Concow Lake - June 11.  Right as we got out of the car at the lake we were greeted by our first bird, a singing Yellow-breasted Chat! A shy Yellow Warbler didn't give us as good a look. Female Purple Finches and a foraging Orange-crowned Warbler put in appearances on our way over to the Osprey nest. The Osprey was seen soaring over the lake, where we also watched a pair of Green Herons go by. Other birds seen and heard were Yellow-rumped and Black-throated Gray Warblers, Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Bullock's Oriole, Hutton's and Cassin's Vireos, and Western Wood-pewee.

Willow Lake - June 25-26. Six participants got to enjoy perfect weather at this spectacular birding spot. Willow Lake offers a variety of habitats from montaine forest, to open meadows, marshes, open water, and stream corridors. The highlight of the trip was discovering the nesting spot of Pileated Woodpeckers. Two babies were found poking their heads out calling for food, and both adults were seen visiting the nest to feed the young. We also found a nest of a Spotted Sandpiper, containing four eggs. Sandhill Cranes and Canada Geese both were seen with young wandering about the marsh. One birder witnessed a Sandhill Crane using outstretched wings as a hunting technique as it foraged in the shallows of the marsh. Three Tree Swallow nests (old woodpecker cavities) were seen along the perimeter of the lake. Saturday night at dusk, we heard the winnowing wing beats of Wilson's Snipe flying over camp. Great Horned Owls were heard after dark. Sunday morning, we awoke to a view of a Bald Eagle perched in a tree across the marsh from our campground. Other notable birds were Ring-necked Duck and Green-winged Teal in the marsh, Willow Flycatcher, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Gray Jay, Black-backed Woodpecker, White-headed Woodpecker, and many Red-breasted Sapsuckers. Many of the usual montaine suspects were seen as well. We saw 52 species total.

On Saturday we got to witness a large Sundog (a prismatic, rainbow-like image) in the sky. One hike took us to Terminal Geyser, a hydrothermal fumarole, in Lassen National Park. Lots of good discussions around the campfire topped off the weekend. Look for this trip next year, same time.

Sierra Valley & Yuba Pass - July 9-10. This trip was luckily timed when many young birds were fledging, and we were able to see several species feeding young. We left Chico on Friday evening and made our first stop at Plumas Eureka State Park Ski area. The montaine chaparral produced Fox Sparrow and MacGillivray's Warbler. Next, we proceeded to the Crocker Campground (10 miles North of Beckworth and Sierra Valley) to set up camp and bird the last remaining daylight. Common Nighthawks were seen overhead, a Western Wood-Pewee had a nest in a Ponderosa pine in the campground, Yellow Warblers were flitting about in the riparian Willows, a Green-tailed Towhee scurried through camp as we packed up our tent. Saturday morning, we birded along a steam corridor that passed through a Ponderosa pine/Sagebrush meadow and got to see both Mountain Bluebirds and Williamson's Sapsuckers feeding newly-fledged young. House Wrens were abundant.

On the drive toward Sierra Valley Marsh, we encountered a Gray Flycatcher feeding from a barbed wire fence. Near the marsh we saw a Vesper's Sparrow in a cow pasture, but missed the hoped-for Brewer's Sparrow. At the Marsh, White-faced Ibis were abundant. Fledgling Yellow-headed Blackbirds (with pinfeather/punk hairdos) were numerous and were constantly calling throughout the marsh. We saw one being fed and saw an American Coot baby being fed as well. Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Willet and Wilson's Phalarope were seen in shallow muddy flats. As we proceeded into the farmed alfalfa lands in the valley, we saw several Swainson's Hawks with field mice in their talons. After lunch we proceeded up into a side valley to search the Willows for warblers and other songbirds, and then headed for our camp at Yuba Pass. In camp, at 6400' elevation, to our amazement we saw a large flock of American White Pelicans fly just over the treetops. At last daylight, we sat and watched a Black-Backed Woodpecker feeding young in a nest cavity fifteen feet away.

Sunday morning around the campground, we saw Cassin's Finch, Red-breasted Sapsucker, and Brown Creepers. Eventually we headed down the West side of the pass toward Lower Sardine Lake to bird the Sand Flat trail, and then proceeded toward the Gold Lake region to bird montaine forest/glacial lake habitat. We discovered a Dark-Eyed Junco nest that had a newly hatched bird and an un-hatched egg left in it. A total of 85 species were seen.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo hunt/Sacramento River State Park trips - July 15 & August 12. Well, neither trip produced a Yellow-Billed Cuckoo, but we were not betting any money on seeing this extremely rare bird (although they’re around – see the Sightings section). Yellow-billed Cuckoo's were once a common fixture in the Sacramento River's vast riparian forest until modern agriculture came and replaced the vast majority of the native oak/willow/cottonwood groves with farmland. Sightings of Yellow-billed Cuckoo's in Butte County are rare, but they still have a small population in our area, and have been seen at the State Park in past years. Let's hope that all of the huge land buyouts along the river give this bird a second chance at life in our beautiful valley.

We did have a nice time inspecting many of the woodlands in the park and saw some good birds. Wood Ducks were seen at Indian Fisheries. Western Wood-Pewee, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, and White-breasted Nuthatches were seen at various locations. One woman on the trip had been at the Indian Fisheries on July 4 and had witnessed a turtle laying eggs in a depression in the dirt in the middle of the trail. Two dead Western Scrub-Jays were seen on a trail (West Nile Virus?). A perfectly tame White Rat was feeding on an insect at one of our parking spots and one member of the group caught it and found it a home. It was probably released by a careless owner, and was probably destined to become dinner for some critters if left there. Along the water, Spotted Sandpiper and Greater Yellowlegs were seen.

On the last trip, we ended the day on the bank of Big Chico Creek were it enters the river at the washout. As we stood there, we saw two Green Herons and then a Belted Kingfisher flew by. Northern Oriole, Spotted Towhee, and Bewick's Wren were calling in the bushes. Two Beavers slowly swam by in front of us and hundreds of large suckerfish (I believe Sacramento Sucker, but am unsure) swam along the surface up into the slough. When we turned around, a Lesser Nighthawk flew by in front of a spectacular amber Sunset.

Lassen National Park - August 20 – 21. We had great weather for this high-elevation fieldtrip. We made several short hikes in various locations in the Park searching for summer-resident species. We started on the Brokeoff Mountain trail and encountered Western Wood-Pewee, Brown Creeper, Mountain Chickadee, and Orange-crowned Warbler. We then headed up to Lake Helen for lunch and had an American Kestrel fly over. Next stop was Kings Creek Falls trail, where we encountered a large mixed flock of Nuthatches, Kinglets, Hermit Warbler, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, and Junco's. MacGillivray's Warbler was seen on the trail. After Kings Creek, we headed for the campground at Crags. A Great Horned Owl called in the night. A White-headed Woodpecker was nesting in our campsite. 

Sunday morning was spent walking around Manzanita Lake. Buffleheads were seen in a cove of the lake, Pied-billed Grebes were seen as well. An Osprey was occasionally seen foraging about the trout filled waters. A stop along the back side of the lake at a clump of willows gave us great looks at many warblers and chickadees bathing in the shallows. One birder reported seeing a Chestnut-backed Chickadee in the flock. Red-breasted Sapsuckers were pecking at Black Cottonwoods at the lake's perimeter. A flock of Pygmy Nuthatches was seen in adjacent conifers. After Manzanita Lake, we stopped at Hat Lake briefly. Hat Lake is essentially a Beaver Pond, but we were astonished to see two River Otters actively swimming about. We spent the rest of the day hiking the Terrace/Shadow Lake trail. These lakes are spectacular emerald gems. In the shallows of Shadow Lake, we saw what we believe was a first year juvenile Long-toed Salamander. 47 species of birds were seen.