ID Birds with South Shore Group and Class

Posted on May 5, 2008
Filed Under Birding, Outside |

Spring in Tahoe is an exciting time for nature watchers!

by Sue Stevenson, South Shore bird watcher and watercolorist

The spring migration is in full force.

Audubon’s Warblers are feeding on the plentiful insects in the willows on the water’s edge.

Osprey have returned from their wintering grounds in Mexico and South America and are settling into nest building and breeding around the lake.

Ducks are showing off their colorful breeding plumage and fascinating courtship displays, and grebes are singing their weird mating songs.

White Pelicans float overhead in formation as they head east to Pyramid Lake to start their nesting in the safety of a protected island.

Do you want to learn more about the bird life in Tahoe, attend field trips, or share your observations?

An informal group of bird watchers in Tahoe have established a yahoo list serve for birders interested in what is going on with birds in South Lake Tahoe.

Postings include sightings from trips, interesting developments pertaining to birds, and announcements for birding trips and upcoming birding events. To subscribe to this group, send an email to sltbirding-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Introduction to Ornithology of South Lake Tahoe at LTCC:

Tuesday nights, May 20 through June 24

Consider taking the Introduction to Ornithology of South Lake Tahoe Class at the Lake Tahoe Community College. Sheryl Ferguson is teaching this class, BIO131AJ, which meets on Tuesday nights from 5/20 to 6/24. There will be field trips on 5/31, 6/7, and 6/21. (This class in not listed in the Spring schedule.)

The course includes topics such as birding anatomy, bird song, tools of the trade (optics, field guides, resources), habitat, talks on hawks and woodpeckers and bird behavior. Field trips enhance and reinforce the learning, while visiting spring hot spots such as Taylor Creek, Pope Marsh, and Cove East.