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

The Fresno Audubon Society board meets monthly on the last Sunday of each month from August through May. All are welcome to attend.

Join the River Parkway Trust and Fresno Audubon for an Introduction to Birding Class at the Coke Hallowell Center for River Studies.

Class participants will learn how to use binoculars, why birding is a fun and valuable hobby, and about the resources available to help identify birds. After the initial class work, participants will accompany Fresno Audubon experts on a bird walk around the River Center property including the Hidden Homes Trail. This class will begin at the Wisteria Shade Arbor just north of the Ranch House.

Participants should bring binoculars, snacks, water, and sun protection. Fresno Audubon will have binoculars to loan for anyone who doesn’t have their own pair.

There is no cost to attend. Children are welcome.

Please register for the event here.

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

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

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

The Fresno Audubon Society board meets monthly on the last Sunday of each month from August through May. All are welcome to attend.

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

Register for this walk here

Northern Pintail by Dan Cobb, Merced NWR, 19 November 2019

Meeting location

Join the River Parkway Trust and Fresno Audubon for an Introduction to Birding Class at the Coke Hallowell Center for River Studies.

Class participants will learn how to use binoculars, why birding is a fun and valuable hobby, and about the resources available to help identify birds. After the initial class work, participants will accompany Fresno Audubon experts on a bird walk around the River Center property including the Hidden Homes Trail. This class will begin at the Wisteria Shade Arbor just north of the Ranch House.

Participants should bring binoculars, snacks, water, and sun protection. Fresno Audubon will have binoculars to loan for anyone who doesn’t have their own pair.

There is no cost to attend. Children are welcome.

Please register for the event here.

Join Fresno Audubon Society experts for an entry-level bird walk at the River Center. This is a follow-on birding trip for our Introduction to Birding class, but all (including children) are welcome. Bring your own binoculars or borrow a pair from Fresno Audubon. Also bring sun protection such as a hat and sunscreen plus water and snacks.

Please register for the event here.