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Second Saturday Bird Walk

By on October 26, 2025 in

Always wanted to learn more about birds but not sure where to start? Join Shasta Birding Society for a family and beginner friendly bird walk at the benches by the Sundial bridge at 9 am to walk the Turtle Bay Sanctuary Trail and discover the hidden world of birds all around us! The trail is wheelchair accessible and benches are found throughout. The walk will last about an hour. Binoculars are provided. Join Rebeca Ladrón de Guevara as we take a leisurely one mile walk along the Turtle Bay Sanctuary Trail. This walk will begin at the south end of the Sundial Bridge and take us along the Sacramento River to view waterfowl, woodpeckers, raptors, sparrows, and more. One of the best attributes of this trail is that we cannot only enjoy the excellent views along the river, on the other side of the trail we will be able to find several species of songbirds. Raptors are common in the area, including the Bald Eagle and Osprey. Park in the Turtle Bay Parking Lot. Rain cancels.

Second Saturday Beginner Bird Walk

By on August 12, 2025 in

Always wanted to learn more about birds but not sure where to start? Join Shasta Birding Society for a family and beginner friendly bird walk at the benches by the Sundial bridge at 9 am to walk the Turtle Bay Sanctuary Trail and discover the hidden world of birds all around us! The trail is wheelchair accessible and benches are found throughout. The walk will last about 2 hours. Binoculars are provided. Join our webmaster, Larry Jordan, as we take a leisurely one mile walk along the Turtle Bay Sanctuary Trail. This walk will begin at the south end of the Sundial Bridge and take us along the Sacramento River to view waterfowl, woodpeckers, raptors, sparrows, an more. One of the best attributes of this trail is that we cannot only enjoy the excellent views along the river, on the other side of the trail we will be able to find several species of songbirds. Raptors are common in the area, including the Bald Eagle and Osprey. Park in the Turtle Bay Parking Lot. Rain cancels. Want more information? Contact Larry Jordan at thelarryjordan@gmail.com

Horsetown Clear Creek Preserve

By on August 6, 2025 in

We will meet at the parking area at Horsetown Clear Creek Preserve at 8am for a leisurely mile and a half walk along the Small Loop Trail and Creek Trail.  Sturdy shoes are recommended.

The photo above is of a Wrentit. They are a long-lived, year-round resident in shrublands like the Horsetown Clear Creek Preserve. This species has been described as the most sedentary species in North America so our chances are pretty good of finding this gem on our walk. This is what they sound like:

Turkey Vultures, Common Ravens, Acorn Woodpeckers, California Scrub-Jays and Oak Titmice are expected and hopefully we will find California Quail as well. We are also keeping our fingers crossed for an American Dipper on Clear Creek!

 

Red Bluff Recreation Area, US-MNF

By on August 24, 2024 in

Location of where we will meet: 1000 Sale Lane, Red Bluff, CA. at the upper-level parking lot. South end of Sale Lane next to the Sacramento River Discovery Center.

Walking distance estimated at 2-2.5 miles (3-4 km)

Please join us on a journey with many trails at this very diverse public land with no fees. Sacramento River bisects 488 acres, at this Recreation Area of riparian forest, flowering grasslands, wetlands, and oak woodlands providing very diverse natural viewing experiences. This location is Tehama Region’s number one eBird’s hotspot. Ideal spot for migratory species in the fall and spring seasons. Also, a great home for many varieties of Sparrows, Warblers, Wrens, Woodpeckers, Waterfowl, and Wading Birds. Both the Acorn and Nuttall’s Woodpecker, California and Spotted Towhee, House and Bewick’s Wren, Yellow-billed Magpies and Phainopeplas are often found here year-round.

Recommend that you bring comfortable rugged footwear, plenty of water, snacks, and insect repellant.

 

Trip Leader: Dan Bye, contact me by danbye56@gmail.com for more information.

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Cooperation and Conflict in the World of Acorn Woodpeckers

By on October 26, 2022 in

Acorn Woodpecker Female

Dr. Walt Koenig was a Research Zoologist at Hastings Reservation, a field station located in the upper Carmel Valley run by the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley, from 1982 to 2008. He subsequently was a Senior Scientist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York, from 2008 to 2016. He retired in 2016 and returned to upper Carmel Valley, where he currently studies acorn production by California oaks and continues to contribute to the Acorn Woodpecker study.

Acorn woodpeckers, best known for their unique habit of storing acorns by the thousands in special structures known as “granaries,” exhibit one of the most complex social systems of any bird. Family groups of this species, sometimes numbering a dozen or more birds, contain multiple breeders of both sexes, a rare phenomenon called “polygynandry,” along with young from prior years that serve as “helpers-at-the-nest.” Based on a study of this species at Hastings Reservation in Monterey County, Dr. Koenig will explain some of the strikingly cooperative and surprisingly competitive behaviors of this species that he and his colleagues have discovered during their 50+ year field study.

Wintu Audubon Society is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Dr. Walt Koenig, Cooperation and Conflict in the World of Acorn Woodpeckers
Time: Nov 9, 2022 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85196519044

Meeting ID: 851 9651 9044
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