirteen, submitted to the Southern California Bluebird Club (and its auxiliary program, the Cavity Conservation Initiative) a request for funding for her proposed study of calcium intake by Western Bluebirds.  She proposed using existing bluebird nest boxes to collect the data.  Since Lara was […]

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The ‘troublesome’ Sapsucker is a Good Neighbor to ‘double-dipping Forest Dwellers.

The ‘troublesome’ Sapsucker is a Good Neighbor to ‘double-dipping Forest Dwellers.

by Gillian Martin Throughout the year sapsuckers drill wells for sap in healthy and stressed trees. In early spring, the bird first drills narrow, circular wells into the tree’s xylem—the inner part of the trunk—to feed on sap moving up to the branches. After the tree leafs out, the sapsucker begins making shallower, rectangular wells […]

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Nest boxes support cavity nesting birds where dead trees are absent.  Now more than ever, trained volunteers are needed to care for them!

Nest boxes support cavity nesting birds where dead trees are absent. Now more than ever, trained volunteers are needed to care for them!

You are likely familiar with the saying, ‘right tree, right place’?  Behind the expression is a message  that without careful selection and management, trees are more likely to fail or do harm.  The same care is needed when selecting a nest box design, a location for it, the method of installation, maintenance etc. Cavity nesting […]

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Northern Flicker:  Considerations for Tree Care Providers in Western North America

Northern Flicker: Considerations for Tree Care Providers in Western North America

by Gillian Martin The Northern Flicker is the second largest, most widespread and migratory woodpecker in North America (except for Hawaii which has no woodpeckers).  Unlike most other woodpeckers, its coloration is suited for its ground foraging habits.  An untrained eye would find little to suggest this bird is a woodpecker, and even less likely […]

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Matching Grant!

Matching Grant!

We’ve Received a Matching Gift Offer! Dear friends, A private donor, Charlotte Adelman, native plant author from Illinois, has generously agreed to match your tax-deductible donation to the Cavity Conservation Initiative until a total of $6,000 is donated.   This means every $1 will become $2.  Every $25 will become $50.  Every $75 will become $150 etc.   Ms. Adelman doubles your […]

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How Bluebirds are Helping Me to Become a Conservationist

How Bluebirds are Helping Me to Become a Conservationist

The Cavity Conservation Initiative and the Southern California Bluebird Club have had the pleasure of working with and supporting Lara Tseng for the past three years. Lara is a young scientist who has a passion for birds and for conservation.  We want to introduce you to her.  Get ready to be inspired!  And do share […]

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Reflections on Tree Mortality and Wildfire in California.  Let’s become better informed.

Reflections on Tree Mortality and Wildfire in California. Let’s become better informed.

Communities in California and other western states have been devastated by wildfire in recent years.  Victims have stories which only they can adequately convey. Many residents have fears and questions that persist like particles in smoke.  No soundbite on television or a Facebook post can possibly deliver a full understanding of the complex causes of […]

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