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...
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Introduction to Birding Saturday Dec. 21, 2024 9:00 am
Introduction to Birding Saturday Dec. 21, 2024 @ River Center
Dec 21 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Introduction to Birding Saturday Dec. 21, 2024 @ River Center
Introduction to Birding at the River Center 11605 Old Friant Rd Fresno, CA 93730     Registration link  All registrants must agree to the FAS Liability Waiver Form when they register. Use the QR code below or the form can also be found here Description...
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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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Jun
15
Sat
2024
Saturday Field Trip – Morro Bay June 15, 2024 @ Walmart
Jun 15 @ 5:30 am – 4:00 pm

Long-billed Curlew by Rachel Clark

Registration is required for this event for each participant.

Registration closes 24 hours before the event or when full.

Event is full if you want to be added to the wait list email admin@fresnoaudubon.org.

 

Please join Fresno Audubon on Saturday, June 15 as we escape the Valley heat and journey to Morro Bay.

 

We will meet at 5:30 AM at the Walmart parking lot on the southeast corner of Blackstone and Ashlan to arrange carpooling. The plan is to depart by 5:45 AM.

 

The first destination will be Montaña de Oro State Park. Goal birds at this location will be Brown Pelican, Western Gull, Brandt’s Cormorant, Pelagic  Cormorant, Black Oystercatcher, Pigeon Guillemot, Wrentit, California Thrasher, California Towhee, Spotted Towhee, Bewick’s Wren, California Quail, and many more!

 

Next, we will visit Morro Bay State Park, where we will visit the Marina/Boardwalk Trail and the heron rookery. Our goal birds at these locations will be Heermann’s Gull, Caspian Tern, Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Willet, Black-crowned Night Heron, and many more.

 

Sometime while in Morro Bay State Park, we will sit down for lunch. Our next birding destination will be Sweet Springs Nature Preserve, where our goal birds will be Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Common Yellowthroat, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Violet-green Swallow, Black-bellied Plover, Snowy Egret, and many more. If there is time, we will stop by Morro Rock to look for Peregrine Falcons and various shorebirds.

 

The plan is to leave Morro Bay around 3:30 or 4:00 PM and be back in Fresno by 6:30 PM. Participants should bring snacks, lunch, water, hat, sunscreen, and binoculars, and should dress in layers. Please be aware that there is poison oak along the trails at Montaña de Oro State Park and other locations along the coast; long pants and poison oak/ivy wipes are recommended.

 

Registration is required and there is a limit of 25 participants.

Registration is required for this event for each participant.

Event is full if you want to be added to the wait list email admin@fresnoaudubon.org.

 

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

Trip leader: Rick Grijalva at 559-578-6168 or rickgrijalva2@gmail.com.

 

 

Aug
17
Sat
2024
FAS Field Trip Leader Planning Meeting @ Zoom & in person meeting
Aug 17 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Owl walk by Nancy Gilmore

FAS Field Trip Leader Planning Meeting

If you would like to be a part of this planning meeting please register at this link.

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We meet with our trip leaders twice a year to schedule our bird walks for the upcoming season. Our next meeting to plan for this Fall is set for August 17, 2024.
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At this time, we have around twelve or thirteen individuals who lead field trips, sharing their passion and expertise, providing wonderful birding experiences for our members and the general public.  But, we are in need of more trip leaders and/or individuals who would like to share their knowledge of favorite birding locations.
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If you are interested in becoming a trip leader for FAS or would like to participate in the scheduling process, you are welcome to attend our next trip planning meeting on Saturday, August 17, from 9 am to 12 noon. If you cannot attend in person, you may attend via Zoom. We sincerely hope you will join us.
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If you would like to be a part of this planning meeting please register at this link.
Sep
11
Wed
2024
Wednesday Bird Walk at Lost Lake Sept. 2024 @ Lost Lake
Sep 11 @ 8:00 am – 11:00 am

Lost Lake Audubon Field Trip Wednesday Sept. 11th

Registration is required for this event.

 

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

FAS Release of Liability Form

FAS Release of Liability Form

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, Sept. 11th

Meeting location in park: We will meet at the parking lot just before the campground. Not at the Audubon Trailhead at the west end (down stream end) of 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: There will be the active warbler migration in progress throughout the campground and we will be spending more time beyond the campground up near the State Fish Hatchery  at the “canopy of trees” where great views are possible with the warblers visible  in the bushes circling the area of trees.

 

From there,  we will explore the downriver part of the park and work our way down to the Lost Lake Nature Trail.
As the time will be approaching 11:00AM,   we can break for lunch in that part of the park.

 

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.

 

Hard Rain or flooding cancels this walk.

Trip Leader: Fred Peterson fjppet@gmail.com

Co-Trip Leader: Susan Heidebrecht  sunheidebrecht@comcast.net

 

Registration is required for this walk.

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

FAS Release of Liability Form

FAS Release of Liability Form

Registration link

Sep
14
Sat
2024
Grant Grove, Sept. 14, 2024 @ Grant Grove
Sep 14 @ 7:00 am – 4:00 pm

 

Grant Grove Bird Walk

September 14, 2024

 

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

FAS Release of Liability Form

FAS Release of Liability Form

Register here

 

Join Fresno Audubon on Saturday, September 14, as we journey up Highway 180 to the Grant Grove area of Kings Canyon National Park and beyond. Registration for this trip is required. Register here

 

We will meet at 7:00 AM in the parking lot between Javier’s Mexican Restaurant (5680 E. Kings Canyon Rd.) and the Educational Employees Credit Union to arrange carpooling. See Map Below.

 

The group will depart by 7:15 AM. Our first stop will be Grant Grove Village, where we will bird around the meadow. We will then drive about 6.5 miles farther on Highway 180 to the Indian Basin Grove Interpretive Trail/Princess Campground. Depending on time, we may also stop at the Big Stump Grove on the way back. We will head back down by about 4 pm. Participants can certainly leave earlier if they’d prefer.

 

Participants should bring snacks, lunch, water, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, and binoculars. Registration is required and there is a limit of 25 participants.

 

Please reach out to trip leader Kevin Enns-Rempel (559-313-4546 or kevin.enns.rempel@gmail.com) with any questions. 

 

Sep
18
Wed
2024
Wednesday Walk – Balsam Meadows Snow-Park and Forebay
Sep 18 @ 7:45 am – 2:00 pm

Wednesday Walk – Balsam Meadows Snow-Park and Forebay

 

Registration is required.

Registration closes 24 hours before the event or when full.

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

 

FAS Release of Liability Form

FAS Release of Liability Form

 

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 the River Park Target parking lot (7600 N Blackstone Ave.  Take E El Paso off of 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.

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

 

FAS Release of Liability Form

FAS Release of Liability Form

Registration link

 

Sep
21
Sat
2024
Fresno/Clovis Wastewater Treatment Plant Field Trip Sept. 2024 @ Fresno/Clovis Wastewater Treatment Plant
Sep 21 @ 8:00 am – 12:45 pm

Pectoral Sandpiper by Gary Woods

The trip is limited to the first 30 people who sign up by Wednesday, Sept. 18th at 8 a.m.

Use this link to register

with your name as it appears on your driver’s license or ID card.

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

FAS Release of Liability Form

FAS Release of Liability Form

On Saturday September 21st we will be birding the Fresno WTP with leader Rick Grijalva. The trip is limited to the first 30 people who sign up by Wednesday, Sept. 18th at 8 a.m. We will be under strict security rules limiting how many cars we can use on the grounds and registrants will not be able to leave early from the group due to multiple electronic gates that we’ll be passing through.

 

Meet at the guard building at the entrance at 5607 W. Jensen Ave. We will be leaving for the ponds by 8:15 sharp after everyone has signed the liability waiver for the city that will be passed around on a clip board. We will do a final carpooling round to get the number of cars down to 10 maximum.

 

We will be leaving the ponds and going back to the cars at 11:45 and proceeding to Kearney Park for lunch for those who want to continue with the group. If you carpool from Fresno be sure to bring your lunch and expect to stay with the group until mid-afternoon.

 

There will be one porta-potty on the ponding complex for our use. Be sure to bring sun protection, binoculars, water, lunch and an ID. We will have a couple of scopes set up for you and we’ll be looking for some of the rarer shorebirds that might be migrating through like Baird’s and Pectoral Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers and Short-billed Dowitchers.

 Meeting Location:
Leader: Rick Grijalva, rickgrijalva2@gmail.com
Sep
25
Wed
2024
Clovis Botanical Gardens/ Cottonwood Park @ Clovis Botanical Gardens
Sep 25 @ 8:00 am – 12:00 pm

Clovis Botanical Gardens/ Cottonwood Park.

NOTE: The garden was closed at the beginning of September while they were working on the sewer/water lines for their new construction but according to their Instagram the garden reopened on Sept. 11. 

 

Registration is required for this event.

 

All participants must agree to the FAS Liability Waiver Form when they register. To view the form use the QR code below or the form can also be found here

FAS Release of Liability Form

FAS Release of Liability Form

 

Registration Link

On Wednesday, September 25, Fresno Audubon will visit the Clovis Botanical Gardens and adjacent Cottonwood Park. This area is always good to see many species of urban birds, including hummingbirds, woodpeckers, sparrows, towhees, and arriving wintering migrants. In addition, the Cottonwood Park pond has waterfowl, egrets, herons, comorants, and many other species, including occasional Ospreys and Bald Eagles.

 

A short walk along Dry Creek behind the Botanical Gardens is good for riparian birds, including migrant warblers.

 

Meet in the Botanical Gardens parking lot at Clovis Avenue and Alluvial at 8am. For more information, contact Larry Parmeter at 559-288-3456 or at lanpar362@gmail.com

 

All participants must agree to the FAS Liability Waiver Form when they register. To view the form use the QR code below or the form can also be found here

 

 

FAS Release of Liability Form

FAS Release of Liability Form

Registration Link

Oct
2
Wed
2024
Wednesday Bird Walk at Sycamore Island Oct. 2024 @ Sycamore Island
Oct 2 @ 8:00 am – 1:00 pm

 

Wednesday Bird Walk at Sycamore Island 

Registration is required for this 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

FAS Release of Liability Form

FAS Release of Liability Form

 Registration link

 

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

 

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

FAS Release of Liability Form

FAS Release of Liability Form

 Registration link

Oct
12
Sat
2024
Avocado Lake Bird Walk
Oct 12 @ 8:00 am – 12:00 pm

Avocado Lake Bird Walk

 

Explore Avocado Lake’s Hidden Treasures!

Registration is required for this event.

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

FAS Release of Liability Form

Registration closes 24 hours before the event or when full.

 

Registration link

 

Join us for a birding adventure at Avocado Lake, a lesser-known gem offering a diverse habitat of open waters, riparian zones along the Kings River, and oak woodlands. This scenic area is ideal for spotting a variety of species including fall migrants, woodpeckers, nuthatches, sparrows, and finches—keep an eye out for the elusive Lawrence’s Goldfinch! The lake itself may host early wintering waterfowl and the occasional Common Loon. Raptors and towhees are also frequent visitors to this vibrant birding spot.

 

We’ll gather at 7:45 a.m. at the Manchester Center (corner of Blackstone & Shields), with an 8 a.m. departure.

 

Be prepared for a rewarding day of birding, and don’t forget your essentials:

 

Checklist: Binoculars, field guide app(s), snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, and hat.

 

Trip Leader: Rick Grijalva, 559-578-6168

Oct
19
Sat
2024
Introduction to Birding Saturday Oct. 19, 2024 @ River Center
Oct 19 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Introduction to Birding at the River Center

11605 Old Friant Rd
Fresno, CA 93730

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

FAS Release of Liability Form

FAS Release of Liability Form

Registration link 

 

The Parkway Trust and Fresno Audubon Society have joined forces to offer a birding class that combines instruction, exploration, and fun! Beginning birders will see and learn about local and migratory birds that might be visiting the River Center. New birders will discover easy ways to identify migrating and year-round, local birds. The class will include a walk looking for birds in the various habitats found at the River Center. We will meet at the new picnic shelter on the north side of the center. After learning about using binoculars and various aids in bird identification like guide books and phone apps, we will bird around the property. Bring binoculars, lunch, water and sun protection.  Fresno Audubon will have binoculars to loan if you do not have your own. Children are welcome!
BegBirdHO
QR Code for Beginning Birding Handout.
Heavy rain cancels this event.
Class is held from 9 AM -12 PM on the third Saturday of each month from October through May.

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

FAS Release of Liability Form