The Northern Sacramento Valley attracts some 14 different raptor species during the cold winter months. January is one of the best months for raptor viewing in Butte County. We will begin our day with a Raptor ID Workshop sponsored by the Chico State Birding Club. The workshop will be held at CSU Chico’s Vertebrate Museum using museum skins and other tools. From there, we will caravan down Hwy 99, south of Chico, to practice our newfound identification skills on as many of these birds of prey as we can. Target species include Bald Eagle, Ferruginous Hawk, Merlin, Prairie Falcon, and more. Dress for very cold weather, bring a scope if you have it, and binoculars are a MUST! You may also want to bring snacks and water/hot drinks. We will carpool as much as possible.

Field Trip Leaders: Michelle Ocken and Julie Shaw and Jackson Shedd and Mela Garcia and Zach Miller

This hike traverses essentially the same terrain as the Mid-Mountain Hike but adds an additional half-mile 1000 ft. elevation gain. The last half mile-is quite strenuous. Wear sturdy hiking shoes, dress in layers, and bring lunch and water.

Field Trip Leaders: Marty Steidlemayer and Mike Hubbartt

Situated on the west side of the upper Sacramento Valley, Black Butte Lake is surrounded by beautiful dark volcanic buttes. Come explore the backwaters and woodlands this lake has to offer and see Pied-billed Grebes, Belted Kingfisher, Bonaparte's Gulls, goldeneyes, Clark’s and Western Grebes. Stop along the roads and see Wild Turkeys, Mountain Bluebirds, Red-tailed Hawks, and Turkey Vultures. Lewis’s Woodpeckers, and Golden and Bald Eagles winter in this area too. Bring a lunch and drink.

Field Trip Leader: Phil Johnson

On this 5-mile hike into the Sutter Buttes, we’ll visit secluded locations revealing the Buttes' geologic formation, Native American presence, old pioneer home sites, and ecology typical of California's past. This hike is moderately brisk. Wear sturdy hiking shoes, dress in layers, and bring lunch and water.

Field Trip Leaders: Marty Steidlemayer and Mike Hubbartt

Winter birds, the river, and olives! What a combination to experience and only at the Snow Goose Festival. First, join Dave as he takes you to the Rio Vista Unit of Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex and the Woodson Bridge State Recreation Area to search for the winter birds that take advantage of these healthy habitat areas along the Sacramento River. You’ll hike a 2-mile flat trail through Rio Vista Unit in riparian woodland and stroll through towering oaks, sycamores, and cottonwoods at Woodson Bridge SRA. These places are a winter haven to Bald Eagles, woodpeckers, thrushes, sparrows, wrens, finches, and owls. Then after your morning of birding, take the short trip into Corning to the Lucero Olive Oil’s newly opened tasting room (www.lucerooliveoil.com). Once there you will be given a mill tour and have the opportunity to taste several of their award-winning olive oils and their unique olive oil ice cream sundae. Wear good walking/hiking shoes, and bring lunch, water, and binoculars.

Field Trip Leader: Dave Tinker

Enjoy a bird walk through Bidwell Park with ornithologist and author of Birds of Bidwell Park.. Learn amazing facts about the birds of the park and how to identify them. Bidwell Park is a wonderful place to see birds because it is both semi-wild and very accessible. It is excellent birding for both the beginner and expert.

Field Trip Leader: Roger Lederer

Come to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge for a morning of photography. Although concentrating on photographing birds, be prepared to take scenic and close-up photos. Topics such as where to photograph on the refuge, lighting considerations, using long lenses, and composing photographs will be discussed. Participants should bring a film or digital camera, wide angle and telephoto (minimum 200mm with 1.4X teleconverter) lenses, and tripod.

Field Trip Leader: Steve Emmons

Yes, here is an opportunity to see the birds of Paradise and enjoy a sumptuous brunch all in one trip. Follow Gaylord as you leisurely walk along the Historic Miocene Flume. The flume trail is gravel and there are no catwalks over the flume. Here we should see towhees, woodpeckers, finches, sparrows, titmice, and raptors flying above. Then we will travel up the ridge to enjoy our brunch at the Wulbern's beautiful home where we can overlook the valley and watch the activity at their birdfeeders. We will end the day at Kunkle Reservoir. Here we can expect to see ducks and Canada Geese on the water, and on an additional walk, we may have sightings of Western Bluebirds, Red-breasted Sapsuckers, resident hawks, and an assortment of other birds and wildlife.

Field Trip Leader: Gaylord Grams

The Llano Seco Unit of the Sacramento River NWR offers sensational views from an elevated viewing platform. This is an ideal spot for viewing a large number of geese and ducks in one location! Other often-seen species include Sandhill Cranes, raptors (last year several Bald Eagles were seen), herons, and egrets. This is definitely a birding hot spot! This trip is also offered on Saturday.

Field Trip Leader: Shelly Kirn

Just a short drive outside Durham, along the roadways bordering Rancho Esquon, multitudes of Snow Geese, Greater White-fronted Geese, and Sandhill Cranes can usually be seen right from your vehicle! Bald Eagles are occasionally spotted perched in the snags along the agricultural wetlands. Upon arrival at Rancho Esquon, we will visit the viewing platform which offers a spectacular view of the surrounding wetlands with a high concentration of ducks. We will also be visiting the egg hatching facility as we learn about the diverse undertakings of this complex rice ranch.

Field Trip Leader: Mary Muchowski

Join Scott Huber for a short presentation on the Western and Clark’s Grebes of Thermalito Afterbay in Oroville, followed by a trip to see the grebes and their nesting areas first hand. Learn about Altacal’s four year grant to study factors influencing nest grebes, record observations on nesting success and factors influencing nest failure, and promote awareness and conservation of these unique birds. Participants will learn to differentiate the two species as well as view other species of the 'bird-rich' Afterbay area which may include Common Loon, Redhead, Canvasback, Say’s Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, Ferruginous Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, and many others.

Field Trip Leader: Scott Huber

This field trip will visit two of Chico’s best birding sites. First we will explore the Oxidation Ponds Wildlife Sanctuary at the City of Chico Wastewater Treatment Plant. We’ll spend a couple of hours walking the levees around the ponds where we hope to find many species of migrating waterfowl as well as resident birds and mammals. We will then go over to the Indian Fishery Day Use Area of Bidwell-Sacramento River State Park. There the half mile trail winds through an oak woodland forest adjacent to an oxbow lake. Woodpeckers abound along with many other woodland and aquatic birds. If we are lucky we may also see River Otter, Beaver and Pond Turtles.

Field Trip Leaders: Mike Fisher and Greg Miller and Nancy Nelson

On this field trip, you will have the opportunity to see falconry in action. Falconry is a traditional method of hunting with trained birds of prey. The field trip will begin with a short drive to a large open area. Falconry as a field sport will be discussed and equipment of this ancient art form will be displayed, along with live raptors. The trip will culminate with a live flying raptor display.

Field Trip Leaders: Andy Wahl and Art Tawatari

On this trip, we will visit not only the Farm Sanctuary, but also the nearby habitats of Black Butte Lake. At Farm Sanctuary we provide sanctuary for 350+ rescued farm animals, including chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats. On this walking tour you will learn where these birds were domesticated from, and the similarities and differences between our domestic birds and their native ancestors. You will see many species of native birds at our ponds and surrounding areas, including Great Blue Heron, Western Bluebird, Osprey, winter raptors, Western Meadowlark, Yellow-billed Magpie, and perhaps Loggerhead Shrike and Lewis's Woodpecker.

Bring binoculars, warm clothes, drinks, cameras, and your wallet in case you want to purchase a hat or other items at the sanctuary. Vegan snacks will be provided at the Farm Sanctuary, but please bring a lunch or snack also. This field trip is limited to 15 participants.

Field Trip Leaders: Dawn Garcia and Jo Anna Arroyo and Sophia Pospisil

So you think you’ve just seen a rare bird; what do you do now? We’ll investigate the several avenues that meet accepted birding community protocols while also ensuring that the sighting is well-documented and valuable to a birding community that may travel hundreds of miles to see your find. We’ll present the protocol in the form of a checklist that will include, for example, what equipment you should carry with you at all times; what immediate steps to take; how to confirm to yourself its rarity; how to document the observation (sketches, recordings, photos, etc.); what local references to check; who should be contacted, when and how; how and when to publish the account (e.g., via E-mails, a note to a scientific publication) including whether or not to post it at all. The classroom session will be followed by a two-hour field exercise with one of our local artists, Carol Burr, to practice these skills in the field.

Field Trip Leaders: Bill Haas and Carol Burr

The "winging-it" part of this trip is where the fun starts! We’ll veer off the beaten path as we bird along our way to the refuge. At the refuge we’ll view the dioramas and pick-up a wildlife checklist. Then we are off to a leisurely adventure around the auto tour loop to possibly see thousands of birds. You can expect to see Snow Geese, Northern Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, Ring-necked Duck, wigeon, raptors, and possibly a Bald Eagle.

Field Trip Leader: Michael Denega

Bring the family and explore these hidden wetlands on a discovery hike through one of Chico’s best-kept secrets, Teichert Ponds. These ponds are an urban oasis for wildlife in the midst of development, hosting Wood Ducks, Osprey, herons, egrets, and more. After the ponds, we will head over to Chico’s original forestry station, the "World of Trees" trail in nearby Bidwell Park, and bird the rich riparian habitat. Wear long pants for blackberry bushes and shoes appropriate for mud.

Field Trip Leaders: Jon Aull and Dick Cory

Tour the farm famous for its specialty rice products and for attracting wildlife to its organic fields. Witness first-hand how valley farm practices, and ecological farming in particular, can benefit migratory and non-migratory bird populations of the Pacific Flyway. Then we’ll visit the new, recently opened Headquarters and Visitors Center, where a store is stocked full of Lundberg goodies! This trip is also offered on Saturday.

Field Trip Leader: Lundberg Family Farms Staff