Eight Altacal members attended the 9^th Annual Central Valley Birding Club Symposium (Warren and Jennifer Patten, Mike Fisher, Kathryn Hood, Ruth Kennedy, Mike Skram, John (J.T.) Lewis and Tim Ruckle).  The weather was perfect for the morning field trips.  One trip to arid rangelands (The Raptor Run) produced Red-tailed hawks, Northern Harriers, Ferruginous Hawks, a Golden Eagle, a Merlin, a Prairie Falcon, a White-tailed Kite, American Kestrels, and three Burrowing Owls.  On another trip to the Stockton Sewage Ponds a Harlequin Duck was spotted (see “Sightings”).  Some of the group did a “Long Day”.  Others organized a trip to the Vic Fazio Yolo Wildlife Area where very cooperative American Bitterns gave long, close-up looks.  The group also saw a Black-bellied Plover as well as other shorebirds.  The choices among programs, workshops, speakers, vendors and artists were varied and rewarding.  Bird ID workshops, nostalgia in the form of California birding history, digiscoping advice from vendors and eyewitness descriptions of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers were just part of a very worthwhile experience.