| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 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 ... | 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 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... | |||||
| 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 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... | ||||||
| Save the DATE Big Dry Creek Reservoir Grasslands 8:00 am Save the DATE Big Dry Creek Reservoir Grasslands Dec 18 @ 8:00 am – 12:00 pm Save the DATE! Time subject to change. More details and registration link available soon. | ||||||
| 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 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... | ||||||
Cancelled due to high winds in the area.
Weekend field trip: Kern County Spring Migration – America’s late April/early May Birdiest Inland County contest winner 7 years in a row!
Leaders: Penny Stewart (559) 978-7182, and Bob Barnes (760) 382-1260
For multiple reasons this trip will be limited to 14 people including leaders.
Event is currently full. Email admin@fresnoaudubon.org if you would like to know if there are any cancelations.
Saturday: meet and depart from Ridgecrest Econo Lodge parking lot, at 5:30. A secondary meeting spot, (for those not staying in Ridgecrest), will be 6:10 at Jawbone Station Visitor Center.
Meeting Place: Econo Lodge Inn, Ridgecrest, CA
Secondary Meeting Place:
This is located at the entrance to Jawbone Canyon Rd, just off Hwy 14. From here we will head to Butterbredt Spring, (part of the designated Souther Sierra Globally Important Bird Area (IBA). This spring is an excellent migrant hot spot, and may have vagrants this time of year. The drive is approximately 6 miles paved, and 6 miles of dirt road, from Jawbone Canyon Rd entrance.
After spending the morning and lunch at the spring, we will continue on a loop, traveling through Joshua tree habitat, toward the Kern River Preserve. This is an extensive Riparian corridor, and is one of the first ten Globally Important Bird Areas designated in the United States.We return to Ridgecrest for dinner via 178.
Sunday: Meets and departs at the same location and time as Saturday. We will bird along Hwy 178 for some higher elevation areas, and to various Kern River Valley locations missed Saturday. Expect to have lunch in the field again, and bird till about 3:00. We can leave for home from the Kern Valley area.
Friday option: Meet Bob Barnes at City Park parking lot, in California City at 11:00. Here we will look for migrants, and eat lunch. Second meeting will be at 3:00 at the Ridgecrest Walmart parking lot. Go to the corner nearest to Panda Express. This is on E. Bowman Rd. Bob Barnes will take us to some local spots for desert birds we may not see during the main trip, as well as migrants.
Recommendations:
Participants arrive Friday night, as we will start early Saturday. Bring lunches (all lunches will be in the field) snacks, sun screen, insect repellent, a hat, and lots of water (with a way to carry water on the trail). s The desert can be very cold in the morning and very hot in the afternoon. Bringing gloves and a warm cap is not unrealistic. If able, carpooling from Fresno will be helpful as we will not be returning to some of the meeting spots. No cars with particularly low ground clearance. We encourage people to stay at Econo Lodge as they will serve us breakfast at 5AM, allowing for early departure. This will also allow carpooling for Saturday. When booking a room, mention that you are part of the Fresno Audubon birdwatching group. If we book 7 rooms we can get a discount.
Target birds: Chukar, Costa’s Hummingbird, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Cassin’s Kingbird, Pinyon Jay, Verdin, Cactus Wren, Black Throated Sparrow, Scott’s Oreole, Summer Tannager, Spring Migrants, and possible eastern vagrants.
Bob Barns is a well known leader in the birding community. His list of conservation projects along with community building is so extensive that I cannot list all here. He has resided on the Kern River Preserve where he was the president of the Kern River Valley revitalization project, and co founded the Southern Sierra Research Station, amongst many other positions. He currently resides in Ridgecrest, and is an expert in the Kern County area.
Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, radios
Lost Lake Audubon Field Trip Wednesday May 18th
Registration is required for this event.
Registration closes 24 hours before the event or when full.
Registration link
Location: Lost Lake , Fresno County Park
Lost Lake Rd, Friant, CA 93626
Date and Meeting time: 8:00 am, May 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: 8:00 am – 11 am
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: Rick Grijalva
Contact information:
Email: rickgrijalva2@gmail.com
Registration link
Wednesday Walk – Balsam Meadows Snow-Park and Forebay
Registration is required.
Registration closes 24 hours before the event or when full.
George Folsom will lead this trip to Balsam Meadows Snow-Park and Forebay on Southern California Edison Company property, just off Highway168, nine miles above Shaver Lake. The elevation is 6,500 feet. We will be walking a loop trail of about 2 miles with very little elevation change. Parts of this area were burned in the Creek Fire leaving a mixture of burned and unburned habitats.
There are restrooms at the parking lot and at the Forebay, about halfway through our walk. Parking is available at the Snow-Park just off Highway168 on the left as you pass the sign.
We can expect woodpeckers, raptors, finches, warblers, swifts, sparrows among may others.
Participants should bring snacks, lunch (if desired), water, hat, sunscreen, and binoculars, and should dress in layers. We will meet at Walmart, Ashlan and Blackstone, at 7:45 for an 8:00 AM departure. For those driving directly to Balsam Meadows we should be there by 9:30.
Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat.
Trip Leader: George Folsom georgefolsom@icloud.com (559)351-7192
Map to Fresno meeting location, 7:45 AM
Map to Balsam Meadows Sno-Park, 9:30 AM
Registration is required.
Camp Edison, Shaver Lake Walk
Registration is required for this event.
Registration closes 24 hours before the event or when full.
On Saturday, June 1, Fresno Audubon will head to Camp Edison at Shaver Lake for a look at mountain birds. Camp Edison is always a good place to see mountain species, including White-headed Woodpecker, Gold-crowned Kinglet, Fox Sparrow, Western Tanager, Yellow and MacGillivray’s Warblers, Black-headed Grosbeak, and many others. With luck, we may also see Pileated Woodpeckers, and hear, if not see, Mountain Quail. Shaver Lake, as well, has its resident Ospreys and Bald Eagles, among several other raptors.
We will meet in the parking lot in front of the Target at Riverpark at 7:30AM and go from there. Camp Edison does require a fee to enter, so carpooling is recommended. Participants are responsible for making carpool arrangements beforehand.
Bring warm clothing(even in June, the mountains can still be cold), optics, lunch, and snacks.
For more information or questions, contact trip leader Larry Parmeter at lanpar362@gmail.com or at 559-288-3456.
For more information, contact Larry Parmeter at lanpar362@gmail.com or at 559-288-3456.
Map to meeting place.
Registration is required for this event.
Long-billed Curlew by Rachel Clark
Registration is required for this event for each participant.
Registration closes 24 hours before the event or when full.
Event is full if you want to be added to the wait list email admin@fresnoaudubon.org.
Please join Fresno Audubon on Saturday, June 15 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 Blackstone 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.
Registration is required for this event for each participant.
Event is full if you want to be added to the wait list email admin@fresnoaudubon.org.
Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, radios
Trip leader: Rick Grijalva at 559-578-6168 or rickgrijalva2@gmail.com.
Owl walk by Nancy Gilmore
FAS Field Trip Leader Planning Meeting
If you would like to be a part of this planning meeting please register at this link.
Lost Lake Audubon Field Trip Wednesday Sept. 11th
Registration is required for this event.
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 closes 24 hours before the event or when full.
Registration link
Location: Lost Lake , Fresno County Park
Lost Lake Rd, Friant, CA 93626
Date and Meeting time: 8:00 am, Sept. 11th
Meeting location in park: We will meet at the parking lot just before the campground. Not at the Audubon Trailhead at the west end (down stream end) of the park.
Duration of walk: 8:00 am – 11 am
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: There will be the active warbler migration in progress throughout the campground and we will be spending more time beyond the campground up near the State Fish Hatchery at the “canopy of trees” where great views are possible with the warblers visible in the bushes circling the area of trees.
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: Fred Peterson fjppet@gmail.com
Co-Trip Leader: Susan Heidebrecht sunheidebrecht@comcast.net
Registration is required for this walk.
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
Grant Grove Bird Walk
September 14, 2024
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
Join Fresno Audubon on Saturday, September 14, as we journey up Highway 180 to the Grant Grove area of Kings Canyon National Park and beyond. Registration for this trip is required. Register here
We will meet at 7:00 AM in the parking lot between Javier’s Mexican Restaurant (5680 E. Kings Canyon Rd.) and the Educational Employees Credit Union to arrange carpooling. See Map Below.
The group will depart by 7:15 AM. Our first stop will be Grant Grove Village, where we will bird around the meadow. We will then drive about 6.5 miles farther on Highway 180 to the Indian Basin Grove Interpretive Trail/Princess Campground. Depending on time, we may also stop at the Big Stump Grove on the way back. We will head back down by about 4 pm. Participants can certainly leave earlier if they’d prefer.
Participants should bring snacks, lunch, water, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, and binoculars. Registration is required and there is a limit of 25 participants.
Please reach out to trip leader Kevin Enns-Rempel (559-313-4546 or kevin.enns.rempel@gmail.com) with any questions.
Wednesday Walk – Balsam Meadows Snow-Park and Forebay
Registration is required.
Registration closes 24 hours before the event or when full.
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
George Folsom will lead this trip to Balsam Meadows Snow-Park and Forebay on Southern California Edison Company property, just off Highway168, nine miles above Shaver Lake. The elevation is 6,500 feet. We will be walking a loop trail of about 2 miles with very little elevation change. Parts of this area were burned in the Creek Fire leaving a mixture of burned and unburned habitats.
There are restrooms at the parking lot and at the Forebay, about halfway through our walk. Parking is available at the Snow-Park just off Highway168 on the left as you pass the sign.
We can expect woodpeckers, raptors, finches, warblers, swifts, sparrows among may others.
Participants should bring snacks, lunch (if desired), water, hat, sunscreen, and binoculars, and should dress in layers. We will meet at the River Park Target parking lot (7600 N Blackstone Ave. Take E El Paso off of Blackstone), at 7:45 for an 8:00 AM departure. For those driving directly to Balsam Meadows we should be there by 9:30.
Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat.
Trip Leader: George Folsom georgefolsom@icloud.com (559)351-7192
Map to Fresno meeting location, 7:45 AM
Map to Balsam Meadows Sno-Park, 9:30 AM
Registration is required.
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
Pectoral Sandpiper by Gary Woods
The trip is limited to the first 30 people who sign up by Wednesday, Sept. 18th at 8 a.m.
Use this link to register
with your name as it appears on your driver’s license or ID card.
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
On Saturday September 21st we will be birding the Fresno WTP with leader Rick Grijalva. The trip is limited to the first 30 people who sign up by Wednesday, Sept. 18th at 8 a.m. We will be under strict security rules limiting how many cars we can use on the grounds and registrants will not be able to leave early from the group due to multiple electronic gates that we’ll be passing through.
Meet at the guard building at the entrance at 5607 W. Jensen Ave. We will be leaving for the ponds by 8:15 sharp after everyone has signed the liability waiver for the city that will be passed around on a clip board. We will do a final carpooling round to get the number of cars down to 10 maximum.
We will be leaving the ponds and going back to the cars at 11:45 and proceeding to Kearney Park for lunch for those who want to continue with the group. If you carpool from Fresno be sure to bring your lunch and expect to stay with the group until mid-afternoon.
There will be one porta-potty on the ponding complex for our use. Be sure to bring sun protection, binoculars, water, lunch and an ID. We will have a couple of scopes set up for you and we’ll be looking for some of the rarer shorebirds that might be migrating through like Baird’s and Pectoral Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers and Short-billed Dowitchers.