If you have questions regarding field trips or would
like to check the status of trips in case of unfavorable weather
conditions, please call the trip leader. If he/she cannot be reached,
call the scheduler. Trips geared for beginners are highlighted in red. To get directions, you can also use the Birding Sites Map. Due
to insurance requirements, Sacramento Audubon leaders are not allowed
to organize carpools. Participants are, however, encouraged to
voluntarily share rides. Any carpool arrangements are private
arrangements between the driver and the passengers. Drivers must carry
adequate insurance coverage. Please be courteous and share gas expenses
with the driver.
Field Trips for Feb. 5- Mar. 11, 2011 Scheduler, Richard Barbieri, 966-4603, offleash56@yahoo.com
Saturday, February 5, 7:30am Lincoln Grasslands Leader: Scott Hoppe, 835-8471 shoppe01@earthlink.net We will search the back roads of western Placer County for raptors, waterfowl, Tri-colored Blackbirds and Lewis’ Woodpeckers. This area is known for high concentrations of wintering raptors (up to 12 species can be seen in a day), and is also a magnet for wintering ducks and geese. Meet Scott at the Brookfield’s Restaurant parking lot, 1817 Taylor Road, in Roseville. From Sacramento on I-80, take the Eureka Road offramp (Exit 105A) and continue straight through the signal light at Eureka Road and you’ll be on Taylor Road. Turn left just past the Shell Station. Brookfield’s is behind Shell. Bring lunch, scopes and FRS radios if you have them.
Sunday, February 6, 7:30am Yuba County Wetlands Leader: Richard Barbieri, 966-4603 offleash56@yahoo.com Streams and rivers draining from the foothills to the valley and farmers’ irrigation help to create these wetlands and winter habitat on surrounding properties. Join Richard on a trip to one of his favorite places to bird while he looks for ducks, geese, shorebirds, and birds of prey. Meet Richard at the Brookfield’s Restaurant parking lot, 1817 Taylor Road, in Roseville. From Sacramento on I-80, take the Eureka Road exit (105A) and follow straight through the first stop light at Eureka Road and you’ll be on Taylor Road. Brookfield’s will be on your left behind the Shell gas station. Bring lunch, layered clothes, and scopes and FRS radios if you have them.
Saturday, February 12, 7:30am Lake Solano and Monticello Dam Leader: Dan Williams, (714) 943-1266 jaegermaestro@yahoo.com Join Dan for a day of birding that will last into mid-afternoon. Lake Solano is situated at the base of the Coast Range just past the town of Winters and below Lake Berryessa. It is one of the closest spots from Sacramento to see a variety of higher elevation species, including Pileated Woodpecker, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, and American Dipper. A great diversity of waterfowl winter on the lake itself including Barrow's Goldeneye and Hooded Merganser. We will enjoy a picnic at Lake Solano Park, then finish the day at Monticello Dam where we will hope to see Bald Eagle, Common Loon, and Rock and Canyon Wren. Bring lunch and layered clothes and meet Dan at the Park & Ride off I-80 in West Sacramento. From Sacramento, take the West Capitol Ave. Exit #81; turn left at the light and then left again into the Park & Ride lot.
Sunday, February 13, 8am Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Leader: Tim Fitzer, 870-5207 spskua2@comcast.net Tim will be looking for the great flocks of ducks and geese that winter in the valley or stop to feed on their way further south. There is a 3.7 mile driving route and a great viewing platform as well. This trip will last into early afternoon, so bring lunch, drinks and warm clothes. We’ll return through the Dunnigan Hills, a good area for raptors, Burrowing Owls and wintering sparrows. This is a good trip for newer birders and experienced birders alike. FRS radios are helpful on this trip. Meet Tim at the Woodland Jack-in-the-Box. Take 1-5 north toward Woodland; exit at County Road 102 (#536); turn right (north) on 102 and turn right into the Jack-in-the-Box parking lot. Please note that there is a fee for each vehicle: either $3 for a day pass, or a $12 Refuge Annual Pass.
Tuesday, February 15, 8am Isenberg Crane Preserve/Cosumnes River Preserve Boardwalk Leader: Dan Tankersley, 606-6518 dtankers@winfirst.com Join Dan for an end of season look at our wintering Sandhill Cranes before they take off on their migration to nesting areas. He’ll also look for wintering geese and ducks, including Gadwall, Northern Shovelers, teal and wigeon. In shallow water there may be shorebirds, such as dowitchers, sandpipers, yellowlegs, Dunlin, and maybe some surprises. After Woodbridge Road Dan will stop at the Cosumnes Preserve boardwalk, a good place to look for the noisy but hard-to-see Marsh Wren, and the cryptic Wilson's Snipe. Meet Dan at the Nugget Market at 8 am. Going south on I-5, take the Florin Road West exit; go west to the first signal light, (Greenhaven Drive), and make a U-turn. The parking area for the market will be on the right. This trip will end by noon. Bring FRS radios and spotting scopes if you have them. This is a great trip for both beginners and more experienced birders. Thick fog cancels this trip.
February 19, 20 & 21, President’s Day Weekend Eureka/Arcata area Leaders, Dan Brown 362-2458, naturestoc@aol,com Joe Ceriani, joeceriani@usmessage.net Please mark your calendars and join Dan and Joe for 3 days of birding along California’s North coast. We will be birding some of the traditional spots in the Eureka and Arcata areas and possibly some of Joe’s new favorite spots. Please contact Dan or Joe for further details.
Family Friendly Trip!!! Sunday, February 20, 8:30-11am Yolo Basin Wildlife Area Leader: Ann Burris, 947-7573 naburris@sbcglobal.net THIS TRIP IS FULL
Thursday, February 24, 8am William Pond Park Leader: Cathie LaZier, 457-6882 empid@earthlink.net Meet Cathie along the first parking area just past the entrance kiosk. We’ll walk down to some different spots on the river, where mergansers and goldeneye can be found in the backwaters and wrens and towhees call from the bushes. We’ll check out the heron rookery, then look at the pond area for Red-winged Blackbirds and Green Heron. California Quail, Western Bluebirds and Lark Sparrows may be found in the park area. Trip will end before noon, and there is a park entrance fee of $5 per car if you don’t have a County Parks Pass. From the intersection of Fair Oaks and Arden, follow Arden east and it runs into the park. This is an excellent trip for beginners.
Saturday, February 26, 7:30am Serrano Parkway, El Dorado Hills Leader: Maureen Geiger, 444-0804 mkgeiger@sbcglobal.net Join Maureen for a leisurely walk through this riparian habitat and look for resident birds such as woodpeckers, nuthatches, towhees, wrens, bluebirds and marsh birds, as well as possible winter warblers and sparrows. River otters are a possibility. Meet for coffee at 7:30 at the coffee shop on the right side of the Raley’s shopping center on El Dorado Hills Boulevard just off Highway 50; the group will leave for birding by 8 am sharp. This trip lasts into late morning. The trail may be muddy.
Saturday, February 26, 3:30 pm (last weekend for this trip!) Sandhill Cranes and Other Wintering Birds of the Sacramento Valley A Save Our Sandhill Cranes-sponsored trip Coordinator: Mike Savino, 446-1392 Sandhill Cranes are the focus of this trip but ducks, swans and geese, as well as shorebirds, feed in the flooded fields and marshy areas of the delta, and hawks patrol overhead. Meet at the Cosumnes River Preserve Visitor Center parking lot at 3:30 p.m. to hear a brief presentation of Sandhill Crane behavior, biology and status. Then we’ll stroll the boardwalk in the Lost Slough Wetlands, enjoying views of the cranes, wintering waterfowl and shorebirds. Afterwards, we’ll drive along Desmond Road and possibly to Woodbridge Road or Staten Island, to see flocks of cranes fly in to roost for the night. Dress for changeable weather; bring binoculars, scopes and FRS radios if you have them. From Sacramento, take I-5 south to Twin Cities Road; go left (east) to the stop sign at Franklin Blvd.; turn right (south) on Franklin and, driving through the Preserve, watch for the Visitor Center parking lot on your left. Further directions and maps are available at www.cosumnes.org. This is a great trip for beginners.
Sunday, February 27, 7am Upper Lake Natomas and Folsom Lake Leader: Chris Conard, 203-1610 conardc@gmail.com The sheltered canyon of upper Lake Natoma near the Folsom Rodeo Grounds is usually quite productive and Mormon Island to Brown's Ravine is one of the best sites for Phainopeplas. We'll also look for loons, grebes and other waterbirds on the lakes. The woods should be alive with the songs of Bewick's Wrens and other resident breeders. From Hwy 50, exit at Folsom Blvd and go north. After 2.7 miles, turn right on Natoma Street. In 1.0 mile, turn left on Stafford St and park between the library and the entrance to the Folsom Zoo. Be prepared for about three miles of walking. Trip will end by noon. Steady rain cancels.
Sunday, February 27, 3:30pm (last SOSC trip of the season) Sandhill Cranes and Other Wintering Birds of the Sacramento Valley A Save Our Sandhill Cranes-sponsored trip Coordinator: Mike Savino, 446-1392 See Feb. 26 trip for details.
Thursday, March 3, 8:30am Yolo Wildlife Area Leader: Marlene Ishihara, 635-9758 IshiM2000@comcast.net Join Marlene in this great area 10 minutes from downtown Sacramento. Depending on the extent of flooded fields on the auto tour route, there may be good numbers of shorebirds and waterfowl and possible raptors such as Peregrine Falcon. From Sacramento, take I-80 west, take the first exit (#78) at the west end of the Yolo Causeway. Turn right at the stop sign, go under the freeway, make a left up onto the levee, then drop down into the Wildlife Area. The trip begins at the first parking lot (Lot A), on your left. Scopes are helpful on this trip which is good for both beginners and more experienced birders. Note: trip will be canceled if bypass is closed due to flooding.
Saturday, March 5, 8am North Fork Pleasant Grove Creek (Roseville area) Leader: Scott Dietrich, 208-4976 sed25@csus.edu The North Fork Pleasant Grove open space area is a river flood plain area scattered with old growth Valley Oaks, riparian habitat and a small wetlands area. It’s usually a great place to see raptors such as Barn Owl, American Kestrel, Red-tailed Hawk, White-tailed Kite, Red-shouldered Hawk and Cooper’s Hawk. Also present are some waterfowl including Wood Duck, Mallard, and often Hooded and Common Merganser. Also seen here are Great Egret, Great Blue Heron and Green Heron. Of course there will still be many winter birds, Northern Flicker, sparrows and finches as well as the resident oak habitat birds, Acorn and Nuttall’s Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Oak Titmouse and Western Bluebird. Meet Scott at Paul Dugan Park in the northeast part of Roseville. In Roseville drive north on Woodcreek Oaks Blvd. past Blue Oaks Blvd; then turn right onto Diamond Woods Circle and drive a short distance; Paul Dugan Park will be on your right. Or, coming from Sacramento, take I-80 east to Hwy 65; take 65 north to Blue Oaks Blvd; take Blue Oaks Blvd. west to Woodcreek Oaks Blvd, and go north on Woodcreek Oaks to Diamond Woods, then right to Paul Dugan Park. (Thomas Bros Map 219 D1, for those without Internet!) This newer area for Sacramento Audubon trips will be of interest to beginning and more experienced birders.
Sunday, March 6, 7am Highway 37 and Ellis Creek, Petaluma Leader: Mark Martucci, 833-6722 matuchbirdman@yahoo.com From the West Sacramento Park & Ride, Mark will lead the group towards Petaluma, with various birding stops along Hwy 37. Moving on to Ellis Creek (near Schollenberger Park), he’ll look for Blue-winged Teal and a variety of other waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls, Common Yellowthroat and the occasional rail and possibly a Peregrine Falcon. Bring lunch and liquids and layered clothing. Meet Mark at 7 a.m. at the Park & Ride off I-80 in West Sacramento. From Sacramento, take the West Capitol Ave. Exit #81; turn left at the light and then left again into the Park & Ride lot. This is a great trip for both beginning and more experienced birders.