Black Phoebe hatchlings ©Sage Madden
Spring has arrived, as evidenced at my property by these newly hatched Black Phoebes. The parents chose to build their nest on a ledge in one of my horse’s stalls. If you look closely, you’ll see a few strands of white horse tail and some blue hay bale twine! You’ll also notice a tiny thermometer placed there by the UC Davis Project Phoebe researchers, who are gathering a wide variety of data about phoebes. Yolo Audubon, which has provided some funding for Project Phoebe’s work, looks forward to having the scientists share results of the study with our members in the future.
We have a big meeting coming up on May 15th. Besides the presentation by YAS board member Autumn Turner on her research at Bobcat Ranch, we’ll be voting to amend our articles of incorporation to reflect our new name—Yolo Bird Alliance. Click here to read about the lead-up to this exciting change detailed in the April newsletter. We’ll also be voting to confirm our board of directors slate for the upcoming season at this meeting. Please click here to see the proposed board. I hope you will attend in person or via Zoom on May 15th. See details in the article below.
Finally, thanks to the seven Yolo Audubon volunteers, led by Ken Ealy, who staffed the table at California Duck Days on April 27th. It was a lovely day, and there was a good turnout. Congratulations to Yolo Basin Foundation for hosting another successful event–Yolo Audubon was proud to be a sponsor.
— Ann Brice