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Bird of the Month As this column catches up with the new birds sighted this spring, this month's column will review the Sora. Soras are small, chickenlike birds with long toes, a short cocked-up tail, and yellow bill. Soras walk through shallow wetlands with cattails and rushes, pushing their head forward with every step while flicking the tail upward. Their long toes help them walk on top of floating vegetation. Soras eat seeds from wetland plants and aquatic invertebrates and they nest in the same wetlands, where the female weaves a basket of cattails and sedges on mounds of vegetation or attached to plant stems above the water. Soras spend the winter in wetlands from northwestern South America northward through Central America and Mexico to the southern third of the U.S. In spring, the population migrates north to breed across the northern two-thirds of the U.S. and the southern two- thirds of Canada. The Sora that was discovered in the cattail marsh at the east end of the Edison easement during the Club's April 2 bird walk was a Four Seasons first record, bird #120, and stayed until April 26, sometimes visiting the cattail marsh on Trail A. ~ Steve Edelman Birding CLUB During June and early July, our breeding species were fledgling young and there were no migrants, as expected, but we did have some surprises. Mountain Chickadees breed in our local mountains and are elevation migrants, thus several are usually present all winter at Four Seasons. They were seen throughout last winter, as expected, but continued through spring and are still present through early July. Are they breeding at Four Seasons? Pacific-slope Flycatcher is a migrant breeder in Southern California, breeding mostly in the mountains and also in lower-elevation riparian habitats. A Pacific-slope Flycatcher was heard calling in May in the dense riparian growth along Potrero Creek near The Lodge and continued at the same location through early July. The calling male was definitely defending a territory, but did it breed? We had lively conversation and laughter during our morning bird walk on July 9. The group bird walk yielded a modest 16 species, typical for summer, and later in the day, Gerrie Karczynski, Barbara Wasco, and I spotted 11 additional species, bringing the day's total to a respectable 27. Highlights included continuing Mountain Chickadees and fledgling Cooper's Hawks, Spotted and California Towhees, Wrentits, and Bell's Vireos. ~ Steve Edelman, steve.h.edelman@gmail.com FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | AUGUST 2022 39 On Sept. 2 at 6 pm, we are bringing you a summer picnic in collaboration with the Bistro. This event will be held outside at The Lodge with fresh vegetable recipes, entertainment and great raffle prizes. Tickets will go on sale on Aug. 8 in the lobby. Look for more details in the Activities Report as we get closer. For info or suggestions for future topics, please contact pwayne1@outlook. com. ~ Pat Wayne Community Garden Club Wrentits are secretive birds that are hard to see and even more difficult to photograph. John Hanson had to work fast to get this picture before the bird on the left had a chance to follow its buddy into the underbrush along Trail B during our July 9 bird walk The Birding Club pauses for photographers on Trail B during the July 9 bird walk Adult male Sora, like the one that spent April 2-26 at Four Seasons. Photo by Elaine R. Wilson

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