Birding in Northern California's Shasta County

This website is dedicated to the memory of Phil Aldrich, our webmaster (2003 - 2008), who passed away in March 2008.
Phil constantly updated and expanded the site into a comprehensive resource for birders in Northern California and beyond.
Welcome to the Wintu Audubon Society home page !
-->Chirp N Chatter January Newsletter<--
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Important Note
New Meeting Place! -
We have changed the location of our General and Board Meetings! Construction of the new hotel at the Turtle Bay Exploration Park beginning in early September will eliminate the theatre. We are grateful to Turtle Bay for their generous use of their theatre and are sad to lose this wonderful facility. We feel fortunate, however, to have found a very useable and convenient meeting room at the United Way. The United Way is at 2280 Benton
Drive, building B, next to the Senior Citizens and River Trail parking lot North of the Diestlehorst Bridge.
News Flash
January 6th -
Leading Bird Conservation Group Responds to Proposed Eagle Take Permit What's Happening Around Here?
January 10th @ 7:00 pm -
Birds of San Luis Obispo County: A Photographic Essay January 14th @ 8:00 am -
2nd Saturday Bird Walk---Turtle Bay/Kutras Lake January 19th @ 8:00 am -
Local Weekday Bird Walk---Battle Creek State Wildlife Area January 28th @ 8:30 am -
Lema Ranch Outing with the Snow Goose Festival, January 26th - 29th -
It's a Big Year for the 13th Annual Snow Goose Festival!
Shasta Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation, a non profit volunteer organization dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of injured and orphaned wildlife, is located in Anderson River Park. Taking in a wide variety of birds and animals each year, Shasta Wildlife Rescue has released thousands back to the wild, most after man made altercations.
Our Latest Trip Report
A dozen birders assembled gradually in very frigid conditions for a fantastic morning of birding...
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS Northern California birding
BIRDS IN THE NEWS Help Audubon with conservation efforts through AudubonAction and get the latest bird news from American Bird Conservancy.
BIRDING FACTS Your gateway to a lifetime
of learning about birds. Keep your birding education up to date with knowledge
from science and
ornithological research,
answers to
Frequently Asked Questions about birds and birding, and up to date
West Nile Virus and
Avian Flu information.
MEMBERSHIP How to join Wintu Audubon Society
LINKS TO THE WORLD OF BIRDING
Your worldwide
Birding Resource on the Web. Includes Birding
Organizations, Checklists of Wild Birds, Conservation and Education, Government
and International sites, Nature Refuges and Sanctuaries,
Optics and Field
Guides, and Other Birding Resources.
SHASTA COUNTY BIRD LIST Local birds to know and
look for. Seasons and habitats are included. Conforms in arrangement and
nomenclature to the American Ornithologists Union checklist.
(New Bird List)
You may also get a free copy of the checklist at our
general meetings or by sending a
self-addressed stamped envelope to:
Wintu Audubon Society bird list, P. O. Box 994533, Redding, CA 96099. ATTRACTING BIRDS Inviting wild birds to your
home, church, or business. Contains a wealth of information about
Feeding Birds,
Landscaping for Birds, and building or buying a Bird House.
BIRD SIGHTINGS Local, Statewide, and Regional
sightings of special interest. Includes Rare Bird Alert telephone numbers,
Official California and world bird lists, Bird Banding and
Bird Identification information. Bird
sightings are updated daily.
PLACES TO BIRD Shasta County's favorite
birding destinations contributed by local birders. Includes additional
northern
California birding hotspots. Includes a collection of
bird lists for Shasta County and
the adjacent region.
PODCASTS Listen to or download podcasts on many bird and birding related subjects.
Please join us at our GENERAL
MEETINGS which are held the second Tuesday of the month at the United Way meeting room at 7 p.m. from September through May. The United Way is at 2280 Benton
Drive, building B, next to the Senior Citizens and River Trail parking lot North of the Diestlehorst Bridge. Please see our "Calendar
of Events" page for more information or contact us by email here:
webmaster@wintuaudubon.org Youre invited to join us on our
SECOND SATURDAY BIRD WALKS which are held the second Saturday of the month at 8
a.m. from September through May. Second Saturday Bird Walks are open to the
public and are designed for youth, grades 4-8 and up, and beginners of all ages. We have binoculars to share. Meet at the concrete monolith at Turtle Bay to learn the birds of our home town. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Please explore our website and return often ! New features and resources of interest to
birders are added regularly.
Copyright 2012 Wintu Audubon Society, All rights reserved.
This page updated January 2nd, 2012. This
web site is maintained by Larry Jordan.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently considering an application from West Butte Wind Power LLC for a permit under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The permit would allow for the incidental take of a limited number of Golden Eagles at their proposed facility in central Oregon. This application is the first of its kind for a wind project; historically, many industry developers have ignored permitting altogether and built wind farms at sites with little or no regard for the potential impacts on eagles, resulting in the deaths of possibly thousands of these birds in recent decades. Read the full story. You can get all the current bird news on our "Birds In The News" page.
Rose LeRoque will present a program on the
Birds of San Luis Obispo County, which was
compiled by Dave Keeling of Cal Poly San Luis
Obispo. Be prepared for some gorgeous bird
pictures, many of these species not regularly seen
around the Redding area. Please note: We are now meeting at the United Way, 2280 Benton Drive, Redding.
The great assortment of waders, raptors,
waterfowl, gulls, and winter resident passerines
will have returned and can be seen close up with
usually a surprise or two on this half day walk. A
recent feature is the highway 44 pedestrian
walkway which offers great views of wintering
ducks. A White-winged Scoter there was the
highlight of the December walk. This outing is designed for youth, grades 4-8 and up, and beginners of all ages. All skill levels are welcome! We have binoculars to share. Meet at the concrete monolith at Turtle Bay to learn the birds of our home town. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
The California Deptartment of Fish
and Game is
restoring riparian
habitat along Battle
Creek and maintains
trails in this wild life
area adjacent to the
Coleman National
Fish Hatchery.
Recently a trail was
developed along
impoundments all
the way to the
Hatchery. During
this 1/2 –day trip we
expect to see a good variety of winter
passerines, Bald Eagles, rails and ducks.
Assemble in the Redding Convention Center
Parking Lot. Wear sturdy shoes. Trails are
groomed but ground is uneven. Our President,
George Horn will lead.
Join folks attending the Snow Goose Festival in
Chico on a tour of Lema Ranch. This oasis of
open space in Redding offers excellent year-around
birding. The ponds, orchards, and fields of the
McConnell Foundation Headquarters provide an
abundance of bird species. We will look for
Common Gallinules, rails, and winter resident
passerines. This will be a 2-3 hour walk on paved
trails with fine public restrooms. We will meet
our leader, Frank Sanderson, at the North
Parking Lot off Hemmingway Street.
Hemmingway Street is across from Mountain
View School on Shasta View Drive.
Greg Miller is joining the festival this year! Greg is one of the famed birders featured in the 2004 book, The Big Yeear, and portrayed by Jack Black in the recentrly released movie. Greg will be the keynote speaker at the banquet on Saturday night. Hear Greg recount the varied and sometimes humorous experiences of his BIG YEAR birding adventures. In an effort to see as many species of birds as possible in one calendar year, he traveled extensively across North America. He'll share how he got into birding and how he came to do a big year, then he'll tell the story behind how his experiences became a book and a movie. Over 70 field trips, workshops and presentations will be offered, along with lots of free activities and events for youth and families. Register online for the Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway or by phone at 530-345-1865.
The Education program consists of non releasable birds and animals that have come into the wildlife center and for some reason would not survive in the wild. These animals are on the education team through a special permit from California Fish and Game and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Lynda Flaherty gave me a tour of the facility last year. You can read all about it here. Please support your local wildlife rehabber. You can find the rehabber nearest you, listed by state here.
For more information about Shasta Wildlife Rescue visit their web page at www.shastawildliferescue.com

We'll meet in the North parking lot of Shasta College for the month of
September. Shasta College is located northeast of Redding near the intersection
of Highway 299 East and Old Oregon Trail. Continue driving north on Old Oregon
Trail past the main entrance to the college and follow the signs to the North
parking lot. Our Second Saturday bird walks will be held at Turtle Bay starting
in October. Rain cancels the bird walk.

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