Art by: Sama Wareh

Have you ever heard of a Western Bluebird?
Have you ever seen one?
Western bluebirds are very pretty birds. The males are a bright blue with a rust colored belly, while the females are a duller color. 
Western bluebirds sometimes catch insects in midair. They also like to hunt for insects by dropping to the ground from a low perch. Now can you guess what 'vore' they are? They’re not carnivores but insectivores.
Western bluebirds are cavity nesters. They rely on woodpeckers to make their homes for them. But Western bluebirds can also nest in nesting boxes. So if you hang up a nesting box you may get lucky as a Western bluebird might nest in your nesting box. Western bluebirds lay one to six pale blue eggs. 
Baby Western bluebirds are fed by both parents. Weren’t you fed by both of your parents when you were a baby? In that  way Western bluebirds are kind of like you, but Western bluebirds weigh only about an ounce and they are about fifteen to eighteen centimeters in length. They are larger than a sparrow, but smaller than an American Robin. Now can you pronounce this? Their scientific name is Sialia Mexicana. Kind of hard to say, right?  Well, I hope you learned a little about western bluebirds. 

Now go look for birds! 

Click here to visit the National Audubon Society's website to learn more.

By: Asiya Rizvi  Age 12

Enjoy this guide to tracking in Southern California! go outside and see if you can feel the presence of some of these critters based on the tracks they leave behind.


It's an a-TRACK-tive way to see the wilderness.

It was a sunny day in Irvine and 16 Field Citizen Scientists were exploring an acorn woodpecker granary. One of them spotted a dead barn owl near an oak tree that belonged to a herd of acorn woodpeckers.
First they studied some facts about it. When they touched the wings they discovered it was very soft. Then they called OC vector control to see if it died of natural causes or West Nile virus. Here is their number if you ever need it: 714-971-2421 and here is their website https://www.ocvector.org
When Taylor, the person from the OC vector control, came. We gave him the dead barn owl, then we interviewed him. Taylor said that West Nile virus is not very common in the winter time, when we were there, it is more common in the summertime. He told us that he takes birds and insects apart to check for West Nile virus at his lab. We learned a lot.

By: Hamza Sidky Age 10

Update: The test results came back and the cause of death for the Barn Owl was unidentified.