August 2020 Bobcat Fire; © Dash Weidhofer

The migrating warblers have decreased significantly in my yard and are being replaced primarily by yellow-rumps.  Other old friends are showing up: White-crowned Sparrows, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Spotted Towhees, Hermit Thrushes, Fox Sparrows, etc.  Their presence is soothing and provides a sense of normalcy after all the recent terrible wildfires, especially at our own Bobcat Ranch.

The good news is that life is improving at Bobcat, and thanks to Dash Weidhofer, the ranch manager, Yolo Audubon’s phenology program has started again with 3-4 YAS volunteers at a time.  They are socially distancing and going out to count birds every other week after a hiatus of several months.  It will be fascinating to document the changes in species numbers and abundance as the landscape comes back.

A good portion of the Christmas Bird Count area was also burned in the fire, but Steve Hampton has announced that he’s ready to coordinate our 50th CBC in December with proper Covid precautions.  See the latest on the count plans here.

Finally, Yolo Audubon volunteers are working on the development of virtual field trips and are really in need of a videographer.  If you are that person, or if you know someone who might help, please contact us at the Yolo Audubon email address.

Ann Brice, President, Yolo Audubon Society