About Kern Audubon Society
Tehachapi Group
The Kern Audubon Society has many members in the Tehachapi area. Thus the Tehachapi Group of the KAS was created in 2009. It conducts programs and outings. Members are very involved with the Western Blue Bird Nest Watch Program. It inspects nest boxes in the spring to determine success of bird nests.
April 2025 Meeting
Kern Audubon-Tehachapi Presents:
Karen Pestana’s program on bluebird nest boxes
followed by a field trip on Saturday, April 26
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
7 pm to 8:30 pm
Golden Hills Elementary School Cafeteria
20215 Park Road in Tehachapi
Raffle and refreshments included
Tehachapi Audubon group will have its second meeting of the year Tuesday April 22 at 7pm at Golden Hills Elementary School.
Karen Pestana, wildlife biologist, formerly at Edwards Air Force Base, California Fish and Wildlife, and the National Park Service, will present a Western Bluebird nest box program.
The program will consist of a short video taken by a Bear Valley Springs participant’s nest cam showing Western Bluebirds in the nest box – from laying eggs to young birds fledging. Additionally Karen has a PowerPoint presentation about Western Bluebirds and other local birds that use the nest boxes, the NestWatch program, including instruction on how to become a “citizen scientist” nest box monitor and set up a nest box in your yard.
Since 2000, Karen has coordinated volunteers to maintain and monitor over 60 Tehachapi bluebird nest boxes and reports the findings to Cornell University Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch program.
Plan to attend this exciting program!
The program is free; you need not be a member to attend and all are welcome. Educational materials are available and refreshments will be served. Tehachapi Audubon is part of Kern Audubon Society (KAS) and is run by volunteers. Personal and program information provided by Karen Pestana.
Field Trip Saturday, April 28
Karen will lead a Field Trip on Saturday April 28; details to follow. Loner binoculars will be available. For more information see kernaudubonsociety.org.
After this program, Tehachapi Audubon will return to the usual LAST TUESDAY of the month, four times a year. Next will be August 26.
Meetings
The Tehachapi Group meets quarterly on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 7pm in the Golden Hills Elementary School cafeteria, 20215 Park Ave. Meetings are 1 to 1½ hours long.
Future meeting dates are:
- January 28, 2025
- April 22, 2025
- July 22, 2025
- October 28, 2025
Refreshments and a raffle are added bonuses.
Outings are scheduled based on interest. See event section for updates.
Tehachapi Audubon January Meeting Recap
Carol Gates, after 14 years of leading the Tehachapi Audubon Group, stepped down for a well deserved reprieve. It takes two to replace her! Wanting to support our local group, Joan Cote and Carol Marble stepped in, learning quickly that it takes a village to run an Audubon meeting. At our January 28, 2025 meeting Bob Barnes visited from Ridgecrest and taught us the ins and outs of the eBird application.
The next day Bob led a birding walk around Tom Sawyer Lake and used that application to call in a rarely seen Virginia Rail he spotted. Many were able to add that elusive bird to their repertoire of sightings! Bob warned against excessive use of recorded calls. When birds make sounds, they use energy that may be needed for something else.
Bob teaches birding “by careful observation.” Take time when identifying a bird. Observe the details of it physically, the sounds it makes, behavior and location. Does the duck dive or does it feed at the surface? Have a yellow bill? A white bill? Size? Eye color? Any other special identifiers?
Fishing Line Disposal Receptacle.
The bird walk was a highlight of the experience of putting together our first program as well as enlisting the help of so many willing to make it happen.
Also present at the January meeting were Kern Audubon Society (KAS) past president Harry Love and current president Mike Lahorgue who discussed a fishing line disposal system that KAS can supply free of charge. The Tehachapi Audubon group will be working with local lake officials to get these placed.
Information
For more details or questions contact:
Cindy Marble
805-400-5675 or
cmarble1114@gmail.com
Joan Cote
858-444-0496 or
JMCote001@gmail.com
2022 Western Bluebird Nest Box Program Results
A total of 68 nest boxes monitored
- Western bluebirds fledged = 176 (average = 170)
- First egg of season = 21 March (average = 1 April)
- Success rate = 56% (average = 69%)
- Other species fledged:
oak titmouse = 7; violet-green swallow = 4; ash-throated flycatcher = 3
Total western bluebirds fledged for 23-year program = 3,649