Shasta College campus consists of oak woodlands, a wastewater treatment pond, Stillwater Creek riparian area, and open fields which support a wide variety of species. Meet in Shasta College’s north parking lot for this morning trip that is open to the public. Connie Word 245-0846 will lead.
Partially paved trails wind their way through 180 acres of blue oak woodland and open grassland meadow. Sections of the trail meander by Churn Creek itself where this primarily urban stream is still preserved in its more natural state with lush willows, valley oaks, and cottonwoods. Meet leaders Alicia and Pablo Herrera, at 8am at Minder Park, in the cul-de-sac at the end of Minder Dr., just to the south of the open space trails. On this 3-mile loop hike we’ll encounter woodland and riparian winter residents and early migrant species including Lark Sparrows, Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Spotted Towhee, among others.
We are again scheduling a visit to the ponds targeting wintering waterfowl and very early migrating shorebirds. We hope that the winter rains will provide abundant open water and muddy shorelines for these species. Assemble at the Treatment Plant’s Administration Building at the end of Metz Road at 8:00 am to meet your leader, David Pluth. This is a 1/2-day trip that may end in the early afternoon if the birding is good. Directions to the Clear Creek Plant: Take Hwy 273 and look for River Ranch Road after crossing Clear Creek. Cross over the Railroad tracks and turn left on Eastside Rd. Entrance is on Metz Road on the right.
Located at the end of Girvan Road east off Hwy 273, this small park borders the Sacramento River at the confluence of Olney Creek. The ½ mile paved trail has several dirt trails providing access to the river and the mouth of Olney Creek. Eighty winter resident species have been seen, including Hooded Merganser, Merlin, Fox Sparrow, Yellow-billed Magpie (they used to be abundant in a large Valley Oak in the NE corner of the park; a few survived the virus), plus the usual backyard species. Meet your leaders Jeannette and Harvey Carroll at the park at 8:00am for this ½-day walk.
Meet our trip leaders Connie Word and Linda Aldrich, 223-5341 at Shasta College’s North Parking Lot at 8:00 am to join this ½-day exploration of the oak woodlands, open fields, and Stillwater Creek riparian areas. We’ll look for our local resident birds, early fall migrants, and summer hold-overs. Also, this is the perfect time to find vagrants who are doing their own exploring as they meander south. Our walks are open to the public.
