Sea to Summit: The Marvelous Hummingbird

Long-billed Curlew by Rachel Clark

Please join Fresno Audubon on Saturday, July 17 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 Shaw 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. The use of masks is recommended when maintaining a distance of six feet is not possible, and we ask that participants carpool at their own discretion. Trip leaders are FAS president Rachel Clark and  Susan Estep.

Registration: Please register for the field trip here.

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

Trip leader: Rachel Clark at 515-357-0122 or tanagergirl@gmail.com.

Male Nuttall’s Woodpecker by Rachel Clark

Join FAS on Saturday, November 6 as we go birding at Kearney Park (6725 W Kearney Blvd, Fresno, CA 93706). Kearney Park is a great local destination that attracts a wide variety of bird life. Our target species include Spotted Towhee, White and Golden-crowned Sparrows, Red-shouldered Hawk, Nuttall’s Woodpecker, and many more. This is definitely one of those locations where fun and unexpected birds tend to show up, so you never know what you might see! There is a $5 park entry fee, which is paid at the kiosk on the drive in. We will be meeting at 7:30 in the parking lot adjacent to the mansion. Participants should bring snacks, lunch (if desired), water, hat, sunscreen, and binoculars, and should dress in layers. It is forecasted to be a mostly sunny day with a low of 46° and a high of 71°, so it will definitely be cold first thing in the morning. We will likely be wrapping up between noon and 1:00 PM. FAS is asking that participants be vaccinated and wear masks in addition to following social distancing protocols. Registration is required for this event. If you have any questions, please reach out to trip leader Rachel Clark at tanagergirl@gmail.com or 515-357-0122.

Registration: Please register for the field trip here.

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

Trip leader: Rachel Clark at 515-357-0122 or tanagergirl@gmail.com.