Enjoy a little armchair birdwatching
Meher Mount
ACORN WOODPECKERS at Meher Mount. (Photo: Juan Mendez)
The birds at Meher Mount are irresistible.
Whether you’re a dedicated bird watcher or a novice, there’s something about being at Meher Mount. You want to grab a pair of binoculars and go see what birds you can find.
HOODED ORIOLE (Male) at Meher Mount. (Photo: Juan Mendez)
And if you’re a photographer, you are always looking for opportunities to capture their beauty on camera.
There are national events – the Great Backyard Bird Count (February) and the Audubon Christmas Bird Count (December) – that also provide a good excuse to do a little bird watching.
For temporary caretakers Robert Turnage and Kristina Somma, the Great Backyard Bird Count and their love for Meher Baba and birding come together naturally.
It’s probably not a coincidence that Meher Baba told His followers during His visit to Meher Mount:
LARK SPARROW. (Photo: Adele Fergusson)
“Now go out and see the view and try to love Baba through nature. This is all due to My Love. This whole creation, all the beauty you see, all came out of me.” [1]
“With a child’s anticipation for Christmas Day, we had been looking forward to the Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count,” remembered former caretakers Ellen Kwiatkowski and Eric Carlson.
“The morning of the count we awoke shortly after first light” to venture out with binoculars, pens, and notebooks in hand.
An Armchair Bird Walk
The art of birdwatching is knowing where to look, what to look for, and when to look. Listening also helps.
The morning of the Christmas Bird Count, Ellen and Eric set out with a plan to visit the different habitats at Meher Mount known to be favored by different species of birds.
Walking along Baba’s Path across the grassy field, they spotted Dark-eyed Juncos scratching along the ground. Near the pool and water tanks, was a pair of Northern Flickers digging for ants.
WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW at Meher Mount. (Photo: Juan Mendez)
There was a Quail covey that sometimes roost in the Toyon as they hide in the cover provided by the lovely, red-berried shrubs.
The Prasad Orchard (the field below Avatar’s Point) is one of Ellen’s and Eric’s favorite winter morning birding places. Its location makes it one of the first places for the California Thrasher to seek the warmth of the morning sun.
COOPERS HAWK at Meher Mount. (Photo: Juan Mendez)
Throughout the day larger, soaring birds come out to play on the wind. Turkey Vultures, Ravens, and Red-tailed Hawks are often seen riding the wind currents in the skies.
“We like to go over to the Darshan Courtyard and sit on Baba’s Tree benches in the late afternoon because sometimes the winds rise through the Ojai Valley carrying Raptors into view at this spot,” explained Ellen and Eric.
Down what is known as the Well Road leading to the old Canyon Well, Great Horned Owls are sometimes watching for prey.
And if you’re listening, you might hear a whistle-like call near the front gate. It could be a small blue-black bird known as Phainopepla. They especially love to eat the mistletoe berries growing in the trees near the entrance.
At night, Robert and Kristina heard the night-time trill of a Western Screech Owl, which they think is misnamed because there is nothing remotely “screechy” in their call.
Part of an International Birding Network
For the Christmas Bird Count 2021, Ellen and Eric observed 26 species of birds. If you’re curious about the species of birds that are often seen at Meher Mount and the Ojai Valley, you can download the Ojai Valley Bird Watchers Guide.
CASSIN’S FINCHES at the bird feeder at Meher Mount. (Photo: Juan Mendez)
During the Great Backyard Bird Count 2023, Robert and Kristina joined a half million bird enthusiasts around the world. In addition to the sheer pleasure of bird watching, they were aiding ornithologists in understanding trends in bird numbers.
Robert reported the numbers daily from February 17th through 20th entering in the exact longitude and latitude coordinates of the bird species seen. This information helps in designing conservation measures both globally and locally.
Meher Mount is on the map of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and a part of the international birding network.
AMERICAN ROBIN at Meher Mount. (Photo: Juan Mendez)
Footnote
[1] Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba, Online Edition, pg. 4067, accessed April 13, 2023. (c) Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust.