Birding CLUB
The Four Seasons Birding Club took our
regular walk on May 6. The sun was out, and
the spring leaves on the trees were fresh and
green, but the new growth made it a little
harder to see the birds we were hearing. In
spite of this, we were able to catch sight of
some spotted towhees, quail, bushtits, a
mallard, and a cute little mountain chickadee
collecting fluff from the trail. Bill Cooper
even spotted a colorful western tanager. We
added a stop at Veterans Park to look for the
juncos that have been seen there, but instead
found a song sparrow and a few crows.
In addition to our monthly adventures here
at the Four Seasons, the club leader, Gerrie
Karczynski, is planning some other outings
to local birding hotspots. Keep your eyes
open for information about upcoming field
trips to popular locations like the San Jacinto
Wildlife Area, Big Morongo, Whitewater, and
Sunnylands.
Of course, you don't have to wait for the
first Saturday of the month or an organized
excursion to enjoy the birds that surround
us. My neighbor, Tina Canon, who is a
member of the Birding Club and always on
the lookout, photographed a great horned
owl dispensing his wisdom on Trail B. She
stopped by recently as I was pulling my
garbage cans back from the street. "Don't
you just love those phoebes fluttering up by
your house?" she asked. "They have such a
sweet song!" Unfortunately, I had been so
focused on the drudgery of the job that I had
completely missed the bird entertainment
right over my head. It's definitely worth a
regular pause to look, listen and think, and
it made my trash cans feel lighter. As the
poet Robert Frost once said about a similar
encounter in a different season,
e way a crow
Shook down on me
e dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
Come join us for the next walk on Saturday,
June 3 at 8 am at the entrance to Trail A near
The Lodge. Your day might be changed for
the better, too. For more information, please
contact Gerrie Karczynski at gerrie201516@
gmail.com. ~ Kathy Hull
FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JUNE 2023 37
Phoebe at Four Seasons -
picture by Gerrie Karczynski
Crow at Four Seasons -
picture by Gerrie Karczynski
Great horned owl at Four Seasons - picture
by Tina Canon
