Carol Gates, after 14 years of leading the Tehachapi Audubon Group, stepped down for a well-deserved reprieve. It takes two to replace her! Wanting to support our local group, Joan Cote and I stepped in, learning quickly that it takes a village to run an Audubon meeting. Bob Barnes visited from Ridgecrest and taught us the ins and outs of the eBird application.
The next day Barnes led a birding walk around Tom Sawyer Lake and used that application to call in a rarely seen Virginia Rail that had been spotted. I did not see it, but many were able to add that elusive bird to their repertoire of sightings! Barnes warned against excessive use of recorded calls. When birds make sounds, they use energy that may be needed for something else.
Barnes teaches birding “by careful observation.” Take time when identifying a bird. Observe the details of it physically, the sounds it makes, behavior and activity. Does the duck dive or does it feed at the surface? Have a yellow bill? A white bill? Size? Eye color? Any other special identifiers?
The bird walk was a highlight of the experience of putting together our first program and enlisting the help of so many willing to make it happen.
Also present at the Jan. 28 meeting were Kern Audubon Society past president Harry Love and current president Mike Lahorgue, who discussed a fishing line disposal system that KAS can supply free of charge. The Tehachapi Audubon group will be working with local lake officials to get these placed.
Tehachapi Audubon Group is part of Kern Audubon Society and will meet next at 7 p.m. April 22 at Golden Hills Elementary School. Karen Pestana will be doing a presentation on bluebird nest boxes followed by a field trip on Saturday, April 26.
Cindy Marble is with the Tehachapi Audubon Group.
