Like many of us, I’ve been doing a lot of backyard birding over the past year. And I have to admit I don’t have the best backyard for it. It’s small, lots of non-native plants. This morning while out weeding, I noticed Bushtits flitting from tree to tree. On some past SAS field trip, I learned to check the Bushtit flocks during migration for warblers. Thank you to whomever that field trip leader or participant was that shared this tip with me. 

Low and behold, a Yellow Warbler. The beautiful yellow all the way along the belly from tip to tail. Thank you Mark Sawyer for that bit of identification information, explained on a field trip to Point Reyes. 

And then another little bird flitted nearby, delicate gray coloring, much softer yellow underneath. Was that a white eye-ring? No, it’s not complete. Warbling Vireo I thought. But then checked myself. Is this the right time of year to see a Warbling Vireo? So I went to check the Sacramento Audubon Checklist of Birds on the SAS website. Yes, according to the checklist, I “should find” Warbling Vireo in August and September. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped put this checklist together – Chris Conard, Dan Tankersley, Maureen Geiger, Dan Brown, and many more. Thank you to John Harding who did all the coding work to transform the checklist from a paper document to an interactive list on the website. Thank you to all the members of the web committee, past and present, who volunteer to keep the website looking good and providing the public with helpful information. Thank you to all the board members, who debated and struggled with the decision of when and how to upgrade the website.

Right now, a lot of us are asking when SAS will start offering field trips and in-person meetings? Right now, a lot of us are impatient for things to get back to the way they were. The volunteers on the SAS board and committees are struggling to make those decisions for the organization and all the individuals involved. Thank you to them all for trying their best to make the right decision - for considering the different perspectives and needs of our diverse membership.

Things are still quite different than they used to be. COVID still won’t let us go back to the way things were. But maybe, instead of asking for what used to be offered by Sacramento Audubon, maybe it’s time to ask if there is a different way to be involved?

While SAS has many different volunteers doing great work, we also have numerous volunteer positions open in education, conservation, and more. Don’t wait to be asked to fill a position. Contact President Bill Bianco and let him know how you would like to be involved. Need some ideas for what you might be able to do with Sacramento Audubon, check out the current open volunteer positions at https://www.sacramentoaudubon.org/volunteer.

- Mary Forrestal