Field Trip Leaders: John Trochet, Chris Conard, and Mackenzie Hollender sacaudubonyoungbirders@gmail.com
Supervisor: Kevin Hollender

This is a Young Birders Club field trip. Participation is limited to members of the Sacramento Valley Young Birders Club. Registration is through the young birders club Slack. Please go to www.sacramentoaudubon.org/young-birders-club to become a member.

Join us for a unique opportunity to see a special habitat in the Cosumnes River Preserve that is closed to the public. We will meet at the Farm Center gate, corner of Bruceville and Desmond Roads. The time is not a meeting time but a departure time, so folks should be there a few minutes early. At dawn, we will witness massive waterfowl, crane and icterid species fly-outs from the fields. The list of birds that are possible on this survey is endless. The surveys usually last about six hours but if the birding is superior, they can last a bit longer.  There are no facilities on this route, so everyone should have water, a snack or two, lunch, toilet paper, and clothing in layers that can be shed.  The Accidental Forest, one of our early stops, is often 15-20 degrees colder than Sacramento first thing in the morning, so no shorts or sandals. If it has rained some, rubber knee boots would probably be best. If it has rained a lot, you will really need them. During this season boots really help keep the stickers off your shoes and pantlegs.

The diversity we'll encounter hinges critically on land uses behind the gate.  The organic rice harvest will probably be over (but possibly not), and some of the harvested fields will be shallowly flooded.  After working the various woodland areas, we'll pad our list with the geese, ducks, cranes, and shorebirds using these fields. 

Sandhill Crane © Ray Rozema