Twain Harte, CA, named Audubon Bird Town

“Find the Birds” guide lists 40+ birds and bird paintings to spot around the High Sierra town.  

The mountain town of Twain Harte, California is now officially an Audubon Bird Town. The designation is the result of a beautification project created by the Central Sierra Audubon Society (CSAS) to highlight Twain Harte's diverse, thriving bird population.

More than 40 individual bird illustrations, all hand painted by local artists, are now posted around town in parks, outside businesses and along walkways.

Bird spotters can track the “Painted” and “Live” birds they encounter with the “Find the Birds” guide, available online at https://centralsierraaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/BROCHURE-AUDUBON-BIRD-TOWN-TWAIN-HARTE.pdf. Printed guides are available at Twain Harte's new Meadows Park. 

Each Bird Town sign depicts a local bird in its actual size, ranging from a five-inch mountain chickadee to a four-foot wild turkey.

“We think this is a great way to create awareness of birds and their names, engage kids and adults alike in a nature hunt, and promote Twain Harte with something that's fun for all ages,” said CSAS President and long-time Twain Harte resident Gail Witzlsteiner.

Witzlsteiner came up with the idea when she started her year as CSAS president and was looking for a club project that would be fun, educational and community centered. The club quickly approved the concept and provided $5,000 to cover initial costs.

Witzlsteiner and her husband, fellow birder David Tozier, got to work. Witzlsteiner mapped out the project, gathered materials and recruited partners, while Tozier designed and built the information sign for the park and prepped and hung bird signs as they were finished.

The Central Sierra Audubon Society Audubon enlisted cooperation from the Twain Harte Chamber of Commerce, Community Services District (CSD) and Mother Lode Art Association, and the project opened in time for Twain Harte's summer season.

Audubon members helped select the birds to feature and added Bird Town information to their webpage.

More than 20 local artists volunteered to paint the metal signs, dozens of local businesses agreed to have the signs installed at their places of business, and the Twain Harte Community Services District approved locating the main display at its new downtown park.

A couple of fourth grade school groups made field trips before school let out, and students were excited to add the “Find a Bird” nature hunt to their activities. Teachers used smart phone apps to identify bird calls, adding to the fun, as kids found dozens of species from ravens and mourning doves to quail and grosbeaks and black phoebes.

Project supporters hope the Audubon Bird Town idea will catch on in other towns and can become something people look for when they travel.

Twain Harte is the perfect location to test the idea, said Visit Tuolumne County President and CEO Lisa Mayo.   

“Bird watching is a large and growing segment of the outdoor travel market,” Mayo said. “This is a great match for people who travel for hiking, fishing and nature. The Bird Town designation is an exciting new asset that we will be proud to include in our promotions.  We see all kinds of possibilities,” she said.

ABOUT CENTRAL SIERRA AUDUBON SOCIETY

Central Sierra Audubon Society is the local chapter of the National Audubon Society. It covers Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, has more than 500 members and hosts numerous field trips and monthly educational programs. The local chapter shares the national Audubon mission: “to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife and their habitats, for the benefit of humanity and the Earth's biodiversity.   Learn more at  centralsierraaudubon.org.

ABOUT VISIT TUOLUMNE COUNTY

Visit Tuolumne (“to-all-o-me”) County (VTC) is the official destination marketing organization for Tuolumne County in Northern California.  Tuolumne County is just a 2.5 hour drive east of the San Francisco Bay Area. The destination is known for its pristine, scenic expanse reaching into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Gold was discovered in Tuolumne County in 1848, setting off the major gold rush of 1849. The main highways leading to the picturesque drive from the Bay Area are Highways 108 and 120 from the west and Highway 49 from the north. The State Highway 120 entrance to Yosemite National Park is considered the “front door” of the park for the Bay Area. The Stanislaus National Forest, Yosemite National Park and other surrounding areas provide natural vistas and settings for hiking, water skiing, horseback riding, rafting, camping, snowmobiling, boating, snow skiing, fishing, and other outdoor activities. Seven restored historic hotels, four golf courses, numerous and varied dining establishments, historic saloons, four wineries, a hard cider distillery, train rides, casinos, seven museums, two state historic parks, two live theaters, many bed-and-breakfast inns and a variety of Airbnb accommodations are among the many other attributes that make the county a year-round vacation destination. For more information, go to www.visittuolumne.com.

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