Field Trips

Please join me one last time as we bird through the beautiful grounds at Indigeny. Besides the apple orchards,
there are large oaks, some pines, stream-side thickets and a marshy area with reeds that provide some great
habitats for birds.
The walk will last 2-3 hrs. Children are welcome! Meet in the parking lot at 9:00 AM. Follow the signs from the
intersection of Greenley and Lyons/Bald Mountain Roads in Sonora. After a few miles on Lyons/BaldMountain
Road, turn right onto Apple Hill Drive where there is a large sign that says “Apple Valley Ranches.” A quick left
turn onto Summers Lane leads you to Indigeny.
As always, bring your binoculars and/or scopes, wear layers.
Rain will cancel
Trip leader -Kit DeGear kdegear@gmail.com

This will primarily be a birding by car trip. Known raptors in the area include: Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Harriers,
Ferruginous Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk; often Bald Eagles and occasionally Golden Eagles. Of course most all of
the ducks will be around, maybe we’ll get lucky and get a Eurasian Widgeon or a Cinnamon Teal. Meet at
Barrows at 8:00 to carpool, or meet at the Copperopolis Pond at 9:00 AM where we can organize a caravan with
our walkie-talkies. Bring a sack lunch, water, snack, you know the drill. We can eat at the resort, before moving on
to the rest of the valley. Rain will cancel. RSVP to Kit DeGear @ kdegear@gmail.com

Field Trip leader -Paolo Maffei

This annual CSAS visit in January is always memorable, especially when the Sandhill Cranes glide in at sunset against
the distant mountain background providing an almost magical visual and audio performance. The geese – Snow, Ross’s, Cackling and Greater White-fronted will all be there in good numbers too, With a little good luck we’ll see and hear the Sora, and possibly a Yellow Warbler at the far overlook. Of course, the ubiquitous Northern Shoveler and always-squabbling American Coots will be ever-present. If you wish to prepare for likely birds, you can review recent listings at the eBird website: https://ebird.org/region/USFWS_119

We will meet at Barrow’s at 12:15pm to carpool/caravan, or meet at the first platform at 2pm. We will make a brief stop
at Dawson Lake on our way down along J59. Dining at a local Merced restaurant will be an option for those that stay
for the sunset fly in. We might want to try a new place, Bella Luna, that we have heard is excellent.

Trip leader – Kit DeGear – Call/text/email if you have any questions. #925-822-5215 or kdegear@gmail.com

Photo by Alan Beymer

This will primarily be a birding by car trip. Known raptors in the area include: Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Harriers, Ferruginous Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk;  often Bald Eagles and occasionally Golden Eagles. In addition, we should see the American Kestrel and hopefully,  the Lewis’s Woodpecker is back this year. The resort we often stop at  is not open in December, therefore bathrooms will probably not be available. We will aim for a shorter day skipping the large reservoir and concentrating on the raptors. We do plan to have our more expansive day in February. Meet me at the Copperopolis Pond at 9:30 AM where we can organize a carpool with our walkie-talkies. You may wish to bring a sack lunch which we can eat at the Copperopolis town square. Restrooms are available there at the end of the excursion. Please RSVP for this event so I can alert you to any changes or cancellation.

Kit DeGear – call or text #925-822-5215, email: kdegear@gmail.com

In lieu of our December Field Trips, please sign up for one of our Christmas Bird Counts on December 14th – Sonora, 21st – Angels Camp and 28th – Calaveras. Whether you are a beginner or expert, everyone is welcome as more eyes equals more circle coverage. See the CBC page for more details.

These are some areas that draw many birders year round. While winter and spring is a more species-rich time of year, I think we will see some good birds. The White-throated Swifts like to hang out by the cliffs above the Stanislaus River. If we’re lucky we might get a Peregrine Falcon. As we drive out the roads we may see the Loggerhead Shrike and Western Bluebird. At 2 Mile Bar there is a good known location for the Rock Wren.

We will meet at the Barrow’s parking lot at 8:00 am to carpool and or caravan. It’s about 25 miles and around 30 minutes down Hwy 108 from Sonora very close to the Tuolumne/Stanislaus County Line. On Tulloch Rd. we will be birding mostly by car. If there is interest we could explore the Goodwin Dam Recreation Area a bit. At the end of Two Mile Bar Rd. there are some restrooms and a parking area. It is a short hike down to the river. The outing will last about 4 hours. You may wish to bring snacks/lunch and water. Please let me know if you plan to attend..

Trip leader Kit DeGear, (925)822-5215, kdegear@gmail.com