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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 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 ... | 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 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... | |||||
| 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 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... | ||||||
| Save the DATE Big Dry Creek Reservoir Grasslands 8:00 am Save the DATE Big Dry Creek Reservoir Grasslands Dec 18 @ 8:00 am – 12:00 pm Save the DATE! Time subject to change. More details and registration link available soon. | ||||||
| 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 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... | ||||||
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
Join a tour of one of the great remnants of the historically bountiful wintering grounds for migratory waterfowl on the Pacific Flyway located in the Bear Creek, Salt Slough, and San Joaquin River floodplain. It hosts a myriad of tree-lined channels, wetlands and native grasslands. There is a good chance of seeing Tundra Swans, several species of geese, numerous species of ducks, raptors, shorebirds, sparrows and many other wetland and grassland species. Along the way we will keep an eye out for the native Tule Elk that once numbered in the millions in the Central Valley. We will stop at the visitors center and view the wildlife and history exhibits before starting the auto-loop drive. This is an all day trip so plan accordingly. We will meet at Target near Herndon and highway 99 at 7:45 am for an 8:00 am departure.
Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, radios
Northern Pintail by Dan Cobb, Merced NWR, 19 November 2019
Meeting location
Pectoral Sandpiper by Gary Woods
Join us for an exciting field trip to the Stevens Ranch in Moss Landing. This unique property was originally purchased by David Packard to stop the development of the northern side of Elkhorn Slough. His son-in-law Robert Stevens continues to run the ranch as a haven for birdlife. Expect to see numerous species of upland birds as well as shorebirds in the multi-thousands.
This is an out of town trip starting at 8:00 am, so you can either stay the night before nearby (Watsonville is the most economical) or leave Fresno at 5:30 am to arrive by 8:00. After birding we will eat lunch and then return home, so expect the day to end around 4:00 pm.
Meeting place for carpooling from Fresno is the Target Parking lot at 6655 N Riverside Dr, Fresno, CA 93722. We will meet at 5:15 am for a 5:30 departure.
Checklist: binoculars, bird guide, water, sun protection and lunch.
Leader: Robert Snow, (650)483-2347, rsnow@fresnoaudubon.org.
Directions to the Stephens Ranch: You can navigate to the Elkhorn Native Plant Nursery (now closed) in Moss Landing, then turn east on Struve road. Proceed towards the former nursery, and you will see the ranch house on your right. The coordinates are Struve Rd, Moss Landing, CA 95039, 36.831258, -121.758357.
Ball Ranch, on the San Joaquin River Parkway, offers various habitats including grasslands, wetlands, ponds, riparian areas and oak groves. Cormorants, ducks, mergansers, grebes, raptors, sparrows, finches, quail, gnatcatchers, woodpeckers and many others can be found there. Occasionally we have found Lewis’s Woodpeckers.
There are no restrooms on this property. We will walk a mile or more on dirt roads, but most of the area can be driven for those who prefer driving. Please meet at Target in the River Park Shopping Center near Highway 41 and East El Paso Ave at 6:45 am. We plan to be finished by noon. The gate to the property must be locked while we are on the property so plan to stay until noon
Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, radios
Green Heron by Clayton Dahlen
Linda Schafhauser will lead this trip through the Madera grasslands and foothills along Rd 26 to Eastman Lake. Expect to see eagles, hawks, shorebirds and owls, and possibly migrating Rufous Hummingbirds if the right trees are in bloom. After lunch at Eastman Lake we will have a chance to walk the numerous trails in the area.
We will bird along the 13 mile driving route to Eastman Lake. The return to Madera route may include sections of unpaved road. Return to Madera AmTrak Station approximately 2pm. The car caravan will pull off the road, in safe places, to bird on route and in the park. There may be short trail walks. Spring migration can bring a variety of ducks and shorebirds such as the long billed Dowitcher, Greater Yellowlegs, American Widgeon, Buffleheads and Northern Shovelers. There have been recent sightings of Common Mergansers sharing the creek flowing out of Eastman, with Cinnamon Teal. Two Swainson’s Hawks and a Loggerhead Shrike often greet drivers as they near the park, while Bald and Golden Eagles make appearances soaring over the adjacent hills. Sightings, but more often calls in a rocky campground area include wild turkeys and California Quail. The resident campground Roadrunner can sometimes be seen standing camouflaged among the rocks. Scanning the lake may provide views of gulls and cormorants. More common Western Meadowlarks, California Scrub Jays, Red-Tailed Hawks, Ravens and Crows line the grasslands and trees. Lunch will be in a picnic area within a walking view of the lake. After lunch, for those interested, the return route to Madera Amtrak Station may include (condition permitting) birding along a short section of unpaved road along a grassland and orchard.
We will meet at the Amtrak station in Madera (18770 Rd 26, Madera, CA 93638) at 8:15 for an 8:30 departure.
Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, hat, radios
Trip Leader: Lynda Schafhauser rufusradar@me.com (559)474-0651
Please register for the event here.
Map to meeting location:
Join us for a trip to the beautiful and important Audubon Kern River Preserve and Lake Isabella. We will begin birding at 7:00 am on Saturday, so it is best to leave Friday and spend the night in Kernville. Accommodations in Kernville can be found online (e.g. here). To learn more about the preserve click here. A map of the trails on the preserve is found here. A list of winter birds can be found here.
Please register for the event here.
We will meet at the preserve headquarters at 7:00 am on Saturday 14 March. A map to the headquarters is here:
Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, radios
Trip Leader: Robert Snow, (650)483-2347, rsnow@fresnoaudubon.org
Marsh Wren by Larry Cusick
River West is several hundred acres of grasslands, riparian areas, ponds, bluffs and river habitats. The walk is mostly level but we may walk as much as 3 miles on dirt trails and through wet grass. Those who don’t want to walk the entire property can bird a smaller area. We are not able to drive this property. Because the trail gate is open all day, participants are able to leave early. This is the area where we saw the Vermillion Flycatcher several years ago. He hasn’t been spotted this year, but there are lots of good birds in the ponds and river habitat. It’s not unusual to record more than 50 species this time of year. Possible sightings included American Bittern, Virginia Rail, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Ruby-crowned kinglets, Sparrows, Northern Harriers, White-tailed Kites to name a few. We will also be able to see the habitat restoration that the SJR Parkway and Conservation Trust has been working on for the past few years. We will meet outside the gate at the intersection of W Riverview Dr and W Bluff Ave at 8:00am. There is plenty of on street parking in this area. There is a port-a-potty available on the premises. We plan on finishing by 11:30 am. Register for this walk here
Kearney Park, which was originally the estate of Martin Kearney, a land developer and agricultural promoter in the late 1800s, was once owned by the University of California, and is now a Fresno County park. Kearney Park is good for sparrows, nuthatches, wrens, woodpeckers and sapsuckers, and finches among many other birds. Spring migrants such as flycatchers, tanagers, and warblers can be seen at the park. Kearney Park is also one of the few places in the Fresno area where Yellow-billed Magpies can be seen. Owls are sometimes found at the park, as are nighthawks. Wear walking shoes and warm clothes; early April mornings in the country can be cool. Bring a lunch. There is a $5 entrance fee. Register for this walk here
Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, radios
Trip Leader: Larry Parmeter lanpar362@gmail.com (559)288-3456
The Kearney Park entrance location is here
Map to meeting location:
Gray Flycatcher by Gary Woods
Join us for a trip to the San Joaquin Experimental Range (SJER) with Rebecca Ozeran from UC Cooperative Extension. The SJER is a US Forest Service research area and active cattle ranch in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. This property has restricted access so this is a great opportunity for Fresno Audubon. We may see Gray Flycatchers and Western Bluebirds, as well as a variety of sparrows and Lewis’s Woodpeckers. We will meet at 7:15am for a 7:30am departure at the UC Cooperative Extension parking lot, 550 E. Shaw Ave., Fresno.
There will be restrooms available. The terrain is sometimes rocky and sloping, so it’s not a good site for people with limited mobility.
Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, radios
Trip Leader: Rebecca Ozeran (livestock and natural resources advisor). Please contact Susan Estep estepmail@yahoo.com (402)212-1215 with any questions.
Please register for the trip here. Registration is limited to 25 people.
Map to meeting location:
Join Fresno Audubon Society for a birding hike on the McKenzie Preserve. Explore local birds during spring migration.
This is a Sierra Foothill conservancy event staffed by Fresno Audubon Society. Cost is FREE but you must register here: https://sierrafoothill.org/event/birding-on-the-mckenzie-3/?instance_id=411.