INGER COBLE WAS one of the 12 birders walking along the nature trail at Lodi Lake on a recent Wednesday morning, when she spotted a Yellow-rumped warbler peeking through one of the trees. Coble checked it on her binoculars to confirm her sighting and explained that the bird is only spotted in fall and winter seasons.
“If someone says, ‘it’s a warbler in summer,’ something is wrong with them,” Coble chuckled.
Coble drove from Richmond for the bird watching tour at Lodi Lake organized by Mt. Diablo Audubon Society (MDAS), that organizes free monthly tours.
The society’s Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee was formed in 2022 after members of the MDAS board participated in training offered by the National Audubon Society from June 2021 to January 2022.
The organization holds various educational classes and tours for bird enthusiasts of all ages, including the birdwatching tours.
Birders with the Mt. Diablo Audubon Society watch for activity over Lodi Lake from the nature trail on Nov. 15, 2023. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local) 
A group of bird watchers with the Mt. Diablo Audubon Society look for birds at Lodi Lake in Lodi on Nov. 15, 2023. The society organizes field trips to various nature locations several times each month. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local) 
Linda Shinn uses a spotting scope for a close-up look at a red-shouldered hawk at Lodi Lake on Nov. 15, 2023. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local) 
A red-shouldered Hawk sits atop a tree on the nature trail at Lodi Lake on Nov. 15, 2023. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local) 
Birds aren’t the only attraction at Lodi Lake. Visitors spot a fawn strolling through the woods along the nature trail on Nov. 15, 2023. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local) 
Howard Higley uses his binoculars to look for birds at Lodi Lake on Nov. 15, 2023. Higley said he drove out from the South Bay to go bird watching alongside the Mokelumne River. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local) 
A wood duck appears on the screen of a smartphone attached to a spotting scope at Lodi Lake on Nov. 15, 2023. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local) 
Randy Huey, of Oakley, tries to spot a bird using a scope at Lodi Lake in Lodi on Nov. 15, 2023. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local) 
A group of bird watchers with Mt. Diablo Audubon Society look for birds at Lodi Lake on Nov. 15, 2023. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local) 
All eyes are on a bird atop a tree at Lodi Lake on Nov. 15, 2023. Having good optical equipment such as binoculars and spotting scopes aids the task. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local)
As the group walked along the lake, they spotted a list of birds including the red-shouldered hawk, warbler, wood ducks, bushtits and a herd of deer. The highlight of the tour, however, was when the crowd eagerly watched a green heron catch a fish. “That’s some solid breakfast,” a crowd member said. “That’s enough food for two days,” another person joked.
The group then took turns as they watched the bird through a spotting scope as they rooted for the bird to catch the fish.
The group then proceeded to Woodbridge Ecological Reserve to watch Sandhill cranes.
MDAS offers free tours three times a month and more information can be found on the website. The next event will be a field trip from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Nov. 21, to McNabney Marsh at the Mt. View Sanitary Distict near Martinez.
Harika Maddala is a photojournalist based in Stockton covering San Joaquin County for Bay City News Foundation and its nonprofit news site Local News Matters. They are a Report for America corps member and a CatchLight Local Fellow.
