2024 Field Trips
All CSAS trips are open to the public, and beginning birders, including children, are welcome on day trips. Bring drinking water and a lunch or snacks. Suggested apparel: muted colors in clothing and hats; sturdy shoes, a sun hat and sunscreen, and insect repellent are advisable for all trips. Dress layered, particularly in winter months. Carry water and snacks. Bring binoculars, spotting scopes and birding field guides if you have them.
NOTE: Heavy rain cancels field trips. If in doubt, call the trip leader by one hour before the meeting time and/or check this website. “If in doubt, check it out!”
November 9 (Saturday) – Knights Ferry
Meet me at the Visitor Center for a half mile walk out the river trail. This area is usually good for Rock Wren, Canyon Wren and Say’s Phoebe. Unfortunately, the covered bridge is closed to foot traffic. We will walk back down to where we started to cross the car road bridge to bird the other side of the river. However, This will be a great opportunity to view the migrating salmon! On this side I’m hoping for some Cedar Waxwings. Our walk will end here just in time for you to enjoy the Salmon Festival which begins at 10:00 am. Please meet me at the Visitor Center at 8 am.
Trip leader – Kit DeGear – Call/text/email if you have any questions. #925-822-5215 or kdegear@gmail.com
November 14 (Thursday) – Camanche River Walk to Fish Hatchery/Lodi Sandhill Cranes
CSAS will travel to the Camanche Dam and fish hatchery and then to Lodi, CA on Thursday, November 14. We will see numerous birds (and fish!) on the Mokelumne River Day Use area and river walk to the dam/ fish hatchery and then on to Lodi to see the Sandhill cranes.
We will then drive to the Mokelumne River day use area. From there we can take a walk along the Mokelumne River up to the Comanche Dam and Fish Hatchery. The water spilling from the dam should be crowded with migrating salmon.Walking along the river we may see: Black-crowned Night Herons, Great Blue Herons, egrets, osprey, one or two different woodpecker species, Mergansers, vultures, hawks, and maybe eagles looking for lunch in the migrating salmon. The raptors hanging in the trees above and along the river are surprisingly close. The walk at the Mokelumne River/ fish hatchery area will last a total of about two hours and should provide some good photo opportunities. There are picnic tables and portable toilets, and we can eat our lunch at the river. The hatchery offers a self-guided tour, out of doors, with signage explaining the process of migrating salmon, collecting and hatching the fish eggs (roe), and growing and releasing the fingerling salmon.
When we have finished at the Day Use Area, we will drive west to Lodi to see the Sandhill Cranes (about 26 miles) to Woodbridge Road. The Sandhill Cranes will be on both sides of the road, in fields and flooded fields. The time should be around 2:00 2:30 pm and there are a couple of places to park the car to watch the Fly-in starting at 4:30 pm. It will be dark by 5:30. Participants have the option to stay to watch the fly-in at dusk and everyone is free to leave as they need to. From Lodi, the drive back to Sonora is about 90 minutes.
We will meet in Sonora at Barrow’s (formerly Perkos) at 8:00 am and carpool/ car caravan to the Camanche Dam, an approximate 70 – 80-minute drive. Driving instructions will be provided for the day’s activities. We will stop briefly in Copperopolis to pick up any folks coming from Calaveras. We will also stop at Valley Springs to pick up any additional folks if needed. Bring lunch, snacks and water, hand sanitizer, binoculars and a birding guide if you have one. This time of year, a hat and sunscreen are also recommended.
Trip leader is Jean Dakota and let her know you are coming: (209)591-9952; jdakota002@comcast.net Once you confirm that you will attend, you will be sent the driving instructions and meet-up times at Copperopolis and Valley Springs.
November 24 (Sunday) – Indigeny
Please join me 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. On our recent trip, four of us met to enjoy birding on the first day of fall, when even the parking lot provided a nice variety of birds which included a Tri-colored Blackbird. Highlights included a Great Blue Heron flyover to and from the lake, Orange Crowned Warbler and, most exciting, a Red-napped Sapsucker! See all 37 species we viewed at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S196135123
The walk will last 2-3 hrs. Children are welcome! Meet in the parking lot at 8:00 AM. Rain will cancel the trip. 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 muted colors and you may wish to include a hat, sunscreen and water.
Trip leader Kit DeGear (925)-822-5215 or kdegear@gmail.com