EVENT CALENDAR - Fresno Audubon Society
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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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Jun
14
Tue
2022
General Meeting – Lily Douglas- The Central Valley Joint Venture – creating habitat for migrating birds @ Zoom
Jun 14 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

 Virtual General Meeting

Lily Douglas

The Central Valley Joint Venture

-creating habitat for migrating birds

 

Register for Fresno Audubon General Meeting June 14th, 7:00pm
This meeting will be broadcast online via Zoom
 Register to receive login information.

New to Zoom? Check out all you need to know here before the meeting.

Lily Douglas with Tricolored Blackbird

 

Program Description:

 

The Central Valley is a critically important part of the Pacific Flyway, which extends from the Arctic to South America, and is used by over 100 million birds of 400 species every year. Approximately 95% of natural habitat in the Central Valley has been transformed for human uses, and unpredictable water supplies and other climate change impacts threaten the future of farms, wetlands, and other bird habitats.

 

The Central Valley Joint Venture (CVJV) partners with private landowners, local governments, non-profit organizations, and others to conserve Central Valley birds and their habitats for current and future generations. In 2021, the CVJV released its updated Implementation Plan, laying out objectives to support healthy bird populations and benefit people and communities in the Central Valley. Lily Douglas, the CVJV’s Assistant Coordinator, will discuss the formation of the migratory bird joint ventures, the history and structure of the CVJV, the updated Implementation Plan, and how you can help.

 

Speaker Bio:

 

Lily Douglas is the Assistant Coordinator of the Central Valley Joint Venture for migratory bird habitat conservation. She has worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for nine years, previously in roles implementing the Endangered Species Act for species in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys. Prior to that she worked with Greater Sage-Grouse for the Bureau of Land Management and as a GIS Analyst with an environmental consulting firm. Lily also sits on the Board of Directors for the Central Valley Bird Club and co-authored the book Sacramento County Breeding Birds: A Tale of Two Atlases and Three Decades of Change, released last year.



Fresno Audubon Society
Thank you for your continued involvement in and support of Fresno Audubon Society.
Jul
12
Tue
2022
General Meeting July 2022- Jack Jefferys- Hakalau Forest NWR and the birds of Hawaii @ Zoom
Jul 12 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

 Virtual General Meeting

Jack Jefferys

Hakalau Forest NWR and the Birds of Hawaii.

Register for Fresno Audubon General Meeting July 12th, 7:00pm
This meeting will be broadcast online via Zoom
 Register to receive login information.

New to Zoom? Check out all you need to know here before the meeting.

 

Program Description:

The Hawaiian Archipelago is the most isolated chain of islands in the world, over twenty-five hundred miles from the nearest continent.  Very few plants and animals have ever reached these remote islands on their own, but those that did, evolved over time and became unique to the Islands.  About five and a half million years ago,  a small flock of finch like birds from Asia, likely blown off course, arrived in the Hawaiian islands.  Unrestricted food supplies and adaptations through competition for these food resources created evolutionary opportunities for speciation through specialization of bill forms and body size.  From this one colonization the Hawaiian Honeycreepers evolved into over fifty different bird species found nowhere else on earth.  Some Honeycreepers, like the scarlet I’iwi, evolved long curved bills to feed on nectar in the curved flowers of native plants,  like those of the Bell flower family or Lobelias and provide for their pollination.  Other bird species adapted to feed on insects in different ways. For example, the tiny Hawaii Akepa, with its short straight bill, crossed at the tip,  gleans micro insects from leaf buds.  The Akialoa’s long thin bill, almost as long as its body, was used to poke deep into tree crevices to find insects that no other bird could reach.  The Akiapola’au has one of the most unusual bills in the bird world.  Its upper bill is long, thin and down curved, and lower bill short straight and stout feeds like a woodpecker, but with its mouth open.  It pecks into the tree wood with its lower short-stout bill, then uses the upper long curved bill to reach into the hole to wrench out wood-boring beetle larvae.  Today, only 17 Hawaiian Honeycreepers species remain in the Islands, but with continued habitat protection and restoration as is happening at Hakalau Forest NWR on Hawaii Island and other areas in the State, as well as captive breeding and release, and active research on control of mosquitoes and avian diseases, the remaining Hawaiian Honeycreepers will hopefully survive far into the future. 

Speaker Bio:

Jack Jeffrey, a longtime resident of Hawaii Island, is a professional wildlife and nature photographer, birding guide, and wildlife biologist.  He is intimately familiar with Hawaii’s remote rainforests, hidden valleys, and rare endemic birds. He brings to his images the knowledge from over 50 years of observation and study of Hawaii’s native forest birds, as well as those in other places from his travels around the world.  He combines a naturalist’s curiosity with a photographer’s patience and technical skill to produce beautiful images.  

Jack is recipient of the prestigious “Ansel Adams Award for Nature Photography”, and is a USFWS  “Endangered Species Recovery Champion”.  He has also received the coveted Nature Conservancy of Hawaii Kako’o Aina Award, Hawaii Sierra Club Conservationist of the Year Award, and the Hawaii Audubon Society Conservationist of the Year Award.  Now retired from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, he is enjoying more time traveling with his wife Gretchen, leading tours and photographing wildlife and nature around the world.  

 



Fresno Audubon Society
Thank you for your continued involvement in and support of Fresno Audubon Society.
Aug
9
Tue
2022
General Meeting – Matt Allshouse- Audubon Conservation Ranching Program. @ Zoom
Aug 9 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

 Virtual General Meeting

Matt Allshouse

The Audubon Conservation Ranching Program

Register for Fresno Audubon General Meeting August 9th, 7:00pm
This meeting will be broadcast online via Zoom
 Register to receive login information.

New to Zoom? Check out all you need to know here before the meeting.

Title: Audubon Conservation Ranching: Incentivizing Regenerative Grassland Management by Connecting Certified Ranches to Consumer Markets

 

Program Description:

California has roughly 40 million acres of rangelands that provide food production, carbon sequestration, water infiltration, and habitat for a wide range of species. However, this historic land use is under threat with an average of 20,000 acres a year being lost to development or crop conversion. Climate change, invasive species, aquifer depletion, and outdated grazing practices also degrade large portions of grasslands, increasing economic and ecological vulnerability. This in turn has contributed to steep declines in grassland bird species across California and the United States.

 

Audubon launched its Conservation Ranching program (ACR) here in California in 2019. This program is designed to stem the conversion of grassland ecosystems and improve the ecological functions of rangelands by partnering with ranchers to transition to more regenerative grazing approaches via a ranch certification program. This presentation will highlight the ACR program components which includes the development of ranch-specific Habitat Management Plans and a third-party certified set of regenerative grazing practices to increase climate-driven drought resiliency, rebuild soil organic matter, enhance plant diversity and cover, increase water infiltration and carbon sequestration, and increase overall biodiversity. This ecological resilience can translate to economic resilience, as participating producers are able to use the Audubon certification logo on their product – providing a market incentive to landowners to enroll in this program through increased sales or revenue. This presentation will highlight program practices, early results and opportunities for enrollment.

 

Here are some links to program specifics:

https://ca.audubon.org/conservation/conservation-ranching

https://www.audubon.org/news/what-world-conservation-ranching   

https://www.audubon.org/magazine/spring-2017/how-cattle-ranchers-are-helping-save-western

Speaker Bio:

Matt Allshouse came to Audubon California from Wyoming and has been the Conservation Ranching Program Manager for the state since September 2019. As a rangeland ecologist, he has 15 years of experience associated with land policy, management, and science. Previously, Matt served as Ranch Manager for Antelope Springs Land and Cattle in Wyoming, as a Biologist for the Peregrine Fund in Belize and Guatemala directing conservation field research, and as Ecologist with the consulting firm Trihydro Corporation focusing on restoration ecology. Matt holds a dual Bachelor’s degree in Environment and Natural Resources, and Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management from University of Wyoming.

Pelayo Alvarez works as the Director of the Conservation Ranching Program in California.  Before joining Audubon Pelayo worked for the Carbon Cycle Institute where he helped establish carbon farming programs across California. Pelayo has experience working with the ranching community, government agencies, academia and other stakeholders on rangeland conservation initiatives including the development of programs to incentivize good stewardship practices on rangelands. Pelayo also worked for Defenders of Wildlife as the Conservation Program Director for the California Rangeland Conservation Coalition where he coordinated research and outreach activities. Pelayo also teaches Rangeland Ecology and Management at American River College in Sacramento. His previous work experience includes positions at UC Davis, The World Bank and The Nature Conservancy. He has a bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Medicine from Universidad de Leon (Spain), a MS degree in Animal Science from Oklahoma State University and a PhD in Ecology from UC Davis.

 



Fresno Audubon Society
Thank you for your continued involvement in and support of Fresno Audubon Society.
Sep
13
Tue
2022
General Meeting – John Sterling: Birding Adventures in Morocco @ Zoom
Sep 13 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

 Virtual General Meeting

John Sterling

Birding Adventures in Morocco

Register for Fresno Audubon General Meeting September 13th, 7:00pm
This meeting will be broadcast online via Zoom
 Register to receive login information.

New to Zoom? Check out all you need to know here before the meeting.

Title: John Sterling: Birding Adventures in Morocco

 

Program Description:

John will share highlights from his tours’ adventures in Morocco. With its high mountains, high desert, low Sahara desert, agricultural plains, coastal lagoons, cork oak woodland, and coniferous forest, Morocco has much to offer to birds and birders. Home to several endemic bird species as well as North Africa species not readily seen elsewhere, it is also along the major migratory pathway for European migrants including shorebirds, raptors, songbirds and others. Join us for a virtual tour of the country’s birds, landscapes and culture.

 

John Sterling has been a hard core birder in California since he was shown a Pileated Woodpecker in 5th grade camp in 1971.  He is a professional ornithologist and has worked for the Smithsonian Institution, US Forest Service research stations, HT Harvey & Associates, Arizona and Oregon state universities among other organizations since 1981.  John has traveled extensively throughout California learning about local bird distribution and is an authority on that state’s avifauna. In 2015 he set the California’s new big year record with 501 species and has many big day records as well. He has traveled internationally as a guide and ornithologist for many institutions including projects as a Smithsonian ornithologist to Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, The Philippines, Sumatra, Canada and Russia. John currently has his own company, Sterling Wildlife Biology (www.sterlingbirds.com),  specializing in tours, birding classes, research and environmental consulting for The Nature Conservancy, the Kern Water Bank, the California Rice Commission, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, National Audubon’s International Alliance Program, CA Dept. of Water Resources among other organizations.



Fresno Audubon Society
Thank you for your continued involvement in and support of Fresno Audubon Society.
Oct
9
Sun
2022
Introduction to Birding at SFC’s McKenzie Preserve @ McKenzie Table Mountain Preserve
Oct 9 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Sierra Foothill Conservancy (SFC) 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 fall migratory birds visiting the McKenzie. Birders will discover easy ways to identify migrating and year-round, local birds. The class will include a walk looking for birds in the habitat found on the lower McKenzie Preserve. We will meet at the parking lot and then bird up towards the picnic tables. Bring binoculars, lunch, water and sun protection.  Fresno Audubon will have binoculars to loan if you do not have your own.

This event is hosted by Sierra Foothill Conservancy. Cost is $15 to members or $25 per non-members, with special family pricing. Please register at https://sierrafoothill.org/events-listing/#event=73892498;instance=20221009090000?popup=1

Oct
11
Tue
2022
General Meeting – Dan Airola, Status, Ecology, and Conservation of the Declining Purple Martin in the Northern California @ Zoom
Oct 11 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

 Virtual General Meeting

Dan Airola

Status, Ecology, and Conservation of the Declining Purple Martin in the Northern California 

Register for Fresno Audubon General Meeting October 11th, 7:00pm
This meeting will be broadcast online via Zoom
 Register to receive login information.

New to Zoom? Check out all you need to know here before the meeting.

Title: Dan Airola, Status, Ecology, and Conservation of the Declining Purple Martin in the Northern California 

 

 

Description: Purple martins have been in long-term decline in California. Since the 1990s, Dan Airola has been studying and working to conserve the last Central Valley population, which nests in elevated freeways and overpasses in Sacramento. He also has conducted status surveys throughout Northern California.  His talk presents these study results and describes conservation measures that have been implemented and are needed to protect and recover the species.

 

Biography: Dan Airola is a Wildlife Biologist and Ornithologist who has worked for over 40 years on bird conservation issues in Northern California.  His recent research has addressed status, ecology, migration, and conservation of at-risk species, including the Tricolored Blackbird, Swainson’s Hawk, Yellow-billed Magpie, fire-adapted forest species, and migrant songbirds.  Dan also serves the Central Valley Bird Club as a Director, Conservation Chair, and editor of the journal Central Valley Birds.



Fresno Audubon Society
Thank you for your continued involvement in and support of Fresno Audubon Society.
Oct
15
Sat
2022
Introduction to Birding Oct. 15, 2022 @ River Center
Oct 15 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Introduction to Birding at the Coke Hallowell Center for River Studies

11639 Old Friant Rd, Fresno, CA 93730

Please register for the October 15 event here.

 

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! Rain cancels this event.
Class is held from 9 AM -12 PM on the third Saturday of each month from October through May.

 

Please register for the October 15 event here.

Nov
5
Sat
2022
Potluck Lunch Sumner Peck Ranch @ Sumner Peck
Nov 5 @ 11:30 am – 3:30 pm

FAS FALL POTLUCK

Saturday, November 5, 2022

Sumner Peck Ranch

14439 N. Friant Road

11:30 am-3:30 pm

(12:00 Potluck Lunch)

To register for the pot luck dinner, click here.

It’s been far too long since we were able to socialize together.  So, bring your favorite dish and join FAS for lunch at noon and birding at the beautiful Sumner Peck Ranch.  There is no entry fee and parking is free.  FAS will provide drinks and table service.  Take the drive from the gates to the parking area at the end of the drive.  The picnic area is just below the parking lot, next to the river. Let’s celebrate Fresno Fall birding together! Registration is required so that we have a head count. 

11:30-12:00 Set up
12:00 Potluck Lunch
1:00-3:30 No-host birding

To register for the pot luck dinner, click here.

For any questions, please contact Maureen Walsh, (559) 706-4980.
Nov
8
Tue
2022
General Meeting – Homer Hansen, Raptors @ Zoom
Nov 8 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

 Virtual General Meeting

Homer Hansen

Raptors

Register for Fresno Audubon General Meeting November 8th, 7:00pm
This meeting will be broadcast online via Zoom
 Register to receive login information.

New to Zoom? Check out all you need to know here before the meeting.
Title: Homer Hansen,  “Fall Raptors of Fresno County”

 

Description:

“Fall Raptors of Fresno County”

As winter settles in our neck of the woods, various species of raptors migrate into our locality, both increasing the numbers of common summer residents and adding a few overwintering species as well.  This presentation will provide comparisons of the natural history, behavior, structure, and field marks for several species, including Golden and Bald Eagles, Turkey Vulture,  Red-tailed, Red-shouldered, Ferruginous, and Rough-legged Hawk, and Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned Hawk, and American Kestrel, Merlin, and Peregrine and Prairie Falcons.

 

Homer Hansen

 

BIO:

Homer Hansen grew up in Willcox, Arizona surrounded by Sandhill Cranes in winter and Cassin’s Sparrows in summer.  Homer has a passion for sharing bird watching with others and is a regular field trip leader for several festivals and has served as chairman of the Wings Over Willcox Birding & Nature Festival for nearly 20 years.  Homer loves working with youths and co-founded the Sulphur Springs Valley Young Birders Club and the associated Arizona Young Birder’s Camp, non-profits dedicated to educating youths about birds.  He also instructs workshops on sparrows, raptors, flycatchers, warblers, birding by ear, and bird ecology, including: the Lifelong Learning courses for the Tucson Audubon Society, the Southwestern Sparrows IFO for the American Birding Association, and educational workshops for the Western Field Ornithologists (WFO) conferences.  Homer is a life member of the WFO, Cooper Ornithological Society (COS), and Wilson Ornithological Society (WOS), and just completed two terms with the WFO board as chairman of the Student Programs Committee.

 

 



Fresno Audubon Society
Thank you for your continued involvement in and support of Fresno Audubon Society.
Nov
13
Sun
2022
Introduction to Birding at Intermountain Nursery @ Intermountain Nursery
Nov 13 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Register Here

 

Intermountain Nursery will host a birding class given by Fresno Audubon Society on the beautiful nursery grounds.  Beginning birders will see and learn about fall migratory and resident birds in the foothills. Birders will discover easy ways to identify migrating and year-round, local birds. The class will include a walk around the nursery looking for birds.  Bring binoculars, lunch, water and dress in layers.  Fresno Audubon will have binoculars to loan if you do not have your own. Children are welcome. Rain cancels this event.

Here is a map of the location of Intermountain Nursery.