28 Jan February 2020 Yellowbill
President’s Message
Rachel Clark, FAS President
Membership
Membership with Fresno Audubon Society is available for students, for individuals or for families. We also offer a lifetime membership. Your dues will help us pay for our meeting room rental, insurance for field trips and citizen science, communications and other costs of doing business.
Fresno Audubon society membership levels:
$15 Student
$25 Individual
$35 Family
$1000 Golden Eagle (Life)
Our membership year runs from 1 September to 31 August the following year. To join Fresno Audubon Society or to renew your membership, please visit our website here.
Field Trips
Our website has a calendar that allows you to see all the details of upcoming trips as each become finalized. Included in the details is a link to a map showing the meeting point for the trip. The calendar is subscribable, which allows you to integrate it into your electronic calendar. Updates to events will appear as they are made. We encourage you to subscribe. Follow the links within each writeup for more information on destinations and meeting point locations, and to register for the field trip.
New for the 2019-2020 birding season, we have added an event registration page for each outing. This is to provide trip leaders with the expected number of participants. When you register you also sign our liability waiver, which saves both time and paper. We encourage you to register for any event you plan to attend. Tickets for our events are NOT required.
For those who prefer a simple list of trips, you can view or download the one by clicking here.
February Field Trips
Wednesday 5 February 2020 – San Louis NWR with George Folsom
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
Northern Pintail by Dan Cobb, Merced NWR, 19 November 2019
Meeting Location:
Wednesday 19 February 2020 – Elkhorn Slough/Stephens Ranch with Robert Snow
Pectoral Sandpiper by Gary Woods
Join us for an exciting field trip to the Stephens Ranch in Moss Landing. This unique property was originally purchased by David Packard to stop the development of the northern side of Elkhorn Slough. His son-in-law Robert Stephens continues to run the ranch as a haven for birdlife. Expect to see numerous species of upland birds as well as shorebirds in the multi-thousands.
This is an out of town trip starting at 8:00 am, so you can either stay the night before nearby (Watsonville is the most economical) or leave Fresno at 5:30 am to arrive by 8:00. After birding we will eat lunch and then return home, so expect the day to end around 4:00 pm.
Meeting place for carpooling from Fresno is the Target Parking lot at 6655 N Riverside Dr, Fresno, CA 93722. We will meet at 5:15 am for a 5:30 departure.
Checklist: binoculars, bird guide, water, sun protection and lunch.
Leader: Robert Snow, (650)483-2347, rsnow@fresnoaudubon.org.
Directions to the Stephens Ranch: You can navigate to the Elkhorn Native Plant Nursery (now closed) in Moss Landing, then turn east on Struve road. Proceed towards the former nursery, and you will see the ranch house on your right. The coordinates are Struve Rd, Moss Landing, CA 95039, 36.831258, -121.758357.
Saturday 29 February 2020 – Ball Ranch with George Folsom
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.
There are no restrooms on this property. We will walk a mile or more on dirt roads, but most of the area can be driven for those who prefer driving. Please meet at Target in the River Park Shopping Center near Highway 41 and East El Paso Ave at 6:45 am. We plan to be finished by noon. The gate to the property must be locked while we are on the property so plan to stay until noon
Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, radios
Green Heron by Clayton Dahlen
National Park Service Field Trip to Cesar Chavez National Monument
Sat. Feb 22, 8:30-11:30 – Cesar Chavez Nat. Monument, Keene CA
NB: This is not a Fresno Audubon trip but is listed as a public service.
Again this year, the National Park Service invites birders for a morning of winter birding on 117 scenic acres around La Paz in the mountains 25 miles east of Bakersfield on Hwy 58. At 8:30, NPS staff will briefly orient us to the site. Expect to see at least 30 species. For lunch, plan to join birders at the historic Keene Café. Dress warmly in layers, bring water, a hat, and binoculars. Directions: Take Hwy 58 east from Bakersfield; take the Keene exit (#139); turn left and cross under the freeway; take the first right and pass the Keene Café; the Monument’s entrance is ½ mile on the left. Bakersfield carpool meetup at 7:30 am at Costco at Hwy 99 and Rosedale Hwy.
Introduction to Birding Classes
Introduction to Birding at the River Center
Fresno Audubon Society is offering Introduction to Birding classes at the River Center and at the San Joaquin River Gorge. We thank the River Parkway Trust and the BLM for giving us access to their properties for the classes.
Class participants will learn how to use binoculars, why birding is a fun and valuable hobby, and about the resources available to help identify birds. After the initial class work, participants will accompany Fresno Audubon experts on a bird walk around the property.
Participants should bring binoculars, snacks, water, and sun protection. Fresno Audubon will have binoculars to loan for anyone who doesn’t have their own pair. Children are welcome.
The classes are ongoing, and the following upcoming dates have been set. For registration and more details, click on the dates below.
Coke Hallowell Center for River Studies
BLM San Joaquin Gorge
Fresno-Madera Birds
by Jeff Davis
Including reports for the period of
December 16, 2019 to January 15, 2020
The juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at Lost Lake Park continued at least through January 4 (SD).
Juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker by Tim Lenz, Macaulay Library ML30950521
Nearly as rare in our area, a Red-naped Sapsucker was along Calvin Crest Rd in Madera County also on January 4 (NJ).
Red-naped Sapsucker by Gary Woods
A female Prairie Merlin along the Madera Canal near Road 400 December 26 (GF, RS) was a good find. This subspecies was unknown in Madera County until 2010, and fewer than one per winter have been documented since then.
Prairie Merlin by George Folsom
The adult female Vermilion Flycatcher also along the Madera Canal near Road 400 was present at least through January 12 (ph. GW).
Vermillion Flycatcher (female) by Jacob Smith
An adult Black-throated Sparrow was the star attraction during a Fresno Audubon field trip to the Madera side of Millerton Lake January 8 (ph. RC et al.). We average less than one record every five winters.
Black-throated Sparrow by Gary Woods
A female Black-throated Gray Warbler at Lost Lake Park December 19 (ph. JN and JM) and January 4 (SD) provided a rare winter record.
Male Black-throated Gray Warbler by Gary Woods
Cited Observers: Jeff Birek, Rachel Clark, Scott Duncan, George Folsom, Nina Jones, Jireh Mukawa, Jeremy Neipp, Rich Saxton, Gary Woods. ph. = photographed by.
If you make an interesting observation, we’d love to hear about it. We are especially interested in birds listed as casual or rare on the Fresno Audubon checklist and those found out of season, out of normal habitat, or in unusually large numbers. Please submit reports to Jeff Davis (559-246-3272, jndavis@ucsc.edu), the Fresno County Birders e-mail list, or eBird.
Birds in the News
Links to Recent Articles on Birds
‘Dancing dragon’ feathered dinosaur fossil discovered in China
About 120 million years ago, a “dancing dragon” lived in China’s Jehol Province. The discovery of a fossil belonging to the small feathered dinosaur is new to science and helps bridge the gap between dinosaurs and birds.
Researchers named the dinosaur Wulong bohaiensis, which translates to “a dancing dragon.”
The dinosaur was about the size of a raven but double its length with a long, bony tail. Its entire body was covered with feathers, complete with two plumes at the tail’s end.
Despite its small size, it had a fierce, narrow face and a mouth full of sharp teeth. Like a bird, it had small, light bones and wing-like forelimbs. And there were also a number of feathers on its legs. Read more…
Tips on attracting birds to your garden
Giving birds a helping hand by providing supplementary food is a great way to help nature and you don’t need a huge space. Whether you want to put up a window feeder or open a bird café, here are our top tips on feeding the birds. Read more…
Secret to hummingbirds bright plumage uncovered by scientists
The secret of why hummingbirds are so brightly coloured has been discovered by scientists, in a breakthrough that could lead to more vivid materials.
Although many birds have bright plumage, virtually none are as iridescent and shimmering as hummingbirds and until now researchers did not know why.
But a new study shows that while their feathers have the same basic makeup as other birds’, the special shape of their pigment-containing structures enables them to reflect a rainbow of light. Read more…
How One Photographer Captures the Glory of Birds in Flight
Dark, sinuous lines float in a blue sky. It seems straight out of sci-fi or fantasy—a fantastical spacecraft transitioning into its cloaking shield, or a mythical beast in flight. In reality, it is cranes at Gallocanta Lake in Spain, dozens of them, traveling between where they feed in the fields and where they sleep in the water. It is many frames, compressed to a single moment. Catalan photographer Xavi Bou is fascinated with birds and the challenge of making their flight patterns visible. He has combined his passions for nature, art, and technology to create these images which he calls “ornitography,” from the Greek ornitho– (“bird”) and graphe (“drawing”). Read more…
New Legislation Answers Urgent Need to Protect Birds
Representatives Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) and 18 bipartisan original co-sponsors have introduced draft legislation to restore and clarify longstanding protections under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), one of the most important laws protecting our nation’s birds. The bill—H.R. 5552, or the Migratory Bird Protection Act of 2020—clarifies that the foreseeable killing of migratory birds during commercial activities (known as “incidental take”) is governed by the MBTA. This needed clarification comes at a time when America’s bird populations are in escalating crisis. Read more…
Photography Cheat Sheet: How to Photograph Flying Birds
Flying birds may be one of the most popular but challenging subjects to photograph, especially for beginners. But today’s photography cheat sheet tells us it’s actually not as difficult as it sounds. All you need are the right camera settings to achieve the results you want. So, if you’ve been frustrated but ready to give it another go, make sure you bring these helpful tips with you! Read more…
Member Photographs
Fresno Audubon members have been submitting some really terrific photographs to this column. If you would like to add yours to the mix, please send your photo in jpeg format to rsnow@fresnoaudubon.org with a brief description, where the photo was taken and how you want the photo credit to read. Birds may be from anywhere. Limited space may restrict publication to a later issue. We now have an Instagram site (@fresnoaudubon), and we will showcase photos there as well with your permission.
Dan Cobb
All photographs from Lost Lake Park, December 2019
Bald Eagle and Common Raven by Dan Cobb
Belted Kingfisher by Dan Cobb
Dark-eyed Junco by Dan Cobb
Gadwall by Dan Cobb
Black-crowned Night Heron by Dan Cobb
Cecelia Sheeter
Northern Harrier by Cecelia Sheeter. Merced NWR
Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk by Cecelia Sheeter. Madera County
Ferruginous Hawk by Cecelia Sheeter, Madera County
Sora and American Coot by Cecelia Sheeter, Merced NWR
Leucistic Black Phoebe by Cecelia Sheeter, Merced NWR
Mary Cantrell
Black-crowned Night Heron by Mary Cantrell, January 2020, Lost Lake Park
Larry Parmeter
Juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk by Larry Parmeter, Tehachapi, December 2019
Merlin by Larry Parmeter, Los Banos, December 2019
Leucistic Blackbird sp. by Larry Parmeter, December 2019
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.