We had a very successful Putah Creek Christmas Bird Count on December 18th. According to count compiler Bart Wickel, “Our regular count circle was covered by 84 participants distributed over 25 teams led by experienced birders accompanied by new or less experienced birders. With a collective 205 party hours we successfully covered the usual survey routes of approximately 300 miles within the count circle.”
The participants counted a total of 184 species, with all time high counts of the following: Western Bluebirds (868), Anna’s Hummingbirds (295), White-breasted Nuthatches (269), Spotted Towhees (454) and Say’s Phoebes (84). Lewis’s Woodpeckers (159), House Wrens (54). See Bart’s full 2022 Putah Creek Bird Count Summary on the YAS website.
The Central Valley Bird Club is once again offering David Yee Youth Scholarships for young birders to attend summer birding classes or camps. The scholarships cover up to $2,000 for registration fees. To learn more about the camps and application process, contact the Youth Scholarship Coordinator Cliff Hawley. YAS has been a long time supporter of this very special program.
In other funding news, YAS still has money in its small grants program for students and non-profits doing work in the field of avian conservation or education. Please check with our treasurer Marnelle Gleason if you’re like to learn more.
Finally, appreciate the rain, even if it seems a little difficult at times–I’ve had electricity and water off several times in the last few days, as well as multiple downed trees–but we need the precipitation!
Spotted Towhee
photo by Erna Tarara
— Ann Brice, President