San Luis NWR

Saturday Feb. 1, 2025

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 is required for all participants.

Register for this walk here

NOTES from trip leader John Fulton

Feb 1, 2025:  We will meet at the Visitors’ Center (VC) parking lot on Wolfsen Rd. The VC and office is closed on weekends now; scheduled hours changed recently to exclude weekends, but there are vault toilets that are open so that will be our meeting place.  There is the trail and boardwalk right there, for folks to explore, if they arrive early. I am quick to change plans, to adapt to more current information so this will only be a tentative plan.  We will scope the elk enclosure from the VC to see if the antlers have started to drop, The biggest racks drop first so on Feb 1st, I think we might see a bull with only one side, having dropped the other. Harems may no longer be defended.

From there we will be listening for Sandhill Cranes as we make our way north, right through the heart of the original San Luis NWR parcel, acquired in about 1967, on Historic Dickenson Ferry Rd.  That was about the time the US Army Corps of Engineers (COE) helped build the levee to keep the river off of the flood plain so cows  in the wetlands could keep their feet dry. (Only partially kidding). With the help of the COE a Levee District was formed to keep the water off the refuge; the refuge that was established at that same time to put water back onto those same wetlands and the flood plain. The Levee District has a single mission: to defeat the Refuge and keep the refuge dry. After over 50 years, the levee is still there on the refuge and the public is not allowed to drive on it.

So as we drive towards the old ferry landing we will be heading towards the levee, the one that we cannot drive on.  We will have to turn right, onto the Waterfowl Tour Route, and get a chance to really appreciate the job that the refuge staff does to manage wetlands despite the COE and the Levee District’s mandated mission.

On the drive northward we will hope for upland grassland species like Meadowlarks and several sparrow species. While rare, this stretch of upland north of the elk enclosure has been where Short-eared Owls, Horned Larks and White-tailed Kites have been seen a few times over the years.

In the Waterfowl Tour Route’s wetlands, interspersed within the uplands, we should see waterfowl—of course, but also Ibis, Cranes, Pied-billed Grebes and waders.  As we approach the southern edge of the refuge we will turn left and head east to the Sousa Marsh.  If there are swans in the area, and there should be at this time of year in early February, Sousa Marsh is the place to see them. There is a mile hike in riparian forest at the Sousa Marsh and its observation platform.  Then it is back to the VC for snacks or a lunch break.  Depending upon time and the “will-of-the-people,”  we can decide on an afternoon add-on destination. If folks want to, and depending on recent scouting reports, we can visit West Bear Creek, the Forebay, or Merced NWR, or one of the many other birdy spots in the area.

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

Contact:

Lowell Young

(209) 617-9921

yosemite.birder@gmail.com

Registration is required for all participants.

Register for this walk here

Merced National Wildlife Refuge

February 8, 2025

Registration required: Please register here.

Co-leaders: Judy Johnson  & Lowell Young

With winter migrants filling local refuges and putting on a tremendous show, it is a wonderful time to bird Central Valley wetlands. Join Fresno Audubon on Saturday, February 8 for a tour of the Merced National Wildlife Refuge. We will meet at the MacDonald’s parking lot in the Marketplace at El Paseo (6741 N Riverside Dr, Fresno, CA 93722, see map) at 7:45 for a 8:00 am departure. Secondary meet up is at the first parking lot of the refuge, near the bathrooms and the first observation deck, at 9:00am (see map).

Map to McDonald’s

Map to MNWR

The stars of this trip will be the geese. We are hoping to see snow, Ross’s, white-fronted and cackling geese in flocks numbering in the thousands. Other target birds include lesser sandhill cranes, phoebes, various sparrows, American pipits, numerous species of ducks, American white pelicans, wading birds and shore birds, egrets, American coots, red-tailed hawks, northern harriers and other hawks. Also possible are bald eagles, and great-horned owls.

Participants should bring day packs, hats, sunscreen, sunglasses, plenty of water, snacks, lunch (if desired), and binoculars, and should dress in layers. We probably will not be doing much hiking, but comfortable walking shoes are recommended. Please bring radios (walky-talkies) if you have them.

Registration required: Please register here.

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

Trip Leader: Judy Johnson  (559)977-2787 & Lowell Young (209)617-9921

Bald Eagle, George Folsom

Millerton Lake Eagle Tours

Reserved Space for Eagle Tour (25 people)

Boat ramp #1, 5290 Millerton Rd, Friant, CA 93626

Sunday, February 9, 2025 at 9:00 AM (PT)

Cost: $20 per person (NON-REFUNDABLE) 

(If the event is canceled due to weather a refund will be issued)

Use this link to register & pay $20.

Payment of $20 will be collected at time of registration.

Please Note: Registration Closes Sunday, January 26, 2025.

Event information:

You will be given a ticket to place on your vehicle dashboard when you meet the host at boat ramp #1. Tour fee includes vehicle day-use fee, do not pay for admission at entry kiosk. This ticket solely reserves your space for the selected date and does not waive fee.

Tours meet at Ramp#l on the South Shore (Fresno side) of the lake. Address is 5290 Millerton Rd Friant, CA 93626 . Follow signs for Millerton Courthouse after going through the entrance kiosk.

Tours depart promptly at 9:00 am and run through 12:00 pm. Please plan to arrive by 8:45 am to allow time for check-in and fee collection.

Be sure to dress warmly for the weather. We recommend dressing in layers, along with beanie style hat, gloves, sweater or jacket, and even long johns for those who are extra sensitive to the cold. Blankets may also be brought aboard for your comfort. Boat makes one bathroom stop l ½ hrs into the tour. Please be sure to use the restroom prior to boarding the vessel.

Complementary hot chocolate will be served.

Tours may be canceled for inclement weather.

Parkfield/Cholame Valley Bird Walk

February 12, 2025

Register here

Join Kevin Enns-Rempel on February 12 for a birding trip to Cholame Valley and Parkfield. We will meet the leader’s home at 6:45am, and depart there by 7am. The address will be provided in you confirmation email. It’s about a 90-minute drive to our destination, so we’ll try to do as much carpooling as possible.

From the junction of Highway 41 & Cholame Valley Road, we’ll bird our way slowly up to the little community of Parkfield. Expect to see good numbers of wintering raptors as well as grassland birds. With some luck we’ll also see both Tule Elk and Pronghorns.

Bring lunch and water. This will be mostly a stop-and-go driving route, so there won’t be much walking. From Parkfield, participants are free to retrace their steps back to Fresno or take the Parkfield-Coalinga Road back home through Coalinga. We should be done birding by early afternoon, so expect to be back in Fresno by late afternoon.This is always a great trip, so we hope that lots of you can make it.

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

Register here