EVENT CALENDAR - Fresno Audubon Society
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
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Field Trip to River West Madera 8:00 am
Field Trip to River West Madera @ River West Madera
Dec 4 @ 8:00 am – 12:30 pm
Field Trip to River West Madera @ River West Madera
Field Trip to River West Madera Wednesday December 4, 2024 REGISTRATION Link    All participants must agree to the FAS Liability Waiver Form when they register. Use the QR code below or the form can also be found here River West Madera December 4, 2024 ...
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7
Saturday Field Trip – Merced Grasslands & Merced NWR 6:45 am
Saturday Field Trip – Merced Grasslands & Merced NWR
Dec 7 @ 6:45 am – 5:45 pm
Saturday Field Trip - Merced Grasslands & Merced NWR
Saturday Field Trip – Merced Grasslands & Merced NWR Registration required for all FAS field trips. All participants must agree to the FAS Liability Waiver Form when they register. Use the QR code below or the form can also be found here Registration for this...
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11
Merced Wildlife Refuge  (off Sandy Mush Rd) Location Change 10:00 am
Merced Wildlife Refuge  (off Sandy Mush Rd) Location Change @ Merced Wildlife Refuge
Dec 11 @ 10:00 am – 3:30 pm
Merced Wildlife Refuge  (off Sandy Mush Rd) Location Change @ Merced Wildlife Refuge
Audubon Field Trip to Merced Wildlife Refuge Location changed from Eastman OR Hensley (TBD) due to lack of birds in this location. All participants must agree to the FAS Liability Waiver Form when they register. Use the QR code below or the form can also...
12
13
14
Lost Lake Christmas Bird Count 2024
Lost Lake Christmas Bird Count 2024
Dec 14 all-day
Lost Lake Christmas Bird Count 2024
Lost Lake Christmas Bird Count Details Subject to Change.   On Saturday, December 14, 2024, Fresno Audubon will be hosting the annual Lost Lake Christmas Bird Count, which covers sections of both Fresno and Madera Counties. Participants will be assigned to particular sections, and will...
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Field Trip to River West Open Space 8:00 am
Field Trip to River West Open Space @ River West Open Space
Dec 28 @ 8:00 am – 12:30 pm
Field Trip to River West Open Space @ River West Open Space
Field Trip to River West Open Space Saturday, December 28, 2024 Event Details Subject to Change All participants must agree to the FAS Liability Waiver Form when they register. Use the QR code below or the form can also be found here Register here! Join...
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Oct
23
Wed
2019
Wednesday Walk – Cricket Hollow/Kings River
Oct 23 @ 7:45 am – 1:00 pm

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.

Nov
6
Wed
2019
Wednesday Walk – Del Puerto Rd
Nov 6 @ 7:45 am – 2:00 pm

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

Nov
16
Sat
2019
Saturday Walk – Panoche Valley @ Panoche Valley Walk meeting place
Nov 16 @ 6:45 am – 5:00 pm
Join Fresno Audubon on Saturday, November 16 on a day trip to Panoche Valley. Panoche Valley is a highly renowned Important Bird Area located in San Benito County, West of the I5. This remote, sparsely populated region contains grasslands interspersed with chaparral, oak-covered ridges, and dry washes with intermittent water. Species likely to be seen include Golden Eagle, Ferruginous Hawk, Northern Harrier, Prairie Falcon, Burrowing Owl, Greater Roadrunner, Mountain Plover, Long-billed Curlew, Loggerhead Shrike, California Thrasher, Bell’s Sparrow, and many others. This is a trip you do not want to miss! Participants will meet at 6:45 AM in the parking lot of the Walmart Supercenter on Blackstone and Ashlan Avenues for a 7:00 AM departure. The trip will last until approximately 4:30 or 5:00 PM. Please be sure to bring binoculars, lunch, snacks, plenty of water, hats, sunscreen, and layered clothing. For more information, please feel free to reach out to trip leader Rachel Clark at 515-357-0122 or tanagergirl@gmail.com.

Sign up for this trip here

Nov
19
Tue
2019
Tuesday Walk – Ball Ranch
Nov 19 @ 7:45 am – 12:00 pm

Lewis’s Woodpecker by Gary Woods

NOTE DAY CHANGE!!!     19 November  is Tuesday 
Ball Ranch is on the San Joaquin River Parkway between Friant Rd and the San Joaquin River downstream from Lost Lake. Habitats include grasslands, oak woodlands, ponds, wetlands and riparian.  Please meet at the River Center at 11605 N Old Friant Rd, Fresno CA at 7:45 AM for an 8:00 AM departure and carpool to Ball Ranch. We will drive part of the property and may walk about a mile but you may bird around the parking areas if you prefer. There are no restrooms or picnic tables on this property.  We plan to finish by noon and have lunch at the River Center.
Lewis’s Woodpeckers have been observed on this property along with other woodpecker species. Hawks, eagles, ducks, herons, egrets, sparrows, wrens, thrushes, gulls, grebes and many more may be seen on this outing.
Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, radios
Dec
4
Wed
2019
Wednesday Walk – Merced NWR
Dec 4 @ 11:45 am – 8:00 pm

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:

Dec
14
Sat
2019
Lost Lake Christmas Bird Count 2019
Dec 14 @ 7:00 am – 5:00 pm

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:

Dec
18
Wed
2019
Wednesday Walk – Sycamore Island
Dec 18 @ 7:45 am – 1:00 pm

Swainson’s Hawk by Nina Jones

Sycamore Island in Madera County, just across the river from Fresno, has excellent bird habitat.  Uplands, wetlands, ponds, riparian areas and oak groves are found on this preserve of several hundred acres. It is a part of the San Joaquin River Parkway. Cormorants, ducks, mergansers, grebes, raptors, sparrows, finches, quail, gnatcatchers, and many others can be found there.

There are restrooms and picnic tables on this property. We will walk a mile or more on dirt roads, but most of the area is drivable for those who prefer driving. We will meet at the gate to the property. The gate to the property automatically opens when you exit so those who want to leave early can do so. Take H-41 to Children’s Blvd off-ramp north of the San Joaquin River and drive past Children’s Hospital as it becomes Ave 9. Continue on Ave 9 to Rd 40 and turn left. Rd 40 will end at Ave 7 1/2. Go right on 7 1/2 for a few hundred feet, turn left at an open gate and drive toward the river. You will come to another gate where we will assemble.

Registration: Please register for the field trip here.

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

Trip leader: George Folsom geofolsom@gmail.com, (559)351-7192

 

Jan
8
Wed
2020
Wednesday Walk – Northwest Millerton Lake
Jan 8 @ 7:45 am – 2:00 pm

Please join Fresno Audubon on Wednesday, January 8 as we explore the Madera County side of Millerton Lake State Recreation Area. With its array of habitat types, this locally renowned birding destination is an excellent place to find such species as Western Grebe, Clark’s Grebe, Bald Eagle, California Gull, California Quail, Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Canyon Wren, Rock Wren, and so many more! As there is a $10 day-use fee per vehicle to enter Millerton Lake SRA, we will be carpooling as much as possible to reduce costs. Once inside the gates, we will drive along the road, stopping at turn-outs and campgrounds to explore the habitat (these will be very short hikes). Once we have finished birding at Millerton Lake, if there is interest and time, we will head to another local birding hot-spot: Road 208 between Highway 41 and Road 211. Road 208 boasts open grassland and oak savannah habitats, and is a great place to find Ferruginous Hawk, Golden Eagle, American Kestrel, Acorn Woodpecker, Western Meadowlark, American Pipit, Vesper Sparrow, and too many others to list! This field trip should last until approximately 2:00 PM. Be sure to dress in layered clothing, and to bring a hat, sunscreen (just in case), water, snacks, and a lunch. Please meet at 7:45 AM in the Walmart parking lot on Blackstone and Ashlan.

Register for this trip is here

Directrions to the assembly point are here

Trip leader: Rachel Clark, 515-357-0122, tanagergirl@gmail.com

Nuttall’s Woodpecker by Larry Cusick

Jan
11
Sat
2020
Saturday Walk – Madera Grasslands
Jan 11 @ 6:45 am – 5:45 pm

Jeff Seay will lead this trip through the Merced Grasslands Important Bird Area finishing at Merced National Wildlife Refuge. Meet at that Walmart parking lot at Ashlan and Blackstone at 6:45 am for a 7 am departure. The trip will cover the Madera County’s foothill Grasslands on the way to the Merced Wildlife Refuge. We expect to see wintering raptors and other birds of the low foothills and grasslands. We will mostly be driving and getting out of the car periodically with possible small walks. At the end of the trip we will enjoy the spectacle of sandhill cranes, snow and Ross’s geese, and other waterfowl. It will last most of the day, ending about 5:45 at the refuge.

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

Registration for this trip is here.

Directions to the assembly point are here.

Trip leader: Jeff Seay, ‭(559) 960-0849‬, jeffseay@sbcglobal.net

 

Jan
22
Wed
2020
Wednesday Walk – Clovis Urban Birding
Jan 22 @ 8:30 am – 1:00 pm

Join Larry Parmeter for a morning of urban birding in Clovis. We will meet at the parking lot of the Clovis Botanical Garden, on Clovis Avenue just north of Alluvial Avenue, at 8:30 am, and will bird the Garden and the Dry Creek Park area around it. Then we will go across the street to the ponding basins to the east of Dry Creek, along Alluvial Ave. Finally, we will head back to the intersection of Clovis and Alluvial and check out Cottonwood Park. Lots of waterfowl in the winter, riperian and woodland birds, hawks and even occasional Bald Eagles show up here. We often don’t think of the great birding areas in our own backyards, and we have many such areas right in the middle of the Fresno-Clovis area.

Registration for this trip is here

Directions to the assembly point are here

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

Trip Leader: Larry Parmeter, lanpar362@gmail.com, (559)288-3456