On Saturday January 17th we will tour the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. Caravan leaves the parking lot at Kutras Park at 6:00 am or meet at the parking lot at the refuge at 7:30 am. We will begin with a wetland walk adjacent to the visitor center, followed by the six mile auto tour loop with a stop at the viewing platform for lunch.
We will have walkie talkies to hand out to each vehicle. The new visitor center will be open and restrooms are available. Bring a lunch and snacks to eat during the tour and at our pause at the platform. Contact Larry Jordan for more information at webmaster@shastabirdingsociety.org.
There is a $6 entrance fee, dependent on your age and situation, see the link below for information. Most of the drivers have a valid permit already. Here is the info on permits:
https://www.fws.gov/refuge/sacramento/visit-us#passes
No fee event. We will all meet at Safeway parking area in Burney at 8:30am. Here we might be able to carpool before we reach Fall River Mills.
Walking distance estimated at 1-1.5 miles (1.6-2.4 km), Driving distance (while birding) 6-10 miles (9.7-16.1 km). Our first destination to visit is Fall River Lake which is great for Water Birds and an occasional Raptor. As we approach the town of Fall River Mills, we will turn left on Long St. and head north to the end of the road at a boat launch and picnic area. We will bird from here then slowly head back towards town making stops at each pullout to make observations along the way back to the dam. We will make additional stops below the dam with one final stop at the south end of Long St. to see which species are available at the Bridge St. bridge. Done at Fall River Mills, we will now head out for McArthur. In McArthur, we will be turning north at Main St. then turn northeast on Rat Farm Rd. We will caravan on Rat Farm making our observations where we should see many raptors as we travel. This road will end at Big Lake Boat Ramp where we will certainly see more water birds. To complete our field trip, we will return back to Main St, and drive northwest on McArthur Swamp Rd continuing our caravan looking for what we can find along the ditch up to the end of the road, where we will reach the Tule River. Then we are done.
We will postpone and possibly reschedule if severe weather is forecasted. Please check our calendar or contact Trip Leader if you have questions. Our calendar is available at: https://shastabirdingsociety.org/calendar/
Trip Leader: Dan Bye, contact me at danbye56@gmail.com for more information.
Gray Lodge’s diversity and location along the Pacific Flyway make it a haven for wildlife. Surrounded by miles of rich agricultural lands, the approximately 9,100-acre area is managed for the wildlife that call Gray Lodge home for all or part of the year. Reflective ponds, grassy fields and wooded riparian areas provide food, water and shelter for more than 300 species of resident and migrant birds and mammals. Meet at the Kutras Park parking lot at 6:30 am sharp to carpool or at parking area 14 at the refuge at 8:30 am. Bring a lunch and water as this is an all day event. It is not unusual to see over 50 species of birds at this location and is the only place I know to commonly find all three “Teals”. We will traverse the walking trail around the ponds, to the viewing platform and back to the parking lot. Following lunch we will drive the auto tour loop. Questions? Contact Larry Jordan at webmaster@shastabirdingsociety.org
Gray Lodge Public Access Map
A CDFW Lands Pass must be in possession by each visitor who is 16 years of age or older, however, visitors who are in possession of a valid California hunting or fishing license in their name are exempt from this requirement. Lands passes may be purchased on-line, by phone at (800) 565-1458, or in-person at locations wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold. They are also available in the parking area at Gray Lodge for $4.50. Here is a link to the bird list: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=88006&inline
What birds of prey will surprise us at Clover Creek Preserve? Merlin or American Kestrel? Red-tailed or Red-shouldered Hawk? Northern Harrier or White-tailed Kite? Sharp-shinned or Cooper’s Hawk? Join us at the preserve on Saturday, November 15, at 7:30 am to find out how many other songbirds, waterfowl, wading birds, and shorebirds we can find. Clover Creek Preserve is a 128-acre open space in east Redding that features grasslands, blue oaks, and a 6.7 acre lake. We will spend about an hour on a paved trail. Meet leader Larry Jordan at the preserve, 3705 Shasta View Drive, at the main parking lot.
Always wanted to learn more about birds but not sure where to start? Join Shasta Birding Society for a family and beginner friendly bird walk at the benches by the Sundial bridge at 9 am to walk the Turtle Bay Sanctuary Trail and discover the hidden world of birds all around us! The trail is wheelchair accessible and benches are found throughout. The walk will last about an hour. Binoculars are provided. Join Rebeca Ladrón de Guevara as we take a leisurely one mile walk along the Turtle Bay Sanctuary Trail. This walk will begin at the south end of the Sundial Bridge and take us along the Sacramento River to view waterfowl, woodpeckers, raptors, sparrows, and more. One of the best attributes of this trail is that we cannot only enjoy the excellent views along the river, on the other side of the trail we will be able to find several species of songbirds. Raptors are common in the area, including the Bald Eagle and Osprey. Park in the Turtle Bay Parking Lot. Rain cancels.
