OAStrips

All field trips are open to participants of any skill level--beginners are always welcome. Dress appropriately to the weather conditions. Heavy rain cancels. Call the trip leader or field trip chair if you have questions about the schedule or descriptions. $ indicates there may be a parking fee.

Jan 10, Sat., 9:30AM-Noon, Coyote Hills R. P., Leader: Bill Scoggins (510) 581-5186

Tules, cattails, and willows of the freshwater marsh provide cover for beautiful ducks like the Cinnamon Teal and Canvasback. Hidden rails and Marsh Wrens call out. The White-tailed Kite flies overhead. Join Ohlone Audubon members and friends in discovering wintering birds of the freshwater marsh. Beginners welcome. Meet at the visitor center parking lot. Reach Coyote Hills from I-880 by taking SR-84 (Decoto Road) toward the bay and turning off at the Thornton exit. Go north on Paseo Padre Parkway to left on Patterson Ranch Road, which goes into the park. Follow the road to its end and park at the visitor center. $4 parking fee required.

Jan. 15, Thu., 9:30 AM, Martin Luther King, Jr., Regional Shoreline (Arrowhead Marsh), Leaders: Willie and Friends (510) 351-9301

Wintering wildfowl and bay-oriented shorebirds should appear on this half-day trip. Bring your lunch so you can visit and help compile the bird list. To reach Arrowhead Marsh, take I-880 to Hegenberger Road. Go west on Hegenberger, then right on Doolittle Drive. Go north on Doolittle to Swan Way, turn right onto Swan Way and make an immediate left into the park area. Continue as far as the road goes; meet the field trip group in the last parking lot.

Jan. 18, Sun., 8-11AM, Fremont Central Park, Lake Elizabeth. Leader: Sandy Ferreira (510) 791-4341.

Central Park, "the bay area's best kept birding secret," boasts 150 bird species including many winter visitors of the Pacific Flyway. American White Pelican, Bufflehead, Northern Shovelers, teal and American Wigeon are just some of these. Sandy Ferreira, City of Fremont Park Ranger, knows this area well and will guide us to find these feathered beauties. To reach Central Park from the north or from the south, take highway 880 to central Fremont, exit at Stevenson Boulevard and travel east toward the hills approximately 2 miles to the intersection of Stevenson Boulevard and Paseo Padre Parkway. Turn right on Paseo Padre and left into the Swim Lagoon parking lot (at Baylis.) Meet us there. To reach Central Park from the east, take highway 680 to Fremont, exit at Mission Boulevard and travel north on Mission Boulevard approximately 2 miles to turn left onto Stevenson Boulevard. Turn left onto Paseo Padre Parkway and left at Baylis to reach the Swim Lagoon parking lot. Heavy rain cancels.

Jan. 24, Sat., 12:30 PM, Cranes and Swans in the Delta, Leader: Debbie Bedford (925) 846-2946

Dancing Sandhill Cranes are possibilities for this trip. We hope the wintering Tundra Swans are where they should be. We may also locate interesting raptors. Meet in the Park and Ride lot at I-5 and SR-12. Get there by going north on I-5 to SR-12 north of Stockton. The park and ride lot is at this exit, on the east side of I-5. Have lunch before the trip starts or eat enroute (this is primarily an auto tour). We will remain at the Phil & Marilyn Isenberg Crane Preserve on Woodbridge Rd. until dark to observe the early evening fly-in of several thousand Sandhill Cranes gathering to roost.

Jan. 31, Sat., 9AM, Wintering Raptors of Sutter Buttes, Leader: Don Schmoldt, (916) 739-8821 $

We will drive on West Butte Road looking for Golden Eagles, falcons, Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawks and Mountain Bluebirds. Gray Lodge is nearby and we will eat lunch there and observe geese and ducks in the afternoon-Eurasian Wigeon is a possibility. This year, if folks want to hang around until just after dark, we may try to watch the flyout, if the weather is good. The ducks and geese start flying off the refuge at around 20 minutes after sunset, and numbers can reach upwards of about 500,000 birds! Bring water, snacks, and lunch; there are NO restrooms on this trip until we get to Gray Lodge. Meet in the town of Sutter at Munger's Market located at the corner of South Butte Road and Acacia Road. Reach Sutter by going east on I-80 to Davis, then go north on SR-113 turning left on SR-20 (near Yuba City) to right on Acacia Road to South Butte Rd. Sutter is about 7 miles west of Yuba City. Alternate route: I-5 to Sacramento, north on SR-99; at Yuba City take SR-20 west to right on Acacia Road and South Butte Road. Hard rain cancels. $2.50 entrance.

Feb 14-15, , 9AM, Sat & Sun. San Joaquin Valley Refuges and Little Panoche Road, Phil Gordon (510) 538-3550

We are going to make our annual jaunt to the southern refuges, only this year we are going to do the trip in reverse! Meet Saturday at the Paicines Reservoir, just south of the town of Tres Pinos. The reservoir is on the west side of SR-25, south of the town of Hollister. Follow SR-101 through San Jose past Gilroy to exit at SR-156 to Hollister. From the reservoir we will proceed down Little Panoche Road, stopping at the usual places looking for Bald Eagles, Lewis's Woodpeckers, Mountain Bluebirds, Vesper and Lark Sparrows, and Mountain Plovers. We also expect to find a good assortment of raptors. We plan to have dinner at The Wool Growers Inn in Los Banos (Basque). Campers can spend the night at the Basalt Campground at San Luis Reservoir. Motels in the area include Motel 6, (209) 826-6644, or the Holiday Express, (209) 826-8282 at Santa Nella, and others in Los Banos. Sunday will be spent looking at waterfowl, sorting through ducks and geese for that rare one. We will bird O'Neil Forebay first, then San Luis and Merced refuges. Meet at the O'Neil Forebay Wildlife Area parking lot, about 1 mile south of Santa Nella on SR-33 and north of SR-152. It is just north of the canal and is signed. If time permits, we will go home via Santa Fe Grade Road. Trip will go rain or shine. Only heavy flooding cancels. For more information give Phil or Pat a call.

Feb. 19, Thu., 9:30AM, Coyote Hills Regional Park, Leaders: Willie and Friends (510) 351-9301 $

We will look for wintering birds -hummingbirds, sparrows, even owls. This is a half-day trip; bring lunch for list review at noon. Meet in the parking lot by the visitor center. Reach Coyote Hills from I-880 by taking SR-84 toward the bay and turning off at the Thornton exit. Go north on Paseo Padre Parkway to Patterson Ranch Road, which goes into the park. Follow the road to its end, and then go left to the parking spaces. $4 entrance fee.

Feb. 22, Sun., 9-11 a.m. Birding by Bike at Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area, Alameda Creek, and Niles Community Park. Leader: Art Carey (510) 794-1910.

A leisurely ride along trails will let us cover more ground exploring the recreational area and stopping at hot spots. Possibilities include scaup, white pelicans, ring-necked ducks, grebes, egrets, herons, and wood ducks. We'll meet at the main entrance to the recreation area at 2250 Isherwood Way in Fremont. From Highway 880, exit at Decoto Road. Drive east on Decoto a little more than 1 mile, then turn south (right) onto Paseo Padre Parkway. Drive about 0.7 mile, then turn left onto Isherwood Way. Identify yourself at the entrance as an OAS member for free admission and turn right at the stop sign. Drive to the second restroom between the two picnic pavilions. Rain cancels.

Volunteer to become a field trip leader or co-leader.

Choose a friend to co-lead a trip or ask one of Ohlone's trip leaders to co-lead. Suggestions for field trips may be sent to Bill N. Scoggins, field trips chair.

Thanks to our Ohlone Audubon Society Field Trip Leaders!
Thanks to our field trip leaders who give their time and energy to guide us into wild places to see our beautiful feathered friends. They are Steve Abbors, Vi and Ron Barklow, Debbie Bedford, Debbi Brusco, Art Carey, Nancy Christensen, Howard Cogswell, Rick and Lee Ellis, Sandy Ferreira, Ray Fontaine, Phil and Pat Gordon, Alice Hoch, Sheila Junge, Cathy Loewen, Michael Mortensen, Kathy Robertson, Don Schmoldt, Willie and Friends (Anna Wilcox and Jean-Marie Spoelman), and Dennis Wolff. �WS

F i e l d Tr i p E t i q u e t t e

To help make your field trip experience a pleasant one for all, consider these tips:

1. Avoid loud noises and talking out loud. Remember that the leader and others may be trying to locate birds by listening for their unique songs and calls.
2. Stay behind the leader so the leader can spot and identify the birds.
3. Once you have seen the bird, give those behind you a chance.
4. Beginners can maximize their learning experience by staying with the leader during the walk.
5. Please leave family pets at home during field trips.

Thank you for helping to make Ohlone Audubon Society field trips an enjoyable and educational experience for everyone.