The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) is an amazing and important place. One reason is due to it being an enclosed delta. Instead of the common occurrence of a river flowing directly into the ocean, many of the largest rivers in California flow together in an area that is almost completely separated from the ocean by mountains. This unusual geography has caused layer upon layer of rich peat soils to build up over the past ten thousand years. These soils fostered tall riparian forests, wide marshes, and diverse surrounding habitats which in turn, support a wide diversity of animals and plants. Additionally, tremendous amounts of food are grown from those peat soils that are of state, national, and international importance.
Sadly, the Delta faces many threats and challenges. Invasive species, drained wetlands, and the release of greenhouse gases and the resulting subsiding ground levels all add uncertainty to what the future of the Delta will look like. Luckily, these issues have solutions. Admittedly, it will take a lot of time, money, and trust to implement those solutions, but a large number of people from a wide array of backgrounds are working on making those solutions into reality.
For my part, I grew up in Berkeley and from an early age, birds grabbed my interest, and that interest led me to volunteer with a range avian research and educational organizations, and countless birding trips including many to the Delta. Once I got a bit older, my interest in birds and nature led me to more formal education with a Bachelor’s in Environmental Science at the University of California, Berkeley in 2006 and two Master’s Degrees at the University of California, Davis (one in Avian Science in 2011, the second in Animal Behavior in 2015). Along the way, I served on the Board of Directors of the Hawk Migration Association of North America; studied the effects of timber harvest practices on songbird populations; and worked on long-term monitoring of songbird populations and migratory raptors. After completing graduate school, I got a job with the State of California. I worked as an Environmental Scientist for an agency called the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy for over five years, and I currently work as a Senior Environmental Scientist at the Wildlife Conservation Board.
Beyond that formal side, I create content for the “A Birding Naturalist” YouTube channel, blog, and other social media platforms (Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky) where I work to share knowledge and passion for birds with a wide audience.
My latest endeavor is an upcoming book.
Published by Heyday Books, I have written, “The Birds of the California Delta.” This book is an introduction to the Delta and to a scattering of the members that make up the avian community that lives here for some, or all, of the year. The twenty-five species you will find in this book, and that are brilliantly illustrated by the Costa Rican artist Martha Espinoza, characterize the Delta birding experience in one way or another. They reflect migration, evolution, ecology, pollution, and climate change all while embracing the particular, curious, bold, and quirky personalities of this select group of Delta birds.
I want to make sure that one of the themes of this book is that birding is for everyone. I have gotten a lot out of birding both personally and professionally, and I want everyone who has an interest to have the same opportunities for these same types of rewarding experiences. I hope that by reading this book, and also when meeting birders in the field, everyone, everybody, and everybody feels welcomed and included in the birding community and experience.
The species you will meet in the pages of my book showcase some of the variety of aspects of the Delta, its incredible biodiversity, and the challenges it faces.
