Park News Dec 27 2025
Burrowing Owl Update
The “Shy Owl” went through a period of high anxiety this past week. On Solstice Sunday (Dec 21) and the next day it kept completely out of sight. On Tue Dec 23 it was back, but it had retreated deep into the bushes on the south slope of the Spiral. In its new spot it was a challenge to see it even with high-powered optics. It remained there on Wed Dec 24. If it kept still, it was practically invisible to human observers. Only the swiveling of its head and fleeting glimpses of an eye gave its position away. On Thu Dec 25, it came out of the dense shrubbery but perched in a depression where only its head peeked out. There it displayed the rapid head turnings and evasive motions of an anxiously alert bird. I could not see the source of its fears, and I speculated that perhaps the stiff wind was disturbing its habitat and triggering its alarms. This morning Sat Dec 27 this owl had calmed down and resumed a perch at the base of the bushes where human observers could readily spot it from the paved perimeter path. It looked like normalcy had returned. This owl was first spotted on Nov 14 and has given quite a few park visitors the thrill of seeing a live Burrowing Owl. Here is a video review of its week:
Meanwhile the owl at Perch A was very much present on Fri Dec 19 and again on Tue Dec 23. The video below shows the owl on Dec 19. This owl was calm and at ease. I have not seen it since the 23rd. Possibly the stiff southerly winds during this period drove it to a more sheltered perch, location unknown. I keep checking this location whenever I’m in the park. Click here to see the map where Burrowing Owls have been spotted so far this season, including the location of Perch A.
Other Feathers
While the owl or owls were in retreat, Brown Pelicans assembled in impressive numbers on the dredging pipes parked in the North Basin. The big birds reached peak density on the 25th. My video below captures all but a handful that were on the pipe at 9:43 am. Not shown are at least three dozen in the air. If any reader has the patience to count the pelicans on the pipe, I’ll publish the result with credit.
The occasion for this mass gathering wasn’t immediately obvious. Possibly the birds were anticipating a run of herring headed for their spawning grounds in eelgrass beds further north in the Bay. On New Year’s Day some years back I caught sight of a pelican party plunge-diving for herring in that area, see “Pelicans Pounce on Herring Harvest,” Jan 1 2017.
This morning (Sat Dec 27) I saw a pair of White-tailed Kites playing over the Protected Natural Area on the north side of the park. That’s great news, suggesting that there may be a nest somewhere in the general area in the near future. The nesting effort that an earlier pair mounted on a tree in the parking lot of the DoubleTree hotel in 2020 was a big event, documented extensively. I didn’t get a pic of the pair this morning but got some images of a solo white-tail yesterday. It perched on a shrub easily visible from the Burrowing Owl Sanctuary.
After a disappointing outing where he could not find the Rock Wren, photographer Hao Tran had better luck on the 22nd. This beautiful little specialist, eking out a living on a habitat of stones, had not abandoned the area. Here are Hao’s latest images:
Call for Volunteers Jan 3
Bob Huttar, Chavez Park Conservancy Restoration Coordinator, is calling on volunteers to help with the Pollinator Gardens in the Native Plant Area on Saturday Jan 3. He writes:
Hi folks! On Saturday, Jan 3 we will be going out to the Pollinator Gardens for some maintenance. I was just there and all the plants, especially those on the slope area, are being attacked by weeds. From the rains the soil will be very soft and everything, even the larger weeds like last year’s regrowth of mustards, will pull up pretty easily. Remember, don’t do any digging deeper than 12 inches. We are fortunate that gardening is allowed while many other activities even the park maintenance folks would like to do are not.
We will be gathering at the usual place by the storage bin at 9:00. We have a pretty good supply of hori-horis, gloves and assorted other hand tools for you to use. Let me know if you are thinking of making it.
Best wishes for a Happy New Year!
Solstice Gathering Undeterred
A day of stormy rains didn’t deter a hard core of park visitors from participating in the Winter Solstice Gathering at the Chavez/Huerta Solar Calendar at 4 pm on Sunday Dec 21.
Alan Gould of the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley, a veteran presenter at these events, took an audience of almost two dozen through the basics of solstice astronomy: the earth’s 23 degree tilt and the resulting procession of seasons, flipped from north to south of the equator. This is all solar mechanics. Then Alan moved on to the much more complicated dance of the moon. With a stiff breeze blowing, it was difficult to follow paper handouts charting the moon’s ups and downs, but Alan held up a big QR code leading to a website with details. Brian Mendez of the Space Sciences Lab at UC helped out with the presentation. The rain paused during the gathering, but cloud cover obscured the sunset.
Next event at the site: Spring Equinox.
Throne Poll Update
The hi-tech restroom in the park comes up for renewal or removal on Jan 5. Park visitors can weigh in via the Throne Poll. Go there now. Results to date show a 93.8% “Keep” vote. In numbers, 30 out of 32 poll respondents voted “Keep.” Here are the comments from “Keep” voters who posted comments, followed by the two negative comments.
- The Throne is so clean, sturdy, and comfortable. It’s great.
- The portapotties are discusting. One had no seat at all for months. They were flimsy and cramped, and unhygienic.
- I don’t think a person should have to have a smartphone in order to use the toilet. I have a cellphone, but it isn’t a smartphone; it’s a clamshell, so I think it wouldn’t work.
- This hygienic toilet makes park visits more enjoyable because it gets rid of the negative experience one must often face when there.
- everyone deserves a clean safe free bathroom
- It seems to be filling a need, although I’m curious how much it costs per use. My only objection is its godawful color scheme. If these are going to be installed in parks, can’t they be covered in a color that blends in with the environment rather than bright blue?
- It’s so good to know that the restroom is there. Makes me want to come to Chavez Park more often.
- It’s nice, and also dignified.
- The Throne is way better than the plastic port-o-potties.
- all ways nice yo have a clean potty
- It is clean and comfortable. On the other hand, the portapotties meant more than one person could use a bathroom. I presume the Throne is too expensive to have more than one. Nevertheless, I love it.
- It is such an improvement !! A park as important to so many people as Cesar Chavez deserves a restroom that is so well serviced and usuable. Thank you to the Parks Dept and the City of Berkeley to thinking about the hundreds of folks who can or will use it and appreciate it.
- I used it once, it was clean and functional. My one issue is that I have gotten 4 access cards and none of them have worked. Each time I bring them back (to the nice security guard at City Hall) I am given a replacement card, but they don’t work either. I got the card because I don’t carry a cell phone with me usually when I exercise at Cesar Chavez Park.
- it was very clean. i appreciated the sink, soap, & paper towels at hand as well
- This one is good, but I would prefer a permanent bathroom. However, the self cleaning and reporting system is a good means of keeping the bathroom neat and tidy. Would like to see a permanent bathroom, however, with the same security and self-cleaning systems.
- Having it being wheel chair accessible is also very important.
These are the comments from the two “No” voters:
- They are ugly and I don’t carry my cell phone when I go for a walk.
- No privacy when using a toilet. Does the company actually penalizes an offender, when the unit is disrupted? They should use Throne money to hire staff to patrol and penalize unleashed owners and dogs from trespassing on owl protected areas.
The poll will carry more weight as more people participate. Do the Throne Poll now!
Conservancy in Bay Nature Magazine
The Chavez Park Conservancy’s profile is rising. We feel more recognition and esteem from park visitors who greet Conservancy volunteers doing gardening or spotting the Burrowing Owls.
Now the Conservancy is reaching a broader audience with a modest display ad in the excellent Bay Nature magazine, published right here in Berkeley.
This ad (right) appears on Page 4 of the current Bay Nature issue, and will repeat in each quarterly issue in 2026.
Bay Nature magazine celebrates 25 years of publication with this issue. Founded by Malcolm Margolin and David Loeb, the journal runs as a nonprofit. It’s the premier source for environmental, nature, and science news and features covering the greater Bay Area. Besides the print edition, Bay Nature also publishes an online newsletter and organizes online events.
One such event will happen at noon Wed Jan 28 when I’ll be giving a Zoom talk on our local Burrowing Owls, based on my new book, “Our Owls: Burrowing Owls in Cesar Chavez Park, Berkeley.” An ad for the book appears on p. 54 of the current Bay Nature magazine. To date, the book is available only on amazon.com, or if you happen to see me in the park when I have some author’s copies.
Yes, You Can Donate
Mailboxes overflow with requests for money at year’s end. We aren’t doing that. But yes, you can donate to the Chavez Park Conservancy. We’re a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Click the Donate tab on the menu above, or this link, to send us money. Much appreciated, thank you.
Publishing Schedule
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