EVENT CALENDAR - Fresno Audubon Society
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
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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 ...
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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...
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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...
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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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Jan
21
Sat
2023
Saturday Field Trip – Merced Grasslands & Merced NWR
Jan 21 @ 6:45 am – 5:45 pm

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

 

Jan
28
Sat
2023
Field Trip to River West Open Space @ River West Open Space
Jan 28 @ 8:00 am – 12:30 pm

Field Trip to River West Open Space, Saturday, January 28, 2023

Event Details Subject to Change

Register here!

Join Fresno Audubon for a bird hike at River West Open Space on Saturday January 28. 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 Susan Estep. She can be reached at (402)212-1215 or sbse820@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!

Feb
1
Wed
2023
Field Trip to River West Madera @ River West Madera
Feb 1 @ 8:00 am – 12:30 pm

Field Trip to River West Madera

Wednesday

February 1, 2023

Register here!

We will meet at 8:00 a.m. just outside the Valley Golf Center (which is south and down the hill from Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera County). For those who participated in Rachel Clark’s outing last fall from Wildwood Native Park, a lot of the terrain will look familiar. However, as the park is not open during the work week, we will be assembling west of the park.

 

Weather and trail conditions permitting, the plan is to take Palm Avenue down from the golf course, following the river downstream, first on the service road to Sycamore Island, then along the Riverfront Trail, ultimately emerging at a grouping of several ponds and a large lagoon just north of the river channel. The Riverfront Trail follows a berm next to the river and is somewhat narrow and uneven. For anyone not comfortable with it, the Sycamore Island road can be followed instead. Total distance is about 3.5 miles.

 

Although this is directly across the river from River West Open Space (that walk is set for January 28 and led by the incomparable Susan Estep), be prepared for some different birds on the Madera County side, including black-crowned night heron, wigeon, green-wing teal, cinnamon teal, phainopepla, various wrens, and acorn, Nuttall’s and downy woodpeckers. We may also see early signs of nesting activity by the returning osprey and great-horned owls, and perhaps an appearance by one or two bald eagles.

 

Bring suitable clothing (layers) and walking shoes (note the trail may be sloppy in some areas), snacks, water, head covering, sunscreen, and binoculars. The ponds and lagoon will be quite amenable to spotting scopes, although they are more than a mile and a half from the assembly area.

 

Directions: Take Highway 41 north from Fresno, to the first exit north of the San Joaquin River (Exit 138A). Turn right at the intersection and follow Cobb Ranch Road back toward Fresno until you get to the first intersection. Turn right and proceed under the Highway 41 bridges to the parking area just outside the golf course where we will assemble.

Leader: John McDaniel

Phone: (559) 779-7186

Email: mandomac@comcast.net

Register here!

Feb
14
Tue
2023
General Meeting – Larry Parmeter, How the Birds Taught Humanity to Fly @ Zoom
Feb 14 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

 Virtual General Meeting

Larry Parmeter

How the Birds Taught Humanity to Fly

Register for Fresno Audubon General Meeting February 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.

Larry Parmeter

How the Birds Taught Humanity to Fly

 

Description: 

Since the dawn of recorded history, humans have wanted to fly like the birds. Although many studied the secret of avian flight during the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, it was not until the Industrial Revolution that the technological tools for humanity to fly became available. By the mid and late 1800s, spurred on by the science of bird flight, dozens of people, and the Wright Brothers were not the first, were attempting to master human flight. This culminated in the early 20th century with pioneering aviators on both sides of the Atlantic, and the Pacific as well, joining the birds in the air. 

 

Biography: 

Larry is a retired high school English teacher who currently teaches for the Osher Adult Continuing  Education Program at Fresno State. He has been a member of Fresno Audubon for over 30 years, and was its president during the 1990s. He currently leads field trips for both Audubon and the San Joaquin River Parkway, and is also involved in the Parkway’s  environmental education program for elementary school students. He has also had a longtime interest in the space program and aviation, which led him to tonight’s presentation.



Fresno Audubon Society
Thank you for your continued involvement in and support of Fresno Audubon Society.
Feb
15
Wed
2023
Wednesday Walk – Lions Park @ Lions Park
Feb 15 @ 7:45 am – 1:00 pm

Registration Required.

Link to Registration.

 

On Wednesday, February 15, Fresno Audubon will travel to Lions Park in Kerman for its Wednesday Walk. This is a small park in what used to be a rural area outside Kerman but is now surrounded by residential homes. Nevertheless, it is still a major bird attractor, with many different sparrows, woodpeckers, Robins, nuthatches, and other species. A pond on the premises has ducks, wading birds, and grebes. It’s a little-known and overlooked but wonderful birding place.

 

We will meet the Walmart at Blackstone and Ashlan at 7:45 and go from there. If time permits, we will go to nearby Kerman Rotary Park, which is also a good birding site. People are responsible for arranging their carpooling beforehand. Bring a lunch.

For more information, contact Larry Parmeter at lanpar362@gmail.com or at 559-288-3456.

 

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

Registration Required.

Link to Registration.

 

Feb
25
Sat
2023
Parkfield/Cholame Valley, Feb 2023 @ Parkfield/Cholame Valley
Feb 25 @ 6:45 am – 3:45 pm

 

Parkfield/Cholame Valley Bird Walk

February 25, 2023

Register here

 

Join Kevin Enns-Rempel on February 25 for a birding trip to Cholame Valley and Parkfield. We will meet in the Wal-Mart parking lot at Ashlan & Blackstone at 6:45am, and depart there by 7am. 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

 

 

Mar
8
Wed
2023
The Raptor Trail Field Trip on The Kings River at Pine Flat Dam @ The Raptor Trail on The Kings River at Pine Flat Dam
Mar 8 @ 8:00 am – 1:00 pm

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 either trip leader.

Contact:

Maureen Walsh

(559) 706-4980

email: mewnew10@yahoo.com

 

Clayton Dahlen

(559) 593-2367

email: mc_dahlen@yahoo.com

 

Register Here

Mar
14
Tue
2023
General Meeting – Speaker Robert Groos: Zambia Safari @ Zoom
Mar 14 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

 Virtual General Meeting

Robert Groos

Zambia Safari

Lilac-breasted Roller by Robert Groos

 

Description

FAS members travel alert:
Join Robert Groos on safari to Zambia. No need to fly all the way to the other side of the world. On this photo and video expedition, you will experience the birds and other wildlife (lions, leopards, elephants, zebra, antelope, of course) of Zambia as if you were sitting by my side in the safari jeep. Enjoy an incredible travel experience, informative as well as entertaining, without leaving the comfort of your own home.
Come along with me. I want you by my side on March 14, 2023

 

Biography

Robert received a PhD in French from the University of Wisconsin, became a university professor, but eventually left academia to pursue a career in computer technology consulting.

He began photographing birds in preparation for a safari in Botswana. What better way to learn how to use a camera than photographing birds, he reasoned. Birds eventually became his favorite photographic subject. “I’ve never met a bird I didn’t want to photograph,” he admits.

His photograph of a Cedar Waxwing was selected to appear in a special Audubon Photography Awards gallery of  “our favorite female bird shots 2021.”

Choosing to be a bird photographer necessitated becoming an avid birder, and that pursuit led to storytelling about his experiences observing birds.

You can read FAS member Robert Groos’ stories on his website: robertgroosphotography.com

Register for Fresno Audubon General Meeting March 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.

 

Biography: 

 



Fresno Audubon Society
Thank you for your continued involvement in and support of Fresno Audubon Society.
Mar
18
Sat
2023
CANCELLED: Saturday Bird Walk at Lost Lake @ Lost Lake
Mar 18 @ 8:30 am – 12:00 pm

Lost Lake Audubon Field Trip Saturday March 18th

Due to flooding Lost Lake is closed.

This trip is cancelled.

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 , March 18th

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: on weekends 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 cancels this walk.

Trip Leader: Lynda Schafhauser

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

Email: rufusradar@att.net

 

Register Here

Mar
22
Wed
2023
CANCELLED Wednesday Bird Walk at Sycamore Island @ Sycamore Island
Mar 22 @ 8:45 am – 1:00 pm

Wednesday Bird Walk at Sycamore Island 

Canceled due to rain and conditions.

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 559-435-9374 or geofolsom@gmail.com

Register Here