Piedmont is one popular nest. A nest for birds, that is.

With the annual Birdhouse Gala on May 20 and the annual Bird Calling Contest on May 24, chirps filled the air, from Magnolia to Hillside.

The Bird Calling Contest was founded in 1963 by Leonard Waxdeck, a teacher at Piedmont High School, to help bring more entertainment to the community.

“We like [the Bird Calling Contest] because it makes us unique and quirky,” said science teacher Andrew Willats, who remembers watching the Piedmont bird callers on the old Johnny Carson Show. “There are lots of schools that have skit shows that are not as well attended, but this has become a tradition and something that Piedmont High School has become known for.”

Willats said that the competition is helping to bring more attention to different bird species, especially since the bird population is rapidly decreasing due to environmental changes.

“There are a lot more [bird species] out there than we are aware of and students picking oddball birds from here and there just makes people more aware of the diversity,” Willats said.

Sophomores Maya Guzdar and Kay Sibal won the event for their portrayal of the Willow Ptarmigan. Sophomores Anna Campbell and Ko Narter were awarded second place for their Northern Pintail call and seniors Katie St. Claire, Drew Collins and Laine Ratzer came in third for their take on the Snowy Egret.

Another Piedmont tradition that has taken nest in the community is the PAINTS Birdhouse Gala. The event, partially inspired by the Bird Calling Contest, originally started in 2002 but in 2006 became more fundraiser for arts education, said PAINTS Board President Hilary Davis.

“[The bridhouses] are more an [artistic] concept, not necessarily a real utilitarian birdhouse,” Davis said.

The biggest sculpture they had this year was a 14 foot birdhouse in the shape of a lightning bolt, that the artist called “A Flash of Inspiration for the Arts.”

Just like trying to spot lightning, observing bird calls requires a lot of attention. Junior Alisha Lewis was able to learn about different calls when she attended a four hour bird language event at the Lake Merritt Nature Rotary Club.

“I learned the difference between alert calls and territorial calls and how different species communicate,” Lewis said.

Similarly to Lewis, Willats began learning how to differentiate birds in high school. He said that he finds birds interesting because of their behavior, songs, distinctive traits and how they can be found all over the world.

“For me personally, I like identifying them because I like focusing on what makes them different from each other,” Willats said. “It is a way of focusing on a piece of nature, which forces you to notice more.”

A couple years ago, Willats tried to teach his AP Environmental Science class how to differentiate birds, but said that bird watching can be unpredictable and requires certain equipment. He still wants his students to learn about certain aspects of nature, so instead he teaches them different tree species.

“I always give them the example of the high school,” Willats said. “If you just walk into our high school and do not know anybody, you don’t understand the ecosystem here and the various niches that the students and teachers fill. But once you know people and recognize people, you see relationships being built and broken apart and you see people occupying different roles in our student community here.”

Lewis also said just being in nature and soaking in all the bird calls can be really relaxing

“I would love to have a group of students interested in going out on a weekend to look for birds,” Willats said.