SUE JOHNSON, ONE OF OUR MANY CREATIVE GENIUSES IN BENICIA, took the time to pick up an extra copy for me of the newly published book, “Breeding Birds of Solano County.” What an incredible endeavor by the members of the Napa-Solano Audubon Society and the book’s authors. Beyond “incredible endeavor,” it is an incredibly rich resource about the very place where we live!

This book is big and beautiful. Right after receiving it I studied the table of contents and paged through the entire book, starting with the detailed information in the appendices. Last night I started a first reading that has taken me to page 89 and “Strigiformes.”

Strigiformes, for those like me who needed more information, include the barn owl; strigi is from the Latin strix, meaning owl. On page 89 is the most captivating photograph of a barn owl with its head turned quizzically at the camera.

The Napa-Solano Audubon Society trained more than 75 volunteers, “citizen scientists” who did field work over a span of six years, documenting the range of all breeding birds in the county. The work involved dedicated scientific methods that divided the county into 5-kilometer-by-5-kilometer grids, engaged in detailed observation and coding of findings and concluded with compilation of data and analysis.

The book also includes a beautiful and detailed description of the geography and biogeography of our county that has given me an insight into the richness, diversity and true uniqueness of where we live. And it contains detailed descriptions of each of the bird species, with an accompanying county map showing “confirmed” and “probable” areas where birds have nested and bred.

Valuable reference

The other day as I was walking along Military between West Fifth and West Third streets, I saw a pair of Western bluebirds. Talk about my own ignorance — I didn’t think California had bluebirds, but here they were flitting around Benicia! Turning to page 153, I learned, with joy, that “Coastal California Breeding Bird Survey analysis shows an increasing trend from Western Bluebird.”

Then, walking along Semple Court, in a cove near the dead end of the Court I spied two white swans. I now know, from my new book, that these are of the species Anseriformes, and most specifically Cygnus olor, or mute swans. Who knows, these swans may be descendants from escaped swans from a zoo, or maybe my alma mater, the former headquarters of Pacific Bell in San Ramon?

Have you noticed the robins?

I’ve mentioned the migrating of hundreds of robins through my yard and their enjoyment of the cotoneaster berries. And yes, I now know, years after planting those bushes, that they are not the best choice for landscaping because they are considered an invasive species. However, the robins and the cedar waxwings do love the berries. Now I’ve learned that robins, too, are a recent addition to our California landscape. My worry is that the robins have been devouring the berries at such a rate that there may be less than a sustaining crop for the forthcoming waxwings when they pass through later in January or in February. I think we will need to get grapes and other fruit ready for them.

I’ve put a link below to “Breeding Birds of Solano County.” There is even an ebook version that includes audio of the bird song for each bird depicted!

Years ago
Years ago I read a very moving short story by a woman author whose name I wish I could recall; it was someone like Willa Cather or Meridel Le Sueur. The story was about a time in the author’s life when she was very ill and wasn’t sure of the outcome of her illness. Would she get better or not? What did happen during her long illness and recovery was her ability to spend the hours watching birds outside her window. Their continuous activity and purposefulness, even in the harshest environment, gave her the strength and will to recover and live on.

I know firsthand the power of connecting with birds. Both in my sister’s long illness and even at the hospice facility we visited, birds at the feeders gave everyone who took the time to observe them a sense of connection to the greater aspects of life, its purpose and continuity . . . and, hopefully, the stewardship we owe to nature.

Bravo and brava to the authors and contributors to the important new book, “Breeding Birds of Solano County”! Your work is most deeply appreciated.

Learn more

• “Breeding Birds of Solano County”: napasolanoaudubon.com/Monitoring/SolanoAtlas
• meridellesueur.org
• suejohnsonlamps.com
• willacather.org

Constance Beutel is the former chair of Benicia’s Community Sustainability Commission. She is a university professor and videographer and holds a doctorate from the University of San Francisco.