Date: 1/11/26 1:53 pm From: Kimball Garrett via groups.io <cyanolyca818...> Subject: [CALBIRDS] News from CBRC -- correction
Apologies for the typos, but the note about the addition of Connecticut Warbler to the CBRC Review List should read:
"Connecticut Warbler was added [Note: This species was removed in 2022 but there have only been two reports in the 2022-2025 period; those reports will be reviewed]"
Date: 1/11/26 11:44 am From: Kimball Garrett via groups.io <cyanolyca818...> Subject: [CALBIRDS] News from the California Bird Records Committee
The California Bird Records Committee (CBRC) held its annual meeting via Zoom on 10 January 2026. We present some highlights from the meeting here.
Members Kimball Garrett, Marky Mutchler, and Peter Pyle have rotated off the Committee after serving their three year terms. Newly elected members are Marty Freeland, Ethan Monk, and Jim Tietz.
Andy Birch was elected CBRC Chair, and Marty Freeland was elected Vice-Chair. Tom Benson was elected Secretary for another one-year term.
The committee adopted one new bylaw, as follows: "VI.J.7. Any report or list published by the committee shall follow the taxonomic treatment of the most current American Ornithological Society - North American Classification Committee (AOS-NACC) checklist. If a committee publication includes a species not on the AOS-NACC checklist, a different taxonomic authority may be followed for that species." [Codifying the taxonomic authority followed by the CBRC was deemed important at a time when slightly differing taxonomies are employed by eBird/Clements, AviList, and other authorities. We expect that discrepancies in these taxonomic treatments will continue to diminish over time.]
The Review List was changed as follows:
Short-tailed Albatross was removed Glossy Ibis was removed Connecticut Warbler was added [Note: This species was removed from the review list in 2002, but there were only two reports in the 2002-2025 period; those reports will be reviewed] Northern Cardinal was added [Note: The committee is interested in reports of wild vagrants only; we do not solicit reports from the small coastal slope remnant populations (e.g. in Sepulveda Basin LA, Whittier Narrows area LA, or the Tijuana River Valley/etc. SD), nor do we solicit reports of obvious escapees.]
Vega Gull was not added to the Review list and has not yet been accepted to the California list. The committee continues to further research identification criteria and collate the best-documented eBird reports for evaluation.
Finally, we expect that proposals to add Swinhoe's White-eye and Pin-tailed Whydah to the state list as naturalized non-native species will be evaluated by the committee early in 2026.
Joe Morlan has updated the CBRC website to reflect changes resulting from the 10 January CBRC meeting. See: https://www.californiabirds.org/
Date: 1/10/26 5:56 pm From: Van Pierszalowski via groups.io <van...> Subject: [CALBIRDS] California Bird Atlas: First Week Report
Hi Birders,
As previously announced, California’s first statewide Bird Atlas officially launched on January 1, 2026 and will run through December 31, 2030. If you haven’t joined yet, this short *Quick Start video ( https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8Z3kbqiO9rw )* walks through how to participate and submit checklists via the *California Bird Atlas eBird project* ( https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/home ). As a reminder, we encourage all California eBirders to submit *all* checklists through the Atlas project, whether or not breeding behavior is observed.
We’re excited to share that the Atlas is off to an incredible start. The level of enthusiasm and engagement in just the first week has exceeded all expectations.
*In the first seven days of 2026 alone:*
* *445* atlasers submitted *2,656* checklists
* Coverage spanned *831* atlas blocks across *51* counties
* *2,865* observations were assigned breeding codes
* Confirmed breeding codes were reported for at least *15* species.
* Atlasers recorded *628,723* individual birds
Thank you to everyone contributing, and to those who have supported the project through the *Donate link ( https://donorbox.org/california-bird-atlas )*. We’re just getting started.
We won’t spam this listserv with weekly updates every week, but we’ll continue to share periodic updates as appropriate.
With sincere appreciation,
*Van Pierszalowski*
Executive Director, California Bird Atlas
<van...>
Los Angeles, CA
P.S. We’re assembling a team of Regional Coordinators across the state. If you’re interested in learning more, email me directly.
Date: 1/9/26 9:08 pm From: Kimball Garrett via groups.io <cyanolyca818...> Subject: [CALBIRDS] Waved Albatross and Dark-sided Flycatcher accepted to California state list
Birders,
Recent decisions by the California Bird Records Committee have resulted in the addition of two new species to the California state bird list:
1) Dark-sided Flycatcher (*Muscicapa sibirica*) found at Charleston Marsh, Santa Clara Co. 17-19 September 2025 (record #2025-072) -- placed on main and review lists before Bluethroat, with an evidence code of P
2) Waved Albatross (*Phoebastria irrorata)* at Cordell Bank, Marin Co. 5 Oct 2025 (record #2025-081) -- placed on main and review lists before Short-tailed Albatross, with an evidence code of P
These two additions bring the California bird list to 693 species (including 17 established introductions).
Sea-level rise is one of the most certain consequences of climate change,
yet its impacts on waterbirds and their habitats remain among the least
studied. Join Dr. Walther as he explores what the future may hold for
waterbirds in Northwest Mexico—one of the most important regions for both
breeding and non-breeding migratory species along the Pacific Flyway—as sea
levels continue to rise.
This webinar will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel
<https://tinyurl.com/2y6efp3f> and will also be recorded for later viewing.
Please use the YouTube link above (alternatively:
https://tinyurl.com/2y6efp3f) which will take you directly to LAB’s main
page, where the live webinar should be visible once it begins at 7pm.
Become a LAB Member! Though our webinars will always remain free and
available to all, members of Los Angeles Birders have access to live
webinars via Zoom, invitations to special LAB-only field trips, priority
sign-up on LAB field trips & events, and discounts on paid LAB programs. To
learn more about membership, please see our website
<https://www.labirders.org/>!
Looking for a past webinar? Don’t forget that a list of all of our
previously recorded webinars <https://www.labirders.org/webinars.html> is
available on our website – which might come in handy if you want to study
up before a field trip, or if you're looking to build your birding skills
from home! Just scroll all the way down, past our upcoming and most recent
online programs and you'll find a list of webinars sorted by category.
These recordings are all viewable via our YouTube
<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHbAhQTFVaeowMCl-sD2e0g> page.
Date: 12/31/25 8:39 pm From: Van Pierszalowski via groups.io <vanpierszalowski...> Subject: [CALBIRDS] California’s First Statewide Breeding Bird Atlas Launches Tomorrow, January 1, 2026
Hi Birders,
Tomorrow marks the launch of California’s first statewide Breeding Bird Atlas, a community-powered initiative to document breeding birds across the state and generate the science needed to guide habitat protection, restoration, and long-term conservation planning for decades to come.
This landmark effort is being led by *California Bird Atlas* ( https://www.californiabirdatlas.org/ ) (CBA), an independent nonprofit, in collaboration with state agencies, thousands of volunteers, and dozens of partner organizations.
All birders are now officially invited to join the project by visiting the new *California Bird Atlas eBird website ( https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/home )*. Simply click “ *Join Project* ” (or “Log In to Join Project”) and you will automatically be able to contribute checklists to the Atlas project.
The Atlas is fully integrated with the eBird mobile app. If you submit checklists on mobile, this *Quick Start Tutorial video ( https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8Z3kbqiO9rw )* provides a brief overview.
Please visit the *About ( https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/about )* page for resources, basic guidance, and everything you need to begin contributing to this statewide initiative.
We encourage all checklists submitted year-round to be entered through the Atlas project , even if they don’t include breeding behavior. While we are still a few months from peak breeding season, you can learn more about species with a history of breeding in January in California by reading *this article ( https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/news/early-breeders-jan )*.
We will be growing our team, expanding resources, and continuing to build this grassroots movement in the coming months. As we launch, early donations are especially impactful — supporting training, field tools, and outreach in the first critical months. We’re a nonprofit, and every contribution is tax-deductible and genuinely appreciated. If you have the means, please consider making a gift today to help the Atlas start strong — your support right now truly matters. *Donate ( https://donorbox.org/california-bird-atlas ) here ( https://donorbox.org/california-bird-atlas )*.
With gratitude and excitement for what we’ll build together,
*Van Pierszalowski*
Executive Director,
California Bird Atlas (CBA)
email: <van...>
