Native Bird Education Panel

Thank you for attending this unveiling of the Ten Common Birds of Modesto Interpretive Panel.  This project was a collaboration between Stanislaus Audubon Society, the Culture Commission, and the City of Modesto.

I’d like to share with you some of the steps that have led us to this place. Some time ago, I conceived of an idea for an Official Bird of Modesto from reading about other such birds in a few other California cities.  I brought the proposal to the Board of Directors of our chapter, and a Facebook poll was soon conducted, with several local bird species as candidates.  Most respondents voted for the Yellow-billed Magpie.

Then I went to the Culture Commission, to make a proposal for why the Yellow-billed Magpie would be an excellent official bird.  For one thing, it is an endemic species, which means its entire population can be found only in the San Joaquin Valley. Second, magpies are not only social, intelligent birds with lively vocalizations, but they are also strikingly beautiful, with iridescent colors of black and blue set against white.  Third, many longtime residents can remember when large, noisy flocks of Yellow-billed Magpies would fill the fields and neighborhoods around town.  Stanislaus Audubon is in a unique position to teach about habitat loss and other factors that have caused their numbers to decline.

On September 18, 2023, the Culture Commission voted to forward their nomination to the City Council for this unique bird species.  On October 10, 2023, the Modesto City Council voted unanimously to designate the Yellow-billed Magpie as the Official City Bird of Modesto. In 2024, our Audubon chapter’s committee sent several proposals for how to promote this designation.  The first of those was this interpretive panel, which also incorporates nine other year-round bird species of Modesto with photos and text.  

That was its history, and now I’d like to emphasize the significance of this project and others that may come later.  This is the Age of the Environment, for obvious reasons.  Environmental education has never been more important for city residents. Birds of the city--and the countryside, for that matter-- have an inherent right to live and thrive on their own terms, instinctively obeying the natural rhythms of the seasons. It is true that urban areas present fragmented habitats for wild birds, but it is equally true that we can make accommodations to make those habitats more livable for them. We can be stewards of their limited environments in small, but important ways.

 These are three of several strategies we can take to help support these birds.  One is to plant native trees, shrubs, and grasses in our yards and city parks.  The second is to provide fresh water with birdbaths.  The third is to keep cats indoors as much as possible.  If we practice these and other practical steps, we may be able to turn the green spaces around our homes into miniature wildlife sanctuaries for birds to feed, roost, build nests, and reproduce.  There is then the opportunity to teach our children and grandchildren about the life cycles of nature. They can pay more attention to bird populations in their neighborhoods, parks, tree-lined streets, and nearby riparian corridors. Then they will hopefully grow up learning how to respect, preserve, and enjoy the marvels and variety of the wilderness creatures in our city and everywhere else.