May 8th is World Migratory Bird Day as well as the Global Big Day. To celebrate, Fresno Audubon will hold our first in-person field trip in over a year at Lost Lake Recreation Area. The state and county orders allow “Recreational social and community classes,” and we believe a field trip fits this category. We are currently in the red tier where the maximum allowed group size is 50. Everyone must do their own risk assessment before participating, but we believe risks to be very low if we follow state and CDC guidelines. All attendees must sign our liability waiver, and registration is required. You can register here. By registering you will be agreeing to our liability waiver and will not need to sign again onsite.

We will operate the event according to state and county guidelines: Masks must be warn in public except when outdoors and maintaining at least 6 feet of social distance from others not in their household. You must have a face covering with you at all times and must put it on if you are within 6 feet of others who are not in your household.

We don’t recommend sharing scopes and won’t be sponsoring a group meal at the end of the trip.

This will be a 2-hour trip to comply with county requirements. We will meet at the Audubon Nature Trailhead at the south end of the park. Please join us for a wonderful morning of group birding!

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.

Join FAS on Wednesday, November 24 as we go birding at Lost Lake Rec Area (16385 N. Friant, Friant, CA 93626). Lost Lake is the number one hot spot in Fresno County. Our target species include Orange-crowned Warblers, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Wood Duck, Prairie Falcon, Red-breasted Sapsucker and many more. There is a $5 park entry fee, which is paid at the kiosk on the drive in. We will be meeting at 8:00 in the parking lot at the south end of the park (at the (Audubon Trailhead). Participants should bring snacks, lunch (if desired), water, hat, sunscreen, and binoculars, and should dress in layers. We will likely be wrapping up at noon. 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 Robert Snow at rsnow@fresnoaudubon.org or (650) 483-2347. Please register here.

Everyone must do their own risk assessment before participating, but we believe risks to be very low if we follow state and CDC guidelines. All attendees must sign our liability waiver, and registration is required. You can register here. By registering you will be agreeing to our liability waiver and will not need to sign again onsite.

We will operate the event according to state and county guidelines: Masks must be warn in public except when outdoors and maintaining at least 6 feet of social distance from others not in their household. You must have a face covering with you at all times and must put it on if you are within 6 feet of others who are not in your household.

We will meet at the Audubon Nature Trailhead at the south end of the park. Please join us for a wonderful morning of group birding!

Registration: Please register for the field trip here.

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

Trip leader: Robert Snow at (650) 483-2347 or rsnow@fresnoaudubon.org.

With winter migrants filling local refuges and putting on a tremendous show, now is a wonderful time to bird the Central Valley. Join Fresno Audubon on Wednesday, December 8th for a tour of the Merced National Wildlife Refuge. We will meet at the first parking lot of the refuge, near the bathrooms and the first observation deck, at 1:00pm. 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, black and Say’s phoebes, white-crowned and gold-crowned sparrows, American pipits, northern shovelers, northern pintails, gadwalls, green-winged and cinnamon teals, greater white-fronted geese, snow geese, Ross’s geese, American white pelicans, great and snowy egrets, great blue herons, American coots, black-necked stilts, white-faced ibis, long-billed dowitchers, dunlin, Wilson’s snipe, lesser sandpipers, long-billed curlews, red-tailed hawks, and northern harriers. Also possible are cackling geese, red-shouldered hawks, Cooper’s hawks, bald eagles, kestrels, and great-horned owls. Both a burrowing owl and female vermillion flycatcher have recently been seen at the refuge as well.
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. We ask that participants be vaccinated, wear masks, and adhere to social distancing protocols. Registration is required for this event.

Please register here.