The Yolo Bird Alliance invites the community to a field trip on April 12 and a lecture on April 16.

Join Rob Furrow for a walking field trip that will focus on the migrating songbirds passing through Davis. The Willowbank Ditch in South Davis has a fantastic mix of mature trees, dense understory, and diverse fruiting and flowering plants. In mid-April, insects abound and plants are bursting with new growth, attracting migratory warbler species such as Wilson’s, Orange-crowned, Nashville’s, Black-throated Gray’s, and Townsend’s.

There will still be some lingering wintering birds such as Kinglets, Hermit Thrushes, and assorted Sparrows. Overhead, the group will keep an eye out for swallows, swifts, and locally nesting Swainson’s Hawks. The habitat structure and the key food sources that attract birds will also be highlighted.

The group will meet on Saturday, April 12 at 7 a.m. at the junction of Almond Lane and Rosario Street in Davis. Expect 1 to 1.5 miles of walking along the flat greenbelt and trails. Please bring binoculars as well as any desired snacks and water. Heavy rain will cancel the trip.

For more information, contact Rob Furrow at robertfurrow@gmail.com or 610-715-9123.

The public is also invited to join the Yolo Bird Alliance at its monthly virtual meeting on Wednesday, April 16, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The lecture will feature Reed Tollefson, who will talk about Audubon California’s work at the Kern River Preserve. Audubon accepted the ownership and stewardship responsibilities for the 1,115-acre Kern River Preserve in 1997.

Since that time, Audubon’s land ownership has increased threefold to over 3,300 acres. More importantly, Audubon California has worked with state and federal agencies, non-profits, private foundations, and Native American groups to help bring over 56,282 acres of land into permanent protection.

Reed is the Kern River Preserve Manager. He’ll discuss the efforts to re-vegetate over 400 acres of the Kern River Preserve with native plants providing improved habitat for many local species of bird and wildlife.

The meeting will be held via Zoom, for details on how to join the meeting go to: yolobirdalliance.org or facebook.com/yolobirdalliance.