Plumas Audubon Society

05/26/2026

Our May bird of the month is the Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus). You can’t miss this brightly colored bird with its striking yellow head and flashy white wing bars. If you don't see them right away, listen for a loud screeching buzz, rather like a heavy door swinging on a very rusty metal hinge. They tend to prefer a thicker wetland habitat than their cousins the Red-winged Blackbird. Look for them in the taller, wilder patches of reeds and cattails, into which they weave their basket-shaped nests. If you want to see these birds, we recommend taking a trip to the Sierra Valley Preserve where they can be found in large numbers this time of year.

Learn more about the Yellow-headed Blackbird: www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-headed_Blackbird

Photo by: Ramsey Photography

05/14/2026

Edit: SOLD OUT!!

Join Friends of Plumas Wilderness & Plumas Audubon Society for the next Cultivating Connectivity workshop on Thursday, May 21st from 9:00am–4:00pm in the Red Clover Valley/Lake Davis area.

This hands-on workshop will explore wildlife tracking as a tool for understanding movement, habitat use, and connectivity across the Northern Sierra. Through discussion, field learning, and hands-on practice, participants will learn how tracking can help bridge the gap between field observation and larger-scale conservation science.

SPACE IS LIMITED, RSVP REQUIRED.

Learn more about the workshop and featured guests: https://plumaswilderness.org/connect/cultivatingconnectivity/

05/07/2026

THIS WEEKEND... In collaboration with Feather River Land Trust (FRLT), as part of their Big Month of Birds, PAS is hosting a 6-hour Bird Blitz from 6am to 12pm on May 9th and a family-focused Birding 101 Workshop at 1pm at the Sierra Valley Nature Center.

Save your spot at these FREE events and view all the other events planned for the Big Month of Birds here: www.frlt.org/get-involved/events/big-month-of-birds/

04/29/2026

The Feather River Land Trust is doing a Big Month of Birds this May with multiple events every weekend! Sign up for them now before they fill up!

I know what you’re thinking… of course PAS is involved! We are hosting a 6-hour Bird Blitz at the Sierra Valley Preserve on May 9th starting at 6 am. After that wraps up, we are leading a family friendly Birding 101 Workshop at 1pm. Both of these Events are FREE! If you want to make it a full day join us for Birding Trivia at 6 pm.

04/27/2026

Happy Birthday to PAS's Outreach & Education Coordinator, Mikayla Eager!

If you enjoy receiving the PAS Newsletter, the Mountain Quail, reading our Bird of the Month social media series posts, or have a student who has been lucky enough to learn about birds as a part of the PEEP curriculum for the Outdoor Core: Year of the Bird, you can give Ms. Mikayla your appreciation. We are so lucky to have her at PAS!

Please wish her a Happy Birthday if you see her around! 🎂🐦

04/23/2026

To celebrate Earth Day, Plumas Audubon Society (PAS) and Feather River College (FRC) joined together to host a work party at Dellinger’s Pond in Quincy, California. Together, the group of 27 volunteers, consisting of community members, PAS members, staff, board, and FRC faculty and students, installed nest boxes for bird species that frequent the pond and removed significant vegetation from the trail to make it more accessible for hiking, wildlife watching, and community enjoyment.

Thank you to the dedicated volunteers who spent the evening making Dellinger’s Pond more accessible for both the human and non-human users!

​PAS is inviting community input on the future use of Dellinger’s Pond. An online survey is available for sharing visions for the property. https://forms.gle/RdtZ47DEXo8cqPB46

Those with questions or who would like a physical copy of the survey can contact Plumas Audubon Society at 530-616-8670, [email protected] or 429 Main St. in Quincy.

04/21/2026

👀 Looking for something to do this Earth Day… 🌎 Join PAS and FRC to clean up Dellinger's Pond 🦆

Plumas Audubon Society announces it is partnering with Feather River College to host a work party at Dellinger’s Pond to celebrate Earth Day. In addition,

04/18/2026

Our April bird of the month is the Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria). Often mistaken for their better known sibling the American Goldfinch, if you spot a group of highlighter yellow finches during the summer here in Plumas County, you are most likely seeing a flock of Lesser Goldfinch. They can be distinguished from their siblings by the black cap they wear on their head, while the American Goldfinch only has a partial black cap close to their beak. Like all finches, the Lesser Goldfinch loves to sing. Listen for their boisterous chatter up in birch trees in particular, as they simply can't resist those delicious dangly birch seeds. They are also easy to coax into your backyard with small sunflower seeds mixes.

Learn more about the Lesser Goldfinch: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lesser_Goldfinch

Photo by: Ramsey Photography

03/19/2026

Thank you to everyone who attended the first PEEP Fundraising Dinner this Saturday! What a great way to kick-off our 2026 PEEP fundraising campaign! Keep an eye out here, in our eBlast, and in the Mountain Quail newsletter for all the highlights from the fundraiser, all of this will be coming in the next couple of weeks.

This week we are busy with classes in Portola and Greenville, as well as our first field trip of the year with the Quincy Charter School. Here are some photos taken this Wednesday with Jen Friden's 5th grade class in Portola.

If you would like to donate to support PEEP you can do that here: www.plumasaudubon.org/donate.html

03/16/2026