What you’re seeing in this photo is a wetland being burned to get rid of dead and dying cattail stems to allow for new growth to come in this spring. The site is a Kern County duck club that is working with Audubon California to water its wetlands in the spring and summer to encourage rare Tricolored Blackbirds to breed on this site rather than on nearby farms. Getting the birds to colonize habitat areas such as this is critical to the survival of the species, as birds on farms are under great threat when landowners need to harvest their crops. We’re optimistic that the birds will choose this section of newly grown cattails this spring.