All of our field trips are open to beginning birders.  Anyone with a sense of wonder is welcome to participate.

Sunday, March 20 – Black Butte Lake. Meet at Burger King in Orland at 8:30 AM. Bring a picnic lunch. Bring binoculars. We will bird in the vicinity of the lake, along the lake, and by the dam overlook.  Rain cancels trip. Call Anne-Lise at: 865-5254 for more information.

Sunday, March 27 – Sutter Buttes / Peace Valley. This trip is full, but we’ll try to have another later in the year.

April 2 & 3 - Honey Lake/Sage grouse lek trip. This trip explores the wetlands of the Honey Lake Wildlife refuge for waterfowl, the surrounding uplands of the basin for raptors, and a known lekking ground of the Sage grouse.  We’ll meet at the Chico Park & Ride (in the lot nearest the freeway) at 7:45 AM Saturday and head up highway 32, stop at Almanor to bird, and continue on to the Honey Lake area for the remainder of the day.

Sunday morning we will get up early to arrive at the Sage Grouse lekking grounds by 6 AM.  After that we will slowly make our way back to another unit of the refuge, and then will head toward the foothills behind the prison to look for some Native American petroglyphs etched into the walls of the canyon.

This trip can be extremely cold depending on weather conditions, so plan accordingly. You will have the option of camping at the refuge, or staying at a hotel in Susanville on Saturday night. Due to the logistics of this trip, you must contact trip leader Phil Johnson before going at 893-3222 or pjohnsonhardwood@sunset.net.

Saturday April 9 – Oroville Wildlife Area. We will start at the Heron rookery in the Oroville Wildlife Refuge to view a large colony of herons and egrets, and bird the adjacent riparian corridor.  From there, those who wish may head over to Bedrock Park in Oroville and walk along the Feather River up to the Fish Hatchery.  Meet at the Park & Ride (in the lot nearest the freeway) at 8 AM to carpool.  Those coming from Paradise or Oroville can call Gaylord at 872-0739 to arrange a meeting place in Oroville.  Bring binoculars and a sack lunch

Sunday April 10 – Upper Bidwell Park. Take a casual walk along the creekside and adjacent woodlands in search of birds that breed in Upper Park.  No experience necessary, just bring your binoculars, a field guide if you have one, hiking shoes, water & snacks.  Meet at Parking Area E (the old shooting range parking lot at the gate) at 8 AM and walk until about 11:30 AM (2-3 miles).  For more information, contact Skip Augur at 893-9222 or wba@acm.org.  This trip is in cooperation with Friends of Bidwell Park.

For the following trips, check future newsletters for more detailed information:

·        May 1 – Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge.

·        May 8 – Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve.

·        May 14 – Upper Bidwell Park

·        May 21 – Butte Meadows.

·        June 11-12 – Willow Lake (near Lassen)

·        July 9-10 – Yola Bolly Wilderness