Lost Lake Audubon Field Trip 

Registration is required for this event.

Register Here

Location: Lost Lake , Fresno County Park

                  Lost Lake Rd, Friant, CA 93626

Date and Meeting time: 

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.

TBD, visit to FINS  ( Friant Interactive Nature Site, .2 miles east of Lost Lake Park) after birding Lost Lake location.

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,  (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.

Hard Rain or flooding cancels this walk.

Trip Leader: Lynda Schafhauser

Contact information: cell for voicemail or text:  559-377-8427

Email: rufusradar@att.net

Registration is required for this walk.

Register Here

The Raptor Trail on The Kings River at Pine Flat Dam

Registration is required for this event.

Register Here

Join FAS for birding along the Kings River. The trail begins across from the parking lot on the south side of the bridge just below Pine Flat Dam. The trail is basically an easy walk of approximately a mile and a quarter each way, but there is some uneven terrain and river rocks create a cobblestone surface in parts. Some of our target species include Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, and Osprey.

Meet in the parking lot at the south side of the bridge. If you want to look for directions from the eBird map, the Raptor Trail is just across the river from the North Riverside Access Park eBird Hotspot. GPS Coordinates 36.8298592686927, -119.33621274737327.

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 the trip leader.

Contact:

Maureen Walsh

(559) 706-4980

email: mewnew10@yahoo.com

Register Here

Introduction to Birding at the River Center

11605 Old Friant Rd
Fresno, CA 93730

Please register for the January 20 event here.

Please register for the January 20 event here.

Bald Eagle, George Folsom

This event is full.

See below for Waiting List Link.

Millerton Lake Eagle Tours

Reserved Space for Eagle Tour (25 people)

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

Sunday, January 21, 2024 at 9:00 AM (PT)

Cost: $18 per person (NON-REFUNDABLE) 

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

Use this link to join the waiting list

Please Note: Registration Closes Sunday, January 7, 2024.

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.

Wednesday Bird Walk at Sycamore Island 

Registration is required for this event.

Register Here

Meeting location:  Sycamore Island (36.8590560, -119.8230324)

Meeting time: 8:45 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 559.351.7192 or geofolsom@gmail.com

Register Here

Registration Required.

Link to Registration.

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

Registration Required.

Link to Registration.

Registration required for all FAS field trips.

Registration for this trip is here.

Event details subject to change.

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

Merced National Wildlife Refuge

February 7, 2024

Canceled due to rain.

Registration required: Please register here.

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 Wednesday, November 29 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 11:45 for a noon start. Secondary meet up is at the first parking lot of the refuge, near the bathrooms and the first observation deck, at 1:00pm (see map).

Map to McDonald’s

Map to MNWR

After driving the auto tour, we will gather at the second observation deck at sundown for the spectacular crane fly-in, which should end around 5:30pm.
Target birds include lesser sandhill cranes, phoebes, various sparrows, American pipits, numerous species of ducks and geese, American white pelicans, wading birds and shore birds, egrets, American coots, red-tailed hawks, northern harriers and other hawks. Also possible are bald eagles, great-horned owls, and vermillion flycatchers.

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

San Luis NWR

Saturday Feb. 10, 2024

Register for this walk here

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

Field Trip to River West Open Space, Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Register here!

Join Fresno Audubon for a bird hike at River West Open Space on Wednesday, February 14, 2024. We will meet at River View Dr and W Bluff Ave at 8 a.m.

This is a rich area with many target species. We can expect to see a wide variety of ducks, including Goldeneye, Mergansers, and Bufflehead. There are many resident raptors – including Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks, and occasional Osprey and Bald Eagle sightings. There are many songbirds waiting to be discovered as well – sparrows, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Anna’s Hummingbirds, and Loggerhead Shrikes. It is not unusual to log more than 40 species.

Participants should bring snacks, water, hat, sunscreen, and binoculars, and should dress in layers. There really isn’t anywhere to eat lunch at this property; we will likely be wrapping up by 12:30.  Registration is required for this event.

The trip leader is Wes Beal. He can be reached at beal4farms@gmail.com if you have any questions. There is plenty of on street parking available on River View Dr and W Bluff Ave. It is about a 3-mile loop of flat walking. There are no restrooms or water available so come prepared!

Register here!