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Field Trip: Dye Creek Preserve & Owling Adventure

Field Trip: Dye Creek Preserve & Owling Adventure - Sold Out!

$50 Adult

Friday, Jan 26, 2024 12:00 pm - 7:45 pm

Meet at Dye Creeek Preserve (Map)

More vigorous hiking, some elevation gain/loss More vigorous hiking, some elevation gain/loss

Description

In the Lassen Foothills of eastern Tehama County, the scenic Dye Creek Preserve will be an adventure for the hiker and birder. While hiking the rugged Dye Creek Canyon, we will discuss land management efforts by The Nature Conservancy, Yahi Native American occupation, local geology, and the ecosystem. Expect to see birds common to oak woodlands and riparian habitats in January, such as the Belted Kingfisher, Nutall's and Acorn Woodpeckers, Oak Titmouse, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Red-winged Blackbird and possibly Tricolored Blackbird. Sightings of raptors could include Golden Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, and Red-tailed Hawk. The hike is a strenuous, rugged, and uneven trek. The depth of the water crossings is subject to weather conditions. Boots/sturdy footwear is a MUST! Bring food and water. We will head back to the compound around dusk for refreshments as we watch the full moon rise and begin our search for owls! We are hoping to see and/or hear Great Horned Owl, Western Screech-Owl, Barn Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl and possibly Northern Saw-whet Owl!

Field Trip Leaders

Larry Jordan

Larry Jordan moved from the Bay Area to Oak Run in 1980 to escape the crowded, noisy, hustle and bustle of city life. Among the gray and ponderosa pine, and the oak savannah, he found himself surrounded by nature. Coyotes howled in the winter evening, deer and fox were abundant and birds seemed to be everywhere. On the way home from an evening out, he and his wife found a tiny owl standing in the middle of the road to his home. He didn't know what it was and had to look it up in his first edition Peterson Field Guide. It was his spark bird - a Burrowing Owl! Larry joined the Wintu Audubon Society and became the group's webmaster in 2008. He is the Shasta County Coordinator for the California Bluebird Recovery Program and monitors an active Burrowing Owl habitat in the Chico area.

Larry Jordan's Events

Donald Beers

Don Beers worked for the California State Park System for over 30 years. The Roads, Trails and Resource Section that he supervised were responsible for the District's trail construction and maintenance, backcountry road re-engineering and maintenance, and watershed restoration project implementation. Don has been one of the lead instructors in the National Trails Training Program, and the California State Park Trails Training Program. This included working on developing the curriculum for these two programs. He has lectured and presented workshops at State, National and Professional trail conferences. Don is currently working on the California State Park's Trails Handbook revision and is one of the principal authors of that handbook.

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Scott Hardage

Scott Hardage is a land steward for The Nature Conservancy in the Lassen foothills area. Scott organizes public outreach hikes at the Dye Creek Preserve and manages a group of volunteer docents who help to lead the hikes. He enjoys hiking and photography, and has recently used camera traps to document burrowing owl activity on the preserve.

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Michele Swartout

Michele Swartout, has been a nature lover all her life, but birds are the most interesting to her. She birds everyday and currently surveys shorebirds for Point Blue, is the compiler for both Mineral and Red Bluff Christmas Bird Counts, participates in many more and is a California County Birder. Michele is an avid eBird user and is getting close to submitting a checklist everyday for seven years straight. Tehama County, is where she calls home and knows the birds in her county very well.

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