This year’s Saint Anthony Ranchers’ Birdathon fundraiser was very different. In the past our team gathered in the early morning at Rancho San Antonio and spent four hours listening to and watching 40 to 45 species. It was a delightful time, especially, listening to the spring song of birds in the oak woodlands and chaparral.

The pandemic changed all that. This year our birding was done as a “distributed” event. Team members birded individually or as couples. The choice of date and location was theirs. Enjoy the birds, keep a tally, and report the totals. Ranchers birded close to home or in nearby parks. Our tally is attached.

We missed the camaraderie of sharing each other’s company while listening to and watching the birds. But we did our part for the kids, and that’s what kept us going.

When I compiled the seven tallies, our collective total was 82 species, double what we usually record in Rancho – not surprising considering the much larger area we covered.

Along with the many regulars, two species are noteworthy: Rufous Hummingbird and Wilson’s Snipe. Two birds were seen in all areas: Anna’s Hummingbird and American Crow.

A Spotted Towhee found at Rancho San Antonio by Jim Liskovec

A total of 82 species tallied by the members of the Saint Anthony Ranchers during their April 2020 distributed Birdathon. Heard only birds are not identified. See code at the bottom for members and birding areas. The complete list can be found here.

Thank you for your continued support of the kids through Birdathon.