Sal Salerno, president
Stanislaus Audubon Society
Photos © Rich Brown
On October 10, 2023, the Modesto City Council voted unanimously to designate the Yellow-billed Magpie as the official City Bird of Modesto. With the consent of our Board of Directors, I brought the proposal to the Culture Commission in May 2022. The proposal reached the Safety and Communities Community in September 2023, and the motion was recommended to the Modesto City Council. Stanislaus Audubon is looking forward to collaborating with the Culture Commission on this exciting project. This designation presents opportunities to engage the community, by creating a natural history icon, by teaching environmental studies to students, and by enhancing local ecotourism.
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A NOD TO MAGPIES
Stars of the Valley,
Yellow-billed Magpies
Strutting their stuff—
They forage by day,
Then sleep in the rough.
Always bedecked
For stepping with style
In feathered tuxedos,
Fashion eyewear
And ebony spats.
Yellow-billed Magpies,
True to our Valley,
Raucous and bold—
Grant to them only
Three wishes, please:
Admire them well from
A decent distance,
Leave a few trees
And a few open fields,
Then leave them be, to be.
