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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15
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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...
29
FAS Board Meeting 11:00 am
FAS Board Meeting @ Zoom meeting
Dec 29 @ 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Contact admin@fresnoaudubon.org for login credentials
30
31
Jan
29
Wed
2025
Wednesday Walk – Ball Ranch @ Ball Ranch meeting location - Target
Jan 29 @ 8:00 am – 12:00 pm

Wednesday Bird Walk

Ball Ranch

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

FAS Release of Liability Form

Register for the walk here.

Ball Ranch, on the San Joaquin River Parkway, offers various habitats including grasslands, wetlands, ponds, riparian areas and oak groves. Cormorants, ducks, mergansers, grebes, raptors, sparrows, finches, quail, gnatcatchers, woodpeckers and many others can be found there. Occasionally we have found Lewis’s Woodpeckers.  We will walk 1 to 2 miles on dirt roads and a short trail.  There are restrooms on site.
We will meet at Ball Ranch in the recently developed parking lot at 8:00. We plan to be finished by noon.
The property is open to the public, so the gates will be open if anyone needs to leave early.
Checklist:  binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, water, sunscreen, hat.

Ball Ranch meeting location    (36.9361267, -119.7309237)

 

 

 

Green Heron by Clayton Dahlen

 

 

 

 

Feb
1
Sat
2025
Saturday Walk – San Luis NWR Feb 2025
Feb 1 @ 7:00 am – 4:00 pm

San Luis NWR

Saturday Feb. 1, 2025

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

FAS Release of Liability Form

Registration is required for all participants.

Register for this walk here

We will meet at 7:00 AM in the parking lot in front of the Target store in the shopping center at  Herndon and N. Riverside Dr. in Fresno.  At 7:15, we will form carpools and head for the San Luis NWR by 7:30 AM. We will not wait for those who are not on time. If you are late, you can drive to the Wild Life Refuge and try to catch us before we leave the parking lot there.
 
We hope to be at the Refuge by 9 AM. At the Refuge we will meet at the parking lot by the visitor center. There is a strong likelihood that there will be fog. If that is the case we will need to get there as early as we can. John Fulton, our trip leader for this excursion worked at the Wildlife Refuge for many years and knows it very well. He is aware that we may have a problem with fog and will be waiting for us whenever we arrive.
 
Most of the day will be spent driving various distances, stopping and getting out of our cars to view birds with our binoculars or scopes from next to the cars. There will be several places that we will walk various distances. The Sousa Marsh walk is approximately 2 miles round-trip. The Wetland Trail across from the parking lot is a round-trip of about one mile.
.

NOTES from trip leader John Fulton

Feb 1, 2025:  We will meet at the Visitors’ Center (VC) parking lot on Wolfsen Rd. The VC and office is closed on weekends now; scheduled hours changed recently to exclude weekends, but there are vault toilets that are open so that will be our meeting place.  There is the trail and boardwalk right there, for folks to explore, if they arrive early. I am quick to change plans, to adapt to more current information so this will only be a tentative plan.  We will scope the elk enclosure from the VC to see if the antlers have started to drop, The biggest racks drop first so on Feb 1st, I think we might see a bull with only one side, having dropped the other. Harems may no longer be defended.

 

From there we will be listening for Sandhill Cranes as we make our way north, right through the heart of the original San Luis NWR parcel, acquired in about 1967, on Historic Dickenson Ferry Rd.  That was about the time the US Army Corps of Engineers (COE) helped build the levee to keep the river off of the flood plain so cows  in the wetlands could keep their feet dry. (Only partially kidding). With the help of the COE a Levee District was formed to keep the water off the refuge; the refuge that was established at that same time to put water back onto those same wetlands and the flood plain. The Levee District has a single mission: to defeat the Refuge and keep the refuge dry. After over 50 years, the levee is still there on the refuge and the public is not allowed to drive on it.

 

So as we drive towards the old ferry landing we will be heading towards the levee, the one that we cannot drive on.  We will have to turn right, onto the Waterfowl Tour Route, and get a chance to really appreciate the job that the refuge staff does to manage wetlands despite the COE and the Levee District’s mandated mission.

 

On the drive northward we will hope for upland grassland species like Meadowlarks and several sparrow species. While rare, this stretch of upland north of the elk enclosure has been where Short-eared Owls, Horned Larks and White-tailed Kites have been seen a few times over the years.

 

In the Waterfowl Tour Route’s wetlands, interspersed within the uplands, we should see waterfowl—of course, but also Ibis, Cranes, Pied-billed Grebes and waders.  As we approach the southern edge of the refuge we will turn left and head east to the Sousa Marsh.  If there are swans in the area, and there should be at this time of year in early February, Sousa Marsh is the place to see them. There is a mile hike in riparian forest at the Sousa Marsh and its observation platform.  Then it is back to the VC for snacks or a lunch break.  Depending upon time and the “will-of-the-people,”  we can decide on an afternoon add-on destination. If folks want to, and depending on recent scouting reports, we can visit West Bear Creek, the Forebay, or Merced NWR, or one of the many other birdy spots in the area.

 

 

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

 

 

Contact:

Lowell Young

(209) 617-9921

yosemite.birder@gmail.com

 

Registration is required for all participants.

Register for this walk here

 

 

 

Feb
8
Sat
2025
Saturday Walk – Merced NWR Feb 2025 @ MNWR
Feb 8 @ 7:45 am – 1:00 pm

Merced National Wildlife Refuge

February 8, 2025

 

Registration required: Please register here.

 

Co-leaders: Judy Johnson  & Lowell Young

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 Saturday, February 8 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 7:45 for a 8:00 am departure. Secondary meet up is at the first parking lot of the refuge, near the bathrooms and the first observation deck, at 9:00am (see map).

Map to McDonald’s

Map to MNWR

 

 

The stars of this trip will be the geese. We are hoping to see snow, Ross’s, white-fronted and cackling geese in flocks numbering in the thousands. Other target birds include lesser sandhill cranes, phoebes, various sparrows, American pipits, numerous species of ducks, American white pelicans, wading birds and shore birds, egrets, American coots, red-tailed hawks, northern harriers and other hawks. Also possible are bald eagles, and great-horned owls.

 

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 & Lowell Young (209)617-9921

 

Feb
9
Sun
2025
Millerton Lake Eagle Tour February 9, 2025 @ Millerton Lake, Boat ramp #1
Feb 9 @ 8:45 am – 12:00 pm

Bald Eagle, George Folsom

Millerton Lake Eagle Tours

Reserved Space for Eagle Tour (25 people)

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

Sunday, February 9, 2025 at 9:00 AM (PT)

Cost: $20 per person (NON-REFUNDABLE) 

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

 

 

Use this link to register & pay $20.

Payment of $20 will be collected at time of registration.

 

Please Note: Registration Closes Sunday, January 26, 2025.

 

 

 

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.

 

Complimentary hot chocolate will be served.

 

Tours may be canceled for inclement weather.

 

 

Feb
12
Wed
2025
Parkfield/Cholame Valley, Feb 2025 @ Parkfield/Cholame Valley
Feb 12 @ 7:00 am – 4:00 pm

 

Parkfield/Cholame Valley Bird Walk

February 12, 2025

Register here

 

Join Kevin Enns-Rempel on February 12 for a birding trip to Cholame Valley and Parkfield. We will meet the leader’s home at 6:45am, and depart there by 7am. The address will be provided in you confirmation email. 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

 

 

Feb
15
Sat
2025
Introduction to Birding Saturday Feb. 15, 2025 @ River Center
Feb 15 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

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

FAS Release of Liability Form

Description
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!
BegBirdHO
QR Code for Beginning Birding Handout.
Heavy rain cancels this event.
Class is held from 9 AM -12 PM on the third Saturday of each month from October through May. Subject to change.

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

FAS Release of Liability Form

 

May
13
Tue
2025
May 2025 General Meeting @ Zoom
May 13 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

May 2025 General Meeting

This meeting will be broadcast online via Zoom
Register to receive login information.

Registration Link

 

New to Zoom? Check out all you need to know here before the meeting.

May 13, 2025

Speaker: Scott Harris
Title: RaptorQuest


New to Zoom? Check out all you need to know here before the meeting.

 

Description: 

Scott Harris spent 17 months, chasing 53 Raptors across 34 states—his version of a Raptor Big Year. RaptorQuest is about his adventures, misadventures, successes and failures. From -36 degree days, to ones over 100 degrees, to just getting on the bird just in time, to the frustrations of missing one by minutes. It’s about the birds—of course—but it’s also about the people he met, the things he learned and why he’s already working on his next adventure.

 

 

Speaker Bio: 

Scott Harris and his wife Randi retired to South Carolina in March of 2020-something. Scott will tell you it was one of the best decisions they have made in their 45 years of marriage. It was also when he first started birding – a hobby he never imagined himself participating in, but now can’t imagine living without.

 

They sold their long-time home and business, Mustang Marketing, a marketing/branding company they had owned for 35 years. They are blessed that both their children and their grandson are also in South Carolina.

 

While in California, Scott had a syndicated newspaper column and two weekly radio shows. He and his son Justin also hosted a Los Angeles Dodgers weekly live radio show. Scott sat on dozens of boards over the years, including Boys & Girls Club, United Way, The Sheriff’s Foundation, Pepperdine University, Moorpark College and California State University Northridge.

 

In the month before leaving Ventura County, Scott was honored as Man of the Year, with his company having won Business of the Year two years previously. His interests and hobbies include the largest collection of John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley in the world, playing harmonica in a blues band and he has written more than fifty books in the past seven years – though the one he’ll be discussing today is his first entrée into the world of birding and birds. 

 

That book, RaptorQuest: Chasing America’s Raptors, is the story of his year-long adventure tracking down every species of Raptor in the Lower 48 states. And today, we’ll learn about his adventures, misadventures, successes and failures.



Fresno Audubon Society
Thank you for your continued involvement in and support of Fresno Audubon Society.