New Feature: Notes from the Field

Here we announce a new feature in Central Valley Birds: Notes from the Field. The Editorial Committee is always looking for contributions from Club members and others on birds in the Central Valley. This new section offers a venue for shorter, more focused reporting of interesting observations. As birders spend time in the field, we see interesting behavior, species interactions, and novel uses of habitat. These observations are usually of common species doing unexpected things. Some observations can lead to deeper research and more extensive articles, but others are suited to a short narrative.

Accompanying photos are helpful, but not necessary. As one begins to prepare a contribution for the Notes from the Field section, a good place to start is Birds of the World to gain insight into whether the behaviors are unusual and what may be driving these behaviors.

Notes from the Field is also a suitable place to record updates to articles previously published on avian status and ecology, such as results of continued monitoring of distributional changes, population sizes, reproductive success, or novel behaviors. Most who go on to prepare observations for publication find that they learn far more about their subject than they can include in one article, but the learning process is the most rewarding aspect of writing.

If you have an idea for a contribution, please reach out to the section editor, Chris Conard at conardc@gmail.com to share your observations with interested readers.

This announcement appeared in the printed version of Vol. 28, No. 1, 2025