Please enjoy birding at our two local State parks: Anderson Marsh State Historic Park which has a docent led field trip on the second Saturday of the month and Clear Lake State Park which has a variety of events planned for different times of the year (www.parks.ca.gov). Also, the Lake County Land Trust’s Rodman Preserve is open every Saturday.
2025 – 2026 Field Trip Calendar
Please note. Field trips will start at 9 a.m. unless otherwise announced in the newsletter.
Follow the link or find details for each field trip published in the preceding newsletter, including directions and start time if different from 9 a.m. Put these dates on your calendar and plan for a fun day of birding with friends! Always check email and/or Facebook for any updates!
September 20 -Upper Lake Reclamation Area – All are welcome to join Redbud Audubon for a field trip to the Reclamation Area near Upper Lake on Saturday, Sept. 20. Attendees are asked to meet at Upper Lake Park, at 575 East Highway 20, west of the Running Creek Casino at 9 a.m. Please don’t be late!
After meeting the group will caravan to the Reclamation Area. The walk will be on flat ground (for the most part). We never know what we will see, but it’s a fun area to visit and an enjoyable walk with friends.
October 18 – Clear Lake State Park –Redbud Audubon’s field trip on Oct. 18, will be to Clear Lake State Park, 5300 Soda Bay Rd. near Kelseyville. Please meet at 9 a.m. in the parking lot near the visitor’s center. We will also be expected to pay the entry fee to the park which is done as you enter.
Fall is a good time of the year to view waterfowl in the creeks that run through the park and often migrating warblers are found flitting through the bushes. Raptors also make the park their home.
Everyone is welcome on Redbud Audubon walks, no matter what your level of birding skill is. So, join us! Saturday morning, Oct. 18 at 9 a.m. for a fun morning of fellowship, fun, and birding!
November 22 – Boggs Lake Preserve
Redbud Audubon’s November field trip on Saturday, Nov. 22 will be to Boggs Lake Preserve. This 200 acre preserve is located at 6902 Harrington Flat Rd. Take Bottle Rock Road off of Highway 29 near Kelseyville and continue until you see Harrington Flat Rd. continue on Harrington Flat then turn left into the Boggs Lake Preserve parking lot. We will meet in the parking lot at 9 a.m.
The walk is short but slightly rugged, so wear good shoes. One hundred and thirty-nine species have been catalogued at the preserve, but as usual, we never know what we will see; but come along and find out!
If you have any questions, email Redbud Audubon at redbud.audubon@gmail.com or call 707-805-9410.
December 20 – Christmas Bird Count
Redbud Audubon Society will carry out its annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) on Saturday, Dec. 20. The CBC is a traditional project of Audubon societies around the country. Former participants will be sent information about meeting times and places by the count organizers, Brad and Kathy Barnwell; the public is also welcome to participate and can do so by emailing Redbud Audubon at redbud.audubon@gmail.com for more information.
On the day of the count, participants will meet at 5 p.m. at a yet to be announced venue for the final tally. We are still determining the location and if it will be the night of the count, or the next day.
Before the bird count, on Thursday, Dec. 18, starting at 7 p.m. Donna Mackiewicz will host a Zoom Bird Identification program. This will be an extensive slide show featuring birds that are often seen on the annual count and birds that are common to Lake County. The program emphasizes the field characteristics of the common and some not-so-common birds here. The Zoom registration will be in the December Western Grebe newsletter
National Audubon has been holding a Christmas Bird Count for 124 years. The official count period usually starts around the middle of December and ends the first week of January. Local Audubon Societies can decide what day they conduct their counts within this time frame. Every individual bird and species encountered during the day is recorded. Each count group has a designated circle of 15 miles in diameter and tries to cover as much ground as possible within a certain period of time.
Newcomers are encouraged to join in on the bird count. You don’t have to be an expert birder to participate. Besides emailing Redbud Audubon, feel free to call Brad or Kathy at (707) 263-1283 for more information.
January 17 – Colusa National Wildlife Refuge
February 19 – Clearlake Oaks boat ramp, Clark’s Island and rookery
March 21 –
April 18 –
May 21 – Annual evening picnic at Lakeside County Park
Details for each field trip will be published in the preceding newsletter, including directions and start time if different from 9 a.m. Field trips are weather dependent and will be cancelled if there is severe weather or weather issues make accessibility difficult.
