Welcome, friends and fellow birders, to the fall season with the Tehachapi Mountains Birding Club.

I have received many phone calls and emails from all of you this summer, asking about the Hoot and the annual meeting of the club. In this trying economy I have had to put my nose to the grindstone and keep my income up: as we all have. The TMBC by-laws state that all officers in the club are elected for two-year terms, so an annual elections meeting was unnecessary. I know you were all looking forward to the summer soiree on Esten Mountain, but my schedule simply dictated that we couldn’t do it this year. Now that things are slowing down with our schedule, Chris and I are planning a gathering on the deck and will keep you informed when we set the date.

In the meantime, Jon and I have been working hard planning our speakers and meetings, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy the results. But to keep bringing you exciting meetings and tons of new information, we need to be sure that everyone is up-to-date on their membership dues. Dues collected go to pay for the rent at the beautiful BeeKay Theatre; honorariums that we pay for every guest; and liability insurance (our highest expense) to cover us at our field trips and other club gatherings, including the Audubon Christmas Bird Count.

Dear Friends,

Those of you who watched "Hummingbirds! Beauty and the Beast" at the January meeting were treated to the sights and sounds of the Juan Fernandez Firecrown, a critically-endangered hummingbird found only on the Chile's Isla Robinson Crusoe, which is home to about 700 persons.

The tsunami generated by Chile's recent 8.8 magnitude earthquake smashed the only community on this tiny, 37-sq. mi. island some 435 miles west of Valparairso, a fishing village named San Juan Bautista. Gone are many homes, businesses and government facilities, including the school in which you saw children singing of the "Picaflor de Juan Fernandez." Very few families there have the resources to rebuild.

A channel for donations has been created by Peter Hodum, who for many years has conducted ornithological research on the island as well as the mainland. Hodum says:

The community, in which I have many close friends, is going to need considerable help and support. We have set up a charitable fund through our Oikonos website to accept donations for the community. 100% of all donations will go directly to benefit the Juan Fernandez community.

The link is: www.oikonos.org

This is a user-friendly web site that makes it easy to donate. Oikonos is a 5.0.1.c3, which means that any funds you give are tax deductible.

To see photos of the settlement before and after the tsunami, you can visit the link below or search for Isla Robinson Crusoe on the net. Here is the link to the aforementioned photos: www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-414459

I urge you to consider donating to this cause. These folks are really hurting and truly need your help.

Tom Kaminski
Avian Video Center
104 Aspen Way
Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274
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www.avianvideocenter.com