Merlin renested Great Horned Owl babies near a vineyard in Sonoma, CA. 
Link: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLdpurNvvuo

Our website made it into the top 25 best arborist blogs! Check it out and see what other great arboricultural information is out there. So thankful to be included!!

https://blog.feedspot.com/arborist_blogs/

Merlin just renested five Great Horned Owl babies last week in Sonoma, CA. The Press Democrat newspaper came to one of the renest sites and featured us in an article! Check out the article online:
www.pressdemocrat.com/news/8315304-181/baby-great-horned-owl-that 

As trees continue to break bud and rains are finally arriving, the crew is working hard to wrap up fruit tree pruning season. It's been a busy couple months!

Merlin just returned home from a week at the ASCA (American Society of Consulting Arborists) Annual Conference on the Columbia River in Washington.  It was a great time learning about the latest science and management practices for trees with the greatest minds in the field of arboriculture.

One of the favorite speakers was Ed Gilman, whose presentation, "Tree Response to Storm Damage," highlighted how the trees respond and fare in storms.  He discussed how the architecture of a tree effects its likelihood of success and how pruning can help trees recover from fairly severe storm damage.
http://www.asca-consultants.org/mpage/AC2017home

We just released this young screech owl with the Bird Rescue Center.  It had been brought to the center for rehabilitation, but unfortunately while it was there, its home was burnt in the fires.  We found a new home for it once it was fully healthy and ready to return to the wild.  These tiny owls are only 7-10 inches tall and can be found in forested areas around Sonoma County.  Their coloration and mottled pattern makes them excellent at camouflage.

The marigolds in the cider orchard are in full bloom!  Marigolds can be used as an organic method of nematode control.  We planted several acres of bitter apples for cider this year, next to a beautiful, old Gravenstein orchard.

My article on the responsibilities of arborists in regards to birds in trees was just published in the "Western Arborist" magazine.  Many thanks to the Bird Rescue Center and the Hungry Owl Project for their support and resources!