California Condor

Join Robert Snow for a trip to Pinnacles National Park; there’s good chance you will see California Condors. We will meet in the parking lot at the Target located in the Marketplace at El Paseo (Herndon and Golden State Blvd.) at 7:00 am and carpool to the park. The trip will take 2.5 hours of drive time, so we will stop along the way to bird and stretch our legs. Please note that this is a national park, and thus a fee is charged. Bring your National Park Pass, if you have one.  This will be a long day trip, returning around 5 pm, so plan accordingly.

Please register for the trip here so we know how many to expect.

Checklist:  binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, radios

Directions to the meeting place

Pileated Woodpecker by Gary Woods

The Fresno Audubon trip on Wednesday, September 18, will be to Wawona and Mariposa Grove. We will meet at the Target parking lot at Riverpark shopping center at 7:45 am for an 8:00 am departure to Wawona. We will bird in and around the meadow at Wawona, then head to Mariposa Grove. Cars are no longer allowed at Mariposa Grove, so we will take the park shuttle bus from Wawona to the Grove, and carry our food and birding equipment with us. Please note that this is a national park, and thus a fee is charged. Bring your National Park Pass, if you have one.

Please register here so we know how many to expect.

Checklist: binoculars, bird guide, water, sun protection, and lunch.

Leaders: Rachel Clark tanagergirl@gmail.com (515) 357-0122 and Susan Estep estepmail@yahoo.com (402)212-1215

Map to meeting location:

This often overlooked little jewel of a birding site has a large open lake, riparian areas along the Kings River, and oak woodlands. It’s a great place for fall migrants, woodpeckers, nuthatches, sparrows, finches, including Lawrence’s Goldfinch, towhees, and raptors. Early wintering waterfwol may be on the lake,along with possible Common Loons. We’ll meet at 7:45am aat the Walmart parking lot at Ashlan and Blackstone for an 8am departure.

Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, radios

Trip Leader: Larry Parmeter (559)276-8753, lanpar362@gmail.com

Click here for a map to the meeting place

Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, radios

Trip Leader: Kevin Enns-Rempel Kevin.Enns-Rempel@fresno.edu

Directions to the assembly point are here.

We will go visit Cricket Hollow Park along the Kings River in Reedley. This is a very productive area that promises many riparian birds, as well as raptors, towhees, and finches. There is also a trail that goes from the park along the river near Reedley College that is also rich in birds. For FAS it’s a new and somewhat different site that should be exciting and engaging. Meet at 7:45am at the WalMart parking lot.

Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, radios

Trip Leader: Larry Parmeter (559)276-8753, lanpar362@gmail.com

Directions to the assembly point are here.

This trip will take us west of Patterson to a river canyon road that goes from the valley up to the mountain divide with varying altitude and habitat. Lunch will be at Frank Raines Park.

To register for the event, click here.

Meeting location: Target at Herndon and Highway 99
Directions to the meeting place

Secondary meeting location: near I-5 Chevron at Rogers Rd and Sperry Ave on the western outskirts of Patterson.

Directions to secondary meeting location

Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, radios

Trip leader: Clayton Dahlen dahlenmc@yahoo.com (559)593-2367

Sign up for this trip here

Sandhill Cranes by Cecelia Sheeter

Join trip leader Judy Johnson for a different kind of Wednesday Walk. We will visit Merced National Wildlife Refuge late in the day, touring the refuge when the light is best for photography, and then stay for the sandhill crane fly-in. Expect to see thousands of geese and cranes, several species of ducks, tundra swans, pelicans, and numerous raptors. The sandhill crane fly-in at dusk is a magical experience as you watch flight after flight of cooing cranes come to roost. We will meet in front of the River Park Target at 11:45 am for a 12:00 pm departure. We expect to leave the refuge no later than 7:00 pm.

Registration: Please register here.

Checklist: binoculars, spotting scopes, cameras, jackets, snacks, water, insect repellent, and radios.

Trip Leader: Judy Johnson jajohn1@comcast.net, (559)977-2787

Map to meeting place:

Lost Lake CBC Circle

The 2019 Lost Lake Christmas Bird Count (CBC) will take place on Saturday, De­cember 14. We will meet at the Lost Lake Park nature trail parking lot at 7:00 a.m.

The Lost Lake CBC is one of sev­eral hundred counts that will take place in North America and beyond during December and January. These events contrib­ute important bird abundance data to an international database. Over the years this data has provided research­ers with much important informa­tion about the health of bird species in North American and beyond. You can learn more about the Christ­mas Bird Count program at http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count.

The Lost CBC circle (pictured above) includes Lost Lake Park, Millerton Lake State Park, Friant Bridge, grassland areas of southern Madera County, Rank Island, Ball Ranch parts of the McKenzie Table Mountain Preserve, Woodward Park, Jensen River Ranch, Woodward Lakes, Dry Creek Reservoir, and the northern reaches of Fresno/Clovis.

Participants will be divided into small groups, each responsible for counting in a designated area within the count circle. Checklists will be provided, on which numbers of indi­vidual birds and species are marked.

You needn’t be an expert birder to participant in this event. Anyone with a basic knowledge of bird species is encouraged to partici­pate. The more eyes we have in each group, the more birds we are likely to count.

Some groups will be out for the entire day, while others will finish earlier than that. Feel free to join us even if you can only do so for part of the day. Most participants will submit eBird lists of their sightings, but for those who wish to submit paper lists, please meet the compiler (Rachel Clark) at 5:30 p.m. at Denny’s on Blackstone and Herndon. If enough people are interested, we might sit down for a post-count meal.

For more information about this event or to confirm that you will par­ticipate, please contact Rachel Clark at 515-357-0122 or tanagergirl@gmail.com.

Registration: Please also register for the event here.

Map to meeting place: