Chapter Meeting: Gary Alt on Bears"
Location: Ukiah City Council Chambers, Ukiah Civic Center, 300 Seminary Ave., UkiahDate: Thursday, January 20, 2011, 7:00 pm.
Highlights:
Details to be Announced
Chapter Meeting: To Be Announced
Location: Ukiah City Council Chambers, Ukiah Civic Center, 300 Seminary Ave., UkiahDate: Thursday, February 17, 2011, 7:00 pm.
Highlights:
Details to be Announced
Chapter Meeting: Brent and Dianne Hichua on the Natural History and Pubs of Ireland
Location: Ukiah City Council Chambers, Ukiah Civic Center, 300 Seminary Ave., UkiahDate: Thursday, March 17, 2011, 7:00 pm.
Highlights:
Details to be Announced
Chapter Meeting: To Be Announced
Location: Ukiah City Council Chambers, Ukiah Civic Center, 300 Seminary Ave., UkiahDate: Thursday, April 21, 2011, 7:00 pm.
Highlights:
Details to be Announced
Chapter Meeting: To Be Announced
Location: Ukiah City Council Chambers, Ukiah Civic Center, 300 Seminary Ave., UkiahDate: Thursday, May 19, 2011, 7:00 pm.
Highlights:
Details to be Announced
Monthly Field Trips:
Everyone is welcome! Details located below and in the calendar in The Falcon Flyer. See the Field Trip Guidelines at the bottom of this page.MacKerricher State Park
Date: Saturday, September 18, 2010Highlights:
We will be joining the Mendocino Coast Audubon Society on a field trip to Lake Cleone in beautiful, cool MacKerricher State Park. The trip will be led by Dave Jensen of MCAS, and we will begin the morning with a walk on the boardwalk around Lake Cleone. This is a wonderful area to bird as most of the birds we will see are within the vegetation adjacent to the walk-way. We will certainly see an array of songbirds including vireos, flycatchers, warblers, sparrows, and finches. It is fall, so anything can show up! Later in the day, we can look for gulls and shorebirds at Laguna Point or along the adjacent beaches. We will leave from the Long's parking lot promptly at 7:30 A.M., or you can meet us at the Lake Cleone parking lot at 9:00 A.M. Bring a picnic lunch and dress in layers.
Click here to see trip reports from 2003, 2008, and 2009.
(See Field Trip Guidelines below.)Clear Lake State Park and Rodman Slough
Date: Saturday, October 23, 2010Highlights:
We will be making our annual birding trek to Clear Lake. This is a wonderful time of year to be out, with cooler days and bright fall colors. Clear Lake State Park hosts an abundance and great variety of birds. On the lake we should see American White Pelicans, several species of grebes and gulls, and lots of ducks. If we are able to negotiate the path to Kelsey Creek outlet, there should be shorebirds and rails. The sloughs in the park provide perfect habitat for several species of herons and egrets. The oak woodlands provide habitat for a number of songbirds, and all of this diversity of wildlife supports large numbers of raptors. We will picnic in the park for lunch, and, if there is time in the afternoon, we can visit Rodman Slough on our way home. On past trips we have seen 75-80 species of birds. We leave from the CVS parking lot promptly at 08:00 A.M., or you can meet us in the Clear Lake State Park parking lot near the visitors' center at 9:00 A.M.
Click here to see trip reports from 2007, 2008, and 2009.
(See Field Trip Guidelines below.)Round Valley and Covelo
Date: Sunday, November 22, 2010Highlights:
We will be making a fall trip into one of California's most beautiful valleys. This trip affords excellent viewing opportunities of several species not commonly seen in the Ukiah area. In past years birds of note here have included Horned Larks, Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawks, Lewis's Woodpeckers, Peregrine and Prairie Falcons, Merlins, and Canyon Wrens. Time permitting, we will continue east to the Black Butte/Eel River campground for lunch and more birding. Meet before our 7:30 A.M. departure at the Ukiah CVS parking lot (formerly Long's), or at 8:00 A.M. in Willits at the high school. We should reach Covelo by 9:30.
Click here to see trip reports from 2007, 2008, and 2009.
(See Field Trip Guidelines below.)Christmas Bird Count and Potluck
Date: Saturday, December 18, 2010Highlights:
Christmas Bird Count: A Century-Old Tradition Continues in Ukiah This Year
Article by Kate Marianchild
At the turn of the 20th century a common Christmas Day activity was the "side hunt" a "social outing" during which participants shot as many birds and small mammals as possible. Shocked by the slaughter, a group of 27 conservationists proposed, in the year 1900, to count birds on Christmas Day rather than shoot them. Led by a man named Frank Chapman, they organized bird counts in 25 communities, unwittingly launching a tradition that has changed the course of history and saved the lives of thousands, perhaps millions, of birds: the Christmas Bird Count.
Over 50,000 people across North America now participate every year in the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), having fun and contributing important information about the health of bird populations at the same time. Every participating community divides a 15-mile diameter circle into sections, and enthusiastic bird watchers sign up to count birds under the direction of a section leader. The results of the CBC contribute to an understanding of increases and declines in bird populations in the northern hemisphere and help scientists assign conservation priorities. Ukiah's Peregrine Audubon Society will hold this year's local CBC on Saturday, December 18, and invites all interested persons, experienced and otherwise, to participate.
To help participants prepare for "Count Day," local bird expert Bob Keiffer will present a slideshow on local birds on Thursday, December 9 at the Ukiah Civic Center at 7 p.m. The slideshow, which was compiled by Keiffer, emphasizes the field characteristics of birds likely to be seen during the CBC. The slideshow is open to all, including people who do not wish to participate in the Count. The evening will also include team sign-ups (optional) and instructions for "Count Day." The official Count Day lasts for 24 hours, though most birders participate for 3-8 hours, depending on interest, stamina, and weather. At the end of the day participants share a potluck "Compilation Dinner" to celebrate another successful Count and to hear the results of the day's effort. The compilation dinner takes place at 6 p.m.at the Grace Hudson Museum.
Sacramento Valley Bird Refuges
Date: Saturday, January 22, 2011Highlights:
We will be making our annual pilgramage to the National Wildlife Refuges in the Sacramento Valley to view the staggering numbers of waterfowl that winter there. Exactly where we go will depend on weather conditions and available time. We will be looking for lots of birds that are seldom seen in Mendocino County: Snow and Ross's Geese, Eurasian Wigeon, Barrow's Goldeneye, American Bittern, White-faced Ibis, Sandhill Crane, Common Moorhen, and Rough-legged Hawk just to mention a few. This is a day-long trip and will involve walks of a mile or more. Bring lunch and beverage and dress in layers. Because of the lengthy drive, we will need to depart at 7:00 AM from the Ukiah CVS (formerly Longs) parking lot. Northern Mendocino or Lake county participants could call 462-8137 to arrange an alternate rendezvous along Hwy. 20.(See Field Trip Guidelines below.)
Mendocino South Coast
Date: Saturday February 12, 2011Highlights:
We will be traveling to the Mendocino County coast south of the Navarro River on this trip, and will spend some time in the Point Arena and Garcia River area. Our targets will include the wintering Tundra Swans on the Garcia River flats and "Al", the wayward Laysan Albatross often seen in Arena Cove during the winter. There should also be some interesting raptors, waterfowl, and gulls seen at this time of year. This is an all-day trip with some short walks. Bring lunch and liquids, and dress in layers. While we will be prepared to deal with showers and drizzle, steady rain will cancel the trip. Meet at the CVS parking lot at 7:30 AM.(See the Field Trip Guidelines below)
UVTG Trail Building Day
Date: To Be AnnouncedHighlights:
(See the Field Trip Guidelines below)
Hopland Research and Extension Center
Date: Saturday, April 23, 2011Highlights:
Chuck Vaughn, who has worked at the UC-HREC for over 30 years, will lead us on a birding tour through various ecosystems at this 5300 acre University of California research facility. Habitats include creeks, ponds, oak woodlands, grasslands, upland chaparral, and much more. We usually see and hear a variety of spring migrants as well as many year-round residents. Expect to see California Thrashers, Sage Sparrows, and Rufous-crowned Sparrows. If our timing is good, we might also see Golden Eagles, Grasshopper Sparrows, and Lawrence's Goldfinches. There are always surprise migrants seen. We will leave from the western edge of the Ukiah CVS parking lot (formerly Long's)at 8:00 a.m., or you can meet us at the center at 8:30. Bring your lunch, water, binoculars, and favorite ID book.See the Field Trip Guidelines.
Potter Valley and the Eel River
Date: Saturday, May 14, 2011Highlights:
This trip will be led by George Chaniot. Warblers, chats, grosbeaks, vireos, and fltcatchers occur here. The primary birding is done along the locally scenic main stem of the Eel River with stops at the Pioneer Bridge, Trout Creek, and possibly Burris Lane. MacGillivray's Warbler and Hermit Warbler are two species usually seen here which can be difficult to find elsewhere in the county. In a good year there is a lot of singing and a lot of color darting among the trees. We will leave from the Ukiah CVS parking lot (formerly Long's)at 8:00 a.m., or you can meet us at the old Potter Valley bridge site along the Russian River (1/4 mile north of Highway 20) at 8:30 a.m. Bring your lunch, water, binoculars, and favorite ID book.See the Field Trip Guidelines.
Annual Rummage Sale
Date: Saturday, June 4, 2011Highlights:
The final event before summer break will be Peregrine's Annual Rummage Sale on Saturday, June 4 from 8 - 2 p.m. at Alex R. Thomas Plaza, next to Ukiah's Farmers' Market at the corner of Clay and School Streets. Peregrine's members and friends save high-quality furniture, tools, books, jewelry, clothing, garden items, camping supplies, and much more throughout the year for this sale, which regularly attracts repeat donors and customers. If you have something to donate, please bring it at 7 a.m. Difficult-to-sell items will be turned away. If you have a large item that needs to be picked up, please call Park Steiner at 462-5110.
This sale, which is Peregrine's main fundraising event of the year, concludes Peregrine's season of nature-related slide presentations and field trips.
Field Trip Guidelines
These guidelines apply to all Peregrine Field Trips. Please take a moment to read them if you are new, or use them to refresh your memory if you have birded with us before. The times listed are the departure times - not the assembly times. Please arrive early! Many of the trips are out of the area and require an hour or more of driving, so promptness is necessary. We encourage carpooling and also alternating of the driving from one trip to another. If at all possible, come prepared to drive with your vehicle already fueled up, but also be prepared to ride with someone else with your lunch and gear compactly together. If you do not drive, please remember that you are expected to help pay for gas. Most trips are all day affairs, but at times various people need to get back sooner. By arriving 15-20 minutes early such necessary travel arrangements can be made. You will probably want to take a pack with lunch, water, hat and appropriate clothing - coats, rain gear, etc. - , binoculars*, camera, and perhaps notepad and field guides.*Binoculars are important, but loaner pairs may be available for newcomers. If you have some to loan, please bring them along.
Last revised September 5, 2010
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