EVENT CALENDAR - Fresno Audubon Society
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
2
3
4
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 ...
5
6
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...
8
9
10
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...
12
13
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16
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20
21
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...
22
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28
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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Apr
11
Tue
2023
General Meeting – April 2023 Daniel S Karp: Harmonizing Bird Conservation with Food Production in Farming Landscapes @ Zoom
Apr 11 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

 Virtual General Meeting

Daniel S Karp

Harmonizing Bird Conservation with Food Production in Farming Landscapes

Register for Fresno Audubon General Meeting April 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.

Daniel S Karp: Harmonizing Bird Conservation with Food Production in Farming Landscapes

 

Description: 

A critical challenge for this century is transitioning towards sustainable farming systems that simultaneously produce food and conserve wildlife. Yet conservation scientists and practitioners have traditionally fixated on protected areas and overlooked opportunities for conserving wildlife alongside us in working landscapes. Daniel uses ecological research to develop strategies for co-managing agriculture for bird conservation, crop production, and food-safety outcomes, both in the tropics and here in California. For this talk, Daniel will first discuss how climate change and habitat conversion are affecting tropical bird communities, and how shifts in farming practices may mitigate their combined impacts. Then, Daniel will shift his focus to California agricultural systems, where birds play multiple roles on farms, not only consuming crops and spreading foodborne diseases, but also consuming crop pests. Daniel will outline his lab’s work striving to find ways to manage California birds and take advantage of the benefits they can provide farmers, while minimizing harms to food production. 

Biography: 

Daniel Karp is an associate professor in the Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology at UC Davis. Daniel completed his Ph.D. in 2013 and undergraduate studies in 2009 at Stanford University’s Department of Biology. Following his graduate studies, Daniel became an inaugural NatureNet postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley and the Nature Conservancy. He then received a Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct research at The University of British Colombia, before beginning his position at UC Davis in 2017. 



Fresno Audubon Society
Thank you for your continued involvement in and support of Fresno Audubon Society.
Apr
12
Wed
2023
Wednesday Bird Walk at Sumner Peck Ranch @ Sumner-Peck Ranch
Apr 12 @ 8:30 am – 12:30 pm

Wednesday Bird Walk at Sumner Peck Ranch

Registration is required for this event.

Register Here

Join trip leader Susan Heidebrecht for birding along the San Joaquin River on the beautiful  Sumner Peck Ranch property.  It is mostly flat terrain with good trails. The walk will be approximately 1 ½ miles each way.  Expect to see a variety of waterfowl, warblers, raptors, Belted kingfishers, and woodpeckers. 

We will meet at the parking area at the end of the drive (do not turn left into the parking lot near the entrance, but drive straight ahead). 

If you wish to bring lunch, there is a small picnic area near the parking lot.  

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 Susan Heidebrecht at sunheidebrecht@comcast.net or (559)313-1776

Register Here

Apr
16
Sun
2023
Introduction to Birding Apr. 16, 2023 @ River Center
Apr 16 @ 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 April 16 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 April 16 event here.

Apr
22
Sat
2023
Birding at the Ruth Mckenzie Preserve with SFC and FAS @ McKenzie Table Mountain Preserve
Apr 22 @ 7:30 am – 12:00 pm

Birding at the Ruth Mckenzie Preserve

This is a Sierra Foothill Conservancy event
Cost is $15-$30 depending on SFC membership

Registration is required for this event.

Register Here. You will be redirected to SFC’s event listing

Join Gary Woods and Robert Snow for birding at the Ruth Mckenzie Preserve.  The walk is initially fairly easy, along a dirt road that undulates along a stream.  After about a mile, the road crosses the stream, and the hiking becomes a bit steeper.  We may see enough birds along that mile that we won’t cross the creek.  Possible sightings are Acorn Woodpeckers, Lewis Woodpecker, Phainopepla, Red-Tailed Hawk, Bluebirds, and a nesting pair of Golden Eagles.

This is a Sierra Foothill Conservancy event
Cost is $15-$30 depending on SFC membership

Contact:

email: sfc@sierrafoothill.org

Register Here. You will be redirected to SFC’s event listing

Apr
26
Wed
2023
Birding at the Ruth Mckenzie Preserve @ Ruth Mckenzie Preserve
Apr 26 @ 8:00 am – 12:00 pm

Birding at the Ruth Mckenzie Preserve

Registration is required for this event.

Register Here

 

Join FAS for birding at the Ruth Mckenzie Preserve.  The walk is initially fairly easy, along a dirt road that undulates along a stream.  After about a mile, the road crosses the stream, and the hiking becomes a bit steeper.  We may see enough birds along that mile that we won’t cross the creek.  Possible sightings are Acorn Woodpeckers, Lewis Woodpecker, Phainopepla, Red-Tailed Hawk, Bluebirds, and a nesting pair of Golden Eagles.

 

Meet at the parking lot at the Sportsman’s Warehouse on Friant Road at 8:00.

 

 

Participants should bring snacks, lunch (if desired), water, binoculars, and a hat.  Wear sturdy shoes.  Registration is required for this event.  If you have questions, reach out to either trip leader.

Contact:

Wes Beal

(559) 250-2988

email: beal4farms@gmail.com

 

 

Register Here

May
9
Tue
2023
General Meeting – May 2023 Tom Hahn, University of California, Davis: Natural History of Western Finches @ Zoom
May 9 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

 Virtual General Meeting

Tom Hahn, University of California, Davis

Natural History of Western Finches

Register for Fresno Audubon General Meeting May 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.

Tom Hahn, University of California, Davis: Natural History of Western Finches

 

Description: 

Finches are, in many respects, the archetype of what people think of when they hear the word “bird.”  Yet concealed in that “typical bird” form lies amazing variation.  Among our numerous western finches – goldfinches, siskins, crossbills, grosbeaks, and so forth – we have: birds that are about as likely to breed in January when the snow lies deep on the ground as they are in July, birds that perfectly match the calls of their mates, birds that pack their songs with precise imitations of the sounds of other species, birds that seldom breed in the same place two years running, birds that we can only tell apart reliably by their flight calls, birds that can breed “in the streaked plumage of youth,” birds who can nest far from their food sources because they possess hefty food-transport pouches, and birds whose mandible tips don’t even line up.  This presentation will be a tour of the striking natural history, behavior, morphology, and physiology of our western finches, and highlight ways that field ornithologists and bird watchers can add to our growing knowledge about these fascinating birds.

Bio: 

Tom Hahn is a professor of biology at the University of California, Davis.  He has been studying western Cardueline finches since the late 1980s, when he began working on reproductive schedules of red crossbills for his doctoral research.  Since then, he and his students have spent many hours in the field studying the reproductive schedules, migratory habits, vocal behavior, habitat associations and other aspects of the natural history of red crossbills, white-winged crossbills, evening grosbeaks, pine siskins, house finches, Cassin’s finches, purple finches, American goldfinches, lesser goldfinches, pine grosbeaks, common redpolls and gray-crowned rosy-finches.


Fresno Audubon Society
Thank you for your continued involvement in and support of Fresno Audubon Society.
May
10
Wed
2023
Wednesday Bird Walk at Sycamore Island May 10 @ Sycamore Island
May 10 @ 8:00 am – 1:00 pm

Wednesday Bird Walk at Sycamore Island 

Rescheduled from March Event which was

cancelled due to rain and wet conditions

Registration is required for this event. If you were registered for the canceled event you must register again.

Register Here

 

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 559-435-9374 or geofolsom@gmail.com

Register Here

CANCELLED: Wednesday Bird Walk at Lost Lake @ Lost Lake
May 10 @ 8:30 am – 12:00 pm

Lost Lake Audubon Field Trip Wednesday May 10th

This trip has been canceled due to flooding and park closure.

Registration is required for this event.

Register Here

Location: Lost Lake , Fresno County Park

                  Lost Lake Rd, Friant, CA 93626

Date and Meeting time: 8:30 am , May 10th

Meeting location in park: Audubon Trailhead at the west end (down stream end) of the park. There is a small parking area at the trailhead, and a larger one a few hundred yards further into the park.

 

Duration of walk: 8:30 am – 12 pm

 

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: walking on mostly flat park grass, or on paved park road, from west ( at the trailhead) to east ( toward Friant Dam and the park campground). We will bird river, river lined grass/ shrub and oak tree habitat, and on the upper road the grassland leading into the park, using binoculars but also using the Merlin Sound ID app as an enhanced identification tool. In the park, there are picnic benches for rest stops, and the restrooms are usually open.

 

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.

Registration is required for this walk.

Hard Rain or flooding cancels this walk.

Trip Leader: Lynda Schafhauser

Contact information: cell for voicemail or text: 559-474-0651

Email: rufusradar@att.net

 

Register Here

May
13
Sat
2023
Birding at Roeding Park @ Roeding Park (meet in parking in front of zoo)
May 13 @ 8:00 am – 12:00 pm

Birding at Roeding Park

Registration is required for this event.

Register Here

 

Join trip leader Maureen Walsh for birding at Roeding Park.  We will start at Lake Washington where we will see Wood ducks among other waterfowl in the lake and see the Cattle egret, Black-crowned night herons, and Double-crested cormorants in the rookery on the island. There are hundreds of birds nesting in the rookery.  Then we will walk other areas of the park to see a variety of woodpeckers, raptors, warblers, etc.  

 

We will meet at the parking lot in front of the zoo, across from Lake Washington.  There is a $5.00 entry fee to the park and a new automated parking system.  

 

If you wish to bring lunch, there are plenty of picnic tables available for eating and calculating our bird count.  

 

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 Maureen Walsh at mewnew10@yahoo.com or (559) 706-4980.

 

Register Here

May
20
Sat
2023
Introduction to Birding May 20, 2023 @ Sumner Peck Ranch
May 20 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Introduction to Birding at the Sumner Peck Ranch

14439 N Friant Rd
Friant, CA 93626

Please register for the May 20 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 Sumner Peck Ranch. 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 Sumner Peck Ranch. We will meet at the new picnic shelter on the north side of the center. After entering the grounds, proceed straight ahead towards the river. There is a parking area and a picnic area at the river. 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 May 20 event here.