| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Field Trip to River West Madera 8:00 am Field Trip to River West Madera @ River West Madera Mar 6 @ 8:00 am – 12:30 pm Field Trip to River West Madera Wednesday March 6, 2024 Register here! We will meet at 8:00 a.m. just outside the Valley Golf Center (which is south and down the hill from Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera County). The walk will mostly follow along... | Elkhorn Slough, March 9, 2024 (Event is full) 1:15 pm Elkhorn Slough, March 9, 2024 (Event is full) @ Elkhorn Slough Mar 9 @ 1:15 pm – 4:15 pm  Event is full. If you would like to be placed on a waiting list, please send an email to admin@fresnoaudubon.org with the subject line- Elkhorn Waiting List. When: Saturday, March 9, 2024 Time: 1:15 on the Private Chartered Boat (22 people) Cost: $40... | |||||
| Clovis Botanical Gardens: Dry Creek Park and Cottonwood Park March 2024 9:00 am Clovis Botanical Gardens: Dry Creek Park and Cottonwood Park March 2024 @ Clovis Botanical Gardens Mar 23 @ 9:00 am – 10:30 am Clovis Botanical Garden: Dry Creek Park and Cottonwood Park Register Here The Fresno Audubon Society will be hosting a Bird Walk on Saturday March 23, at the Clovis Botanical Gardens. The walk will include the Botanical Gardens, Dry Creek Park as well as Cottonwood Park... | ||||||
| Lake Yosemite in Merced March 27, 2024 Updated 9:00 am Lake Yosemite in Merced March 27, 2024 Updated @ Lake Yosemite Mar 27 @ 9:00 am – 1:00 pm The Fresno Audubon Society Wednesday Walk to Lake Yosemite in Merced will be on March 27. Registration is required for this event. Register Here Bring lunch and be prepared for cool to warm weather, with possibility of rain. The Lake Yosemite website shows an... | ||||||
Wednesday Bird Walk at Sycamore Island
Registration is required for this event.
Meeting location: Sycamore Island (36.8590560, -119.8230324)
Meeting time: 8:00 AM
End time: Noon, or you may stay and have lunch with the group
Sycamore Island, part of the San Joaquin River Parkway, is along the San Joaquin River in Madera County downstream from River West open space. It offers a variety of habitats: river, ponds, riparian, grasslands, and wetlands. We can expect ducks, raptors, herons, egrets, owls. woodpeckers, finches, swallows, sparrows among many others.
This is a large property and we will do a combination of driving and walking. Walking distance will be 1 to 2 miles but those who don’t care to walk can drive to most of the areas. There are picnic shelters with tables for lunch and restrooms on the property.
Participants should bring snacks, lunch (if desired), water, hat, sunscreen, and binoculars, and should dress in layers.
Registration is required for this event. If you have any questions, please reach out to trip leader at 559.351.7192 or geofolsom@gmail.com
The Raptor Trail on The Kings River at Pine Flat Dam
Registration is required for this event.
Join FAS for birding along the Kings River. The trail begins across from the parking lot on the south side of the bridge just below Pine Flat Dam. The trail is basically an easy walk of approximately a mile and a quarter each way, but there is some uneven terrain and river rocks create a cobblestone surface in parts. Some of our target species include Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, and Osprey.
Meet in the parking lot at the south side of the bridge. If you want to look for directions from the eBird map, the Raptor Trail is just across the river from the North Riverside Access Park eBird Hotspot. GPS Coordinates 36.8298592686927, -119.33621274737327.
Participants should bring snacks, lunch (if desired), water, hat, sunscreen, and binoculars, and should dress in layers. Registration is required for this event. If you have any questions, please reach out to the trip leader.
Contact:
Susan Heidebrecht
(559) 313-1777
email: sunheidebrecht@comcast.net
Registration link
Evening Owl Walk at Jensen River Ranch
Event 1 (There will be 2 owl walks in April)
Registration is required for this event.
Join FAS for an evening Owl Walk on the Jensen Trail. We plan to start close to sunset to be on the Jensen Trail at dusk when the Great Horned owls and Barn owls come out to hunt. The outing should take about 1 1/2 hours. We will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot adjacent to the Art of Life Healing Garden in Woodward Park.
The $5.00 City entrance fee applies if you park in Woodward Park. Alternative parking may be available in the Fort Washington Shopping Center.
Registration is required for this event. Any questions, please contact trip leader Susan Heidebrecht at sunheidebrecht@comcast.net.
Registration link
Evening Owl Walk at Jensen River Ranch
Event 2 (There will be 2 owl walks in April)
Registration is required for this event.
Registration link
Join FAS for an evening Owl Walk on the Jensen Trail. We plan to start close to sunset to be on the Jensen Trail at dusk when the Great Horned owls and Barn owls come out to hunt. The outing should take about 1 1/2 hours. We will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot adjacent to the Art of Life Healing Garden in Woodward Park.
The $5.00 City entrance fee applies if you park in Woodward Park. Alternative parking may be available in the Fort Washington Shopping Center.
Registration is required for this event. Any questions, please contact trip leader Susan Heidebrecht at sunheidebrecht@comcast.net.
Registration link
Birding at the Ruth Mckenzie Preserve
Registration is required for this event.
Registration link
MCKENZIE PRESERVE BIRDING
HIKE DATE: April 24, 2024
HIKE START: Please arrive by 7:15AM for a 7:30AM start.
HIKE END: 12:30
NOTE: The Preserve is closed to the public and the entrance gate will be locked during the outing. Therefore, late arrivals will not be able to join the hike and early departure will not be possible except in case of emergency.
Join John McDaniel and Gary Woods of Fresno Audubon Society (FAS) for birding on the McKenzie Preserve to observe resident and migrant foothill birds. Please arrive no later than 7:15 so the walk can proceed from the parking lot by the corrals at 7:30am. This is a relatively easy walk of about 2 miles from the corrals to the waterfall/spring and back. FAS will provide binoculars if you need them, and a spotting scope will also be available.
McKenzie Preserve is the best chance for you to see a Gray Flycatcher out of all the SFC preserves in Fresno County and they mostly come through the foothills in migration between April 20-30. Bring a hat, sunscreen, water, binoculars (if you have them), bird guide and snacks/lunch.
Directions to the Ruth McKenzie Table Mountain Preserve
From Fresno, take Freeway 41 north. Exit at Friant Road and turn right at the bottom of the off-ramp. Take Friant Road to the town of Friant. You will see Friant Dam ahead of you. Follow Friant Road uphill, past the dam. At this point, Friant Road bends to the right and changes its name to Millerton Road. Stay on Millerton Road for 5 or 6 miles until you come to a stop sign at Auberry Road.
At Auberry Road you will see a gas station on your left. Using the gas station as your benchmark, note your mileage and turn left. Go slightly over 3 miles on Auberry Road. You will see some table mountain formations ahead. When you reach the 3 mile mark, slow down and turn left onto the preserve property.
The entrance to the preserve is on the left, where you will see a large corral and a gate. Drive in at the gate and park in the parking area.
Birding at Roeding Park
Registration is required for this event.
Join trip leader Maureen Walsh for birding at Roeding Park. We will start at Lake Washington where we will see Wood ducks among other waterfowl in the lake and see the Cattle egret, Black-crowned night herons, and Double-crested cormorants in the rookery on the island. There are hundreds of birds nesting in the rookery. Then we will walk other areas of the park to see a variety of woodpeckers, raptors, warblers, etc.
We will meet at the parking lot in front of the zoo, across from Lake Washington. There is a $5.00 entry fee to the park and a new automated parking system.
If you wish to bring lunch, there are plenty of picnic tables available for eating and calculating our bird count.
Participants should bring snacks, lunch (if desired), water, hat, sunscreen, and binoculars, and should dress in layers. Registration is required for this event. If you have any questions, please reach out to trip leader Maureen Walsh at mewnew10@yahoo.com or (559) 706-4980.
Registration is required.
On Wednesday, May 1, Fresno Audubon will travel to Laton to visit Laton-Kingston Park along the Kings River. This trip was first scheduled for Spring 2020, then had to be cancelled twice due to the Covid Pandemic. Now, it’s finally a go. This 102-acre park is located along the Kings River in the town of Laton. In and around this riverine habitat, our target species will include Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Western Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, Bullock’s Oriole, Lazuli Bunting, Bewick’s Wren, and many other Central Valley species. We will also look for migrating warblers.
We will meet in the Walmart parking lot on Blackstone and Ashlan and leave no later than 7:30AM. As there is a $5/vehicle to enter Laton-Kingston Park, we will carpool as much as possible. Participants are responsible for making their own carpool arrangements beforehand. This trip is expected to last until approximately 1:00 PM.
Please be sure to bring binoculars, a hat, sunscreen, lunch, snacks, and water.
Please reach out to trip leader Larry Parmeter at lanpar362@gmail.com, or at 559-288-3456 with any questions.
Map to meeting location:
Registration is required.
Cancelled due to high winds in the area.
Weekend field trip: Kern County Spring Migration – America’s late April/early May Birdiest Inland County contest winner 7 years in a row!
Leaders: Penny Stewart (559) 978-7182, and Bob Barnes (760) 382-1260
For multiple reasons this trip will be limited to 14 people including leaders.
Event is currently full. Email admin@fresnoaudubon.org if you would like to know if there are any cancelations.
Saturday: meet and depart from Ridgecrest Econo Lodge parking lot, at 5:30. A secondary meeting spot, (for those not staying in Ridgecrest), will be 6:10 at Jawbone Station Visitor Center.
Meeting Place: Econo Lodge Inn, Ridgecrest, CA
Secondary Meeting Place:
This is located at the entrance to Jawbone Canyon Rd, just off Hwy 14. From here we will head to Butterbredt Spring, (part of the designated Souther Sierra Globally Important Bird Area (IBA). This spring is an excellent migrant hot spot, and may have vagrants this time of year. The drive is approximately 6 miles paved, and 6 miles of dirt road, from Jawbone Canyon Rd entrance.
After spending the morning and lunch at the spring, we will continue on a loop, traveling through Joshua tree habitat, toward the Kern River Preserve. This is an extensive Riparian corridor, and is one of the first ten Globally Important Bird Areas designated in the United States.We return to Ridgecrest for dinner via 178.
Sunday: Meets and departs at the same location and time as Saturday. We will bird along Hwy 178 for some higher elevation areas, and to various Kern River Valley locations missed Saturday. Expect to have lunch in the field again, and bird till about 3:00. We can leave for home from the Kern Valley area.
Friday option: Meet Bob Barnes at City Park parking lot, in California City at 11:00. Here we will look for migrants, and eat lunch. Second meeting will be at 3:00 at the Ridgecrest Walmart parking lot. Go to the corner nearest to Panda Express. This is on E. Bowman Rd. Bob Barnes will take us to some local spots for desert birds we may not see during the main trip, as well as migrants.
Recommendations:
Participants arrive Friday night, as we will start early Saturday. Bring lunches (all lunches will be in the field) snacks, sun screen, insect repellent, a hat, and lots of water (with a way to carry water on the trail). s The desert can be very cold in the morning and very hot in the afternoon. Bringing gloves and a warm cap is not unrealistic. If able, carpooling from Fresno will be helpful as we will not be returning to some of the meeting spots. No cars with particularly low ground clearance. We encourage people to stay at Econo Lodge as they will serve us breakfast at 5AM, allowing for early departure. This will also allow carpooling for Saturday. When booking a room, mention that you are part of the Fresno Audubon birdwatching group. If we book 7 rooms we can get a discount.
Target birds: Chukar, Costa’s Hummingbird, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Cassin’s Kingbird, Pinyon Jay, Verdin, Cactus Wren, Black Throated Sparrow, Scott’s Oreole, Summer Tannager, Spring Migrants, and possible eastern vagrants.
Bob Barns is a well known leader in the birding community. His list of conservation projects along with community building is so extensive that I cannot list all here. He has resided on the Kern River Preserve where he was the president of the Kern River Valley revitalization project, and co founded the Southern Sierra Research Station, amongst many other positions. He currently resides in Ridgecrest, and is an expert in the Kern County area.
Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, radios
Lost Lake Audubon Field Trip Wednesday May 18th
Registration is required for this event.
Registration closes 24 hours before the event or when full.
Registration link
Location: Lost Lake , Fresno County Park
Lost Lake Rd, Friant, CA 93626
Date and Meeting time: 8:00 am, May 18th
Meeting location in park: Audubon Trailhead at the west end (down stream end) of the park. There is a small parking area at the trailhead, and a larger one a few hundred yards further into the park.
Duration of walk: 8:00 am – 11 am
Special instructions: the park entrance fee is usually enforced. Fee is $5. Please follow instructions at the entry kiosk if there is no attendant at the kiosk.
What to bring: Binoculars, check weather report for comfortable clothing, (this is the month of March, almost any weather is possible), walking shoes, sunscreen / hat, water, snacks ( or lunch if staying beyond noon), free downloads of Audubon and/or Merlin Apps are very useful, western bird identification field guides are also useful. Be advised , there may be insects such as mosquitos, gnats etc.
Walk Description: walking on mostly flat park grass, or on paved park road, from west ( at the trailhead) to east ( toward Friant Dam and the park campground). We will bird river, river lined grass/ shrub and oak tree habitat, and on the upper road the grassland leading into the park, using binoculars but also using the Merlin Sound ID app as an enhanced identification tool. In the park, there are picnic benches for rest stops, and the restrooms are usually open.
Possible birds: Egrets (several species), Cedar Waxwing, Hawks (several species) Varied Thrush, Bald Eagle, Common Merganser , Acorn Woodpecker, Canada Goose, Ring- necked Duck, Anna’s Hummingbird, Great Blue Heron, Wood Duck, Phainopepla, Black Phoebe, and many others.
Other possible sightings…Coyotes, Bobcats…on the other side of the river.
Registration is required for this walk.
Hard Rain or flooding cancels this walk.
Trip Leader: Rick Grijalva
Contact information:
Email: rickgrijalva2@gmail.com
Registration link
Wednesday Walk – Balsam Meadows Snow-Park and Forebay
Registration is required.
Registration closes 24 hours before the event or when full.
George Folsom will lead this trip to Balsam Meadows Snow-Park and Forebay on Southern California Edison Company property, just off Highway168, nine miles above Shaver Lake. The elevation is 6,500 feet. We will be walking a loop trail of about 2 miles with very little elevation change. Parts of this area were burned in the Creek Fire leaving a mixture of burned and unburned habitats.
There are restrooms at the parking lot and at the Forebay, about halfway through our walk. Parking is available at the Snow-Park just off Highway168 on the left as you pass the sign.
We can expect woodpeckers, raptors, finches, warblers, swifts, sparrows among may others.
Participants should bring snacks, lunch (if desired), water, hat, sunscreen, and binoculars, and should dress in layers. We will meet at Walmart, Ashlan and Blackstone, at 7:45 for an 8:00 AM departure. For those driving directly to Balsam Meadows we should be there by 9:30.
Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat.
Trip Leader: George Folsom georgefolsom@icloud.com (559)351-7192
Map to Fresno meeting location, 7:45 AM
Map to Balsam Meadows Sno-Park, 9:30 AM
Registration is required.