NOTE: This was extracted the Birding List Digest and the email
for Tara Kerss has been filtered. Please contact Jim Rowoth.
This post another appear to have been posted to the yahoo
groups, and for some reason appear in the digest. It's not in
the groups.io sections.
Jim, if you could repost this message directly to groups.io
list for countybirders, centralvalleybirds and EBB-sightings,
this would be a great service to all. Then the email for Tara
Kerss will appear in the message. The filtered message is below.
Michael Park, Berkeley, ALA County
-------------------
All,
John Blades and I assisted Tara (de Silva) Kerss, the resident
staff biologist, with her spring breeding bird survey this
morning, adhering to proper social distancing at all times. John
and I drove separately, and we were there at the express
invitation of Tara, during this time of coronavirus pandemic. We
visited several San Joaquin Co sites in the lower portions of the
SRA, then headed up Kiln Canyon itself.
We all remarked on the Prius parked at the CHES gate along Corral
Hollow Rd.. Just so this is clear to everyone, parking here and
hopping the gate is absolutely VERBOTEN (forbidden). We ran into
Logan K on his way down the hill, and Tara firmly and politely
reminded him that he should not be there.. We visited briefly
about the birds he had found further up; you can check his eBird
list. Our trio only went as far as “Patella Hill”; best birds were
Golden Eagle and Rufous-crowned Sparrow. Our only hummers were
Anna’s, and the Canyon Wren did not appear. The amount of sage in
the area is much reduced as a result of last summer’s fire in the
canyon.
This unpermitted access has the potential to becoming a real
problem for the SRA. Please, please, please, if you wish to visit
this area, follow the guidelines spelled out in San Joaquin
Audubon’s 2019 updated bird finding guide, Birding in San Joaquin
County. I am cutting and pasting from page 123 (I added the
boldface):
An entrance fee may apply. After passing through the entrance
gate, head east about 1.1 miles along a gravel road to Kiln
Canyon. If you wish to try to walk this canyon (or anywhere else
in this park), you MUST contact the staff biologist
(<Tara.deSilva...> <mailto:<Tara.deSilva...>)
prior to your arrival to arrange for foot traffic. Please be
respectful of her time and work schedule.
NOTE: since publication, Tara has married so her email is
<Tara.Kerss...> <mailto:<Tara.Kerss...>.
John and I may be back at other times this spring, but again, we
will only be there at the SRA’s invitation.
I know we are all going crazy in these days of coronavirus, but if
we all follow the rules, we’ll get through them. We can all look
forward to brighter, freer days ahead.
