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Teaching the public about birds and nature
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Posted by editor Mon Oct 1, 2007 14:53:34 PDT
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0 responses 0 comments What would be a fun and easy way to learn some of the names and behavior of birds in the Tehachapi area? Attend a meeting or field trip of the only club dedicated to local wildlife: the Tehachapi Mountains Birding Club.

Although the name suggests a group solely focusing on birds, Tehachapi Mountains Birding Club members are interested in local nature and wildlife of all kinds, from butterflies and bats to trees and wildflowers.

Birds are the best represented vertebrate group in this area (over 250 different species have been identified to date) and they are found in all habitat types, from aquatic to alpine to desert scrub, so birds are thoroughly woven into the tapestry of life in the greater Tehachapi area.

As a result, learning more about birds means finding out more about Tehachapi’s geography, water sources, trees, climate, grasslands, predators, forests, etc. The natural world is interconnected and the more you know about it, the clearer those connections become.

So what does the TMBC do? We try to educate our members and the general public about birds and habitats in the Tehachapi area, and we engage in various projects to assist birds and raise awareness of them.

For example, we maintain two separate bluebird house trails, one at the Indian Hill Ranch and another at Brite Lake, to provide choice nesting boxes for the insect-eating Western Bluebirds that inhabit our oak woodlands. Over 100 baby bluebirds successfully fledge from our nest boxes each year.

We also assist injured or orphaned birds and provide transportation for them to get help at the Facility for Animal Care and Treatment (FACT) at the California State University in Bakesfield. We’ve taken scores of injured birds in for treatment, and some of them have been successfully released back into the wild in the Tehachapi area.

The TMBC also conducts yearly bird censusing as part of the Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count, and we now have many years worth of data documenting which birds are present in the Tehachapi area.

The TMBC has also organized several month-long Turkey Vulture counts to confirm the over 30,000 Turkey Vultures that migrate through the Tehachapi area in great spiralling columns each autumn.

We also maintain a Tehachapi area bird list, which identifies all the birds found in the area as well as their scarcity or abundance in each of our four seasons. Our website, tmbc.info, is kept current and offers information on recent sightings.

Naturally, we also have monthly meetings which are both informal and informative, featuring interesting and knowledgeable guest speakers. Our meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at the auditorium at Golden Hills Elementary School on 20215 Park Rd. Meetings start at 7 p.m. and move quickly, with guest speakers starting at 7:30 and over by 8:30 or 8:45 with refreshments served afterwards. Interested non-members are welcomed.

We also have monthly bird walks and field trips in Tehachapi, the greater Kern County area and occasionally further afield to experience birds in the wild.

The bird club was founded in 1995 by Clark and Jean Moore, a mated pair of bird experts living in Bear Valley Springs. We lost the intelligent and incomparable Clark to a heart attack a few months ago, but Jean is still active in the club and the TMBC continues even without our fearless founder. I’m currently serving as president but I’m only one of many well-informed and capable members.

The TMBC recognizes that most children seem to have an inherent love of nature, and we encourage developing that tendency with knowledge and field trips to experience birding as a family.

We are planning a Parent or Grandparent/Child event this spring which will be a half-day Saturday course introducing children and their caregivers to some typical Tehachapi birds, teaching how to use field guides and binoculars, examining live raptors up close and going for a brief bird walk. We’ll be talking more about that as the date nears.

As you go about your Tehachapi life, consider the fact that the bird club has confirmed Clark Moore’s estimate that at any given time, there are at least 115 different bird species residing in the Tehachapi area — there is far more to learn about this place than most people realize. . .
Have a good week!

Sights and Sounds of 50 Tehachapi Birds
The Tehachapi Mountains Birding Club meeting on Tuesday, October 9 will feature the recorded calls paired with slides of 50 different birds commonly encountered in the Tehachapi area. Learn to identify local birds with both your eyes and ears at this informative meeting. 7 p.m. at Golden Hills Elementary School auditorium, 20215 Park Rd. Interested members of the public are both invited and encouraged to attend. 
  

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