Spring on its way…again!
Learning about eBird with Zane Pickus ©JoAnne Fillatti
On Saturday, March 29, we had a very successful field trip at the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve. Thanks in part to publicity from the Davis Enterprise, around 20 people attended to learn about using eBird to record bird sightings. The trip was led by board members Zane Pickus and Emmett Iverson, and the group had a great morning as well as developing some new skills.
A committee of YBA board members recently met with Garrett Spaan, the manager of the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area. Garrett caught us up on many of the current projects. The first, of course, is to get the Wildlife Area open again after weeks of being closed due to flooding. On April 1, Garrett reported that the Wildlife Area is now open as far as the Hunter Check Station, and he’s optimistic that the rest will open during the first part of April. The shorebird fields will be fallowed and flooded as usual this summer with the new rice lessees in charge. A big change is that the fall flood-up for waterfowl will begin earlier this year, providing more available habitat for shorebirds too. We also discussed plans for maintained hiking trails. One will be near Parking Lot G, close to Putah Creek, and the other will wind between Parking Lots B and C with future plans for a look-out platform. A trail map is almost ready.
Garrett emphasized that anyone who has questions about the Wildlife Area may call him directly at 530-681-7134. For those who want more updates, Garrett is the speaker at Flyway Nights on April 10. Click here to register.
YBA is still looking for a few volunteers to help at our table at Duck Days on April 26. Please email us if you have a couple of hours available to help out. It’s always a fun day, and YBA is one of the Duck Days sponsors. Click here to read all about this terrific wetlands and wildlife festival.
It’s time to think about YBA board member elections. Amazingly, nobody is leaving this year, and we have some great new candidates. The proposed board member list will be sent out in a special mailing later this month, and all YBA members can vote on Zoom at our last meeting of the season in May.
–Genevieve Colborn and Ann Brice