Upcoming Field Trips

The quickest way to find out about upcoming trips and registration details is via our member's eblast (these will likely come out in the last week of month prior to the trip). If you have not already signed up for our eblasts sign up here.

April 6: Eaton Canyon

Saturday, April 6, 2024, 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM

Trip leaders: Pasadena Audubon and Eaton Canyon Nature Center bird and nature guides

Pasadena Audubon and Eaton Canyon Nature Center are pleased to offer free monthly bird walks at Eaton Canyon. These walks will visit the varied native habitat in the Eaton Canyon Natural Area – riparian, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and oak woodland – to search for resident and migrant species. We’ll go at an easy pace, taking time to observe and enjoy the full array of nature on hand. Recommended: sturdy shoes for walking on dirt and rock trails with gentle inclines, hat, water, sunscreen, and binoculars. A few pairs of binoculars will be available for loan. Please contact fieldtrips@pasadenaaudubon.org for questions or accommodations. Anyone can sign up; no membership is required. Beginning birders are welcome.

Participant limit: none

To join this bird walk, please sign up here.

 

Date ???: Misty (and Magical?) Morning in Hahamongna

April or May, 2024, exact date TBD, 6:30 AM start
Trip leader: Darren Dowell

This is an experimental field trip concept, with the goal of catching one of the uncommon, local springtime migrant “grounding” events when weather is not conducive to migration and birds accumulate at the base of the San Gabriels. The date of the trip will be determined the evening before based on weather conditions, then we’ll head to Hahamongna Watershed Park (Pasadena) in the morning in hopes of seeing large numbers of the expected migrant songbirds. The chosen date could be on any day of the week, between April 15 and May 15. Participants signing up are expected to be available on short notice for the majority of those dates. Expect damp conditions and up to 4 miles of walking.

Participation is limited as this trip idea is “beta tested”.

Participant number: 20, determined by lottery. Sign up before Tuesday, Apr. 9, at 6 PM.

Trip details such as meeting location will be emailed to signed-up participants the evening before the trip.

PHOTO: MacGillivray's Warbler (Geothlypis tolmiei). Photo by Channel City Camera Club. CC License 2.0.

This field trip is filled.

April 13: Bear Divide

Saturday, April 13, 2024
7:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Trip Leader: Luke Tiller

Join PAS President Luke Tiller for a trip to Los Angeles’s hottest spring birding spot: Bear Divide. Here, in spring migration, thousands of birds are tallied in what is often referred to as morning flight - a phenomenon where mainly nocturnal migrants move for a few more hours or perhaps reorient themselves early in the morning (no one really knows for sure). As well as watching this incredible phenomenon, we will visit with the counters from UCLA and Occidental and head to the bird banding station there on site. The Bear Divide count is sponsored by Pasadena Audubon Society. Participation is limited due to parking availability.

Trip details such as meeting location will be emailed to signed-up participants 3-5 days before the trip.

Participant number: 30, determined by lottery. Sign up before Tuesday, Apr. 9, at 6 PM.

PHOTO: Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana) in flight past Bear Divide. Photo by beardivide.org

This field trip is filled.

April 14: Los Angeles Arboretum Monthly Bird Walk

Sunday, April 14, 2024
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Trip Leader: Katy Mann

We are excited to partner with the Los Angeles County Arboretum to offer free monthly bird walks to PAS members. Please note that due to new rules implemented by LA Arboretum these trips will only be open to current PAS members (and not friends of members as in past years). In other words all persons attending must be current Pasadena Audubon members -- either on their own, or as part of a PAS family membership.

Not a PAS member? Join here!

This field trip is offered by reservation only. To reserve a spot go to https://www.arboretum.org/events/bird-walk-with-pasadena-audubon-8/. Registration is scheduled to open at 9 AM on Tuesday, April 9, 2024.

PHOTO: Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) by Luke Tiller.

April 14: Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve

Sunday, April 14, 2024
7:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Trip Leaders: Lara Tseng, Jon Fisher

Join leaders Lara Tseng and Jon Fisher at Bolsa Chica in Huntington Beach as we look for a variety of shorebirds in their lesser-seen alternate (breeding) plumages. In addition, we can expect to see waders, terns, waterfowl and others, including possible Reddish Egret and Ridgway's Rail. This ecological reserve is one of very few significant coastal wetlands extant in Los Angeles and Orange Counties and offers excellent birding opportunities throughout the year.
Bring a spotting scope if you have one. While some birds will be close in, others can be more distant.

Parking is limited so we'll get an early start to ensure spaces are available.

Participant limit: 20 people max. and 10 vehicles max., determined by lottery. Sign up before Thursday, Apr. 11, at 6 PM.

Trip details such as meeting location will be emailed to signed-up participants 2-3 days before the trip.

Photo: Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) at Bolsa Chica. Photo by Chris Spurgeon

Sign up here

April 17: Midweek Nice and Easy Birding Group - Bear Divide

Wednesday, April 17, 2024, 8:00 AM or earlier
Trip leader: Ed Stonick

We will join the counters and bird banders up at Bear Divide, the location of a spring migration route for migrating songbirds and others. The action starts right at dawn, so you may want to arrive earlier than 8:00. Take the 210 Freeway to Little Tujunga Canyon Rd. then drive north, about 12 miles. Take a left at the Bear Divide Vista Picnic site.

Participant number: No Limit

Photo: Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia). Photo by Doug Greenberg. License: CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED

To get the full Nice and Easy trip list for the year, sign up here.

April 20: Mountain Migration Hike

Saturday, April 20, 2024, full morning starting in twilight
Trip leaders: Alicia Di Rado, Darren Dowell

This will be a strenuous hike (up to 11 miles round trip, with up to 3000 ft. elevation change) leaving from Altadena area, with the goals of witnessing songbird migration through the mountains, encountering several of the lower-elevation montane species such as Rufous-crowned Sparrow and Mountain Quail in their most vocal time of year, and enjoying spring wildflowers. We’ll be starting in the dark to beat the weekend rush, then taking a pace that lets us study the montane wildlife.

Participation is limited due to logistics of arriving at the trailhead, and the possibility of hiking narrow trails part of the way.

Participant number: 10, determined by lottery. Sign up before Tuesday, Apr. 16, at 6 PM.

Trip details such as meeting location will be emailed to signed-up participants the day before the trip.

PHOTO: Rufous-crowned Sparrow (Aimophila ruficeps). Photo by Chris Spurgeon.

Sign up here

April 24: Birds and Beers

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Ok, technically this isn't a birding field trip, but it is a great chance to hang out with lots of other birders! Join us on the fourth Wednesday of the month at the Wild Parrot Brewing Company in Pasadena. Have a drink, and a bite to eat, maybe join in a game of Wingspan or Bird Bingo, and just generally have a great time!
Wingspan gameBird Bingo game

No need to be a Pasadena Audubon member, and no need to pre-register, just show up!

Wild Parrot Brewing Company is located at 2302 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA. Here's a map.

April 27: Huntington Library

Saturday, April 27, 2024
8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Trip Leader: Mark Hunter

This is a great walk for beginning birders and families, with easy walking and a nice variety of species present year round.

Please note that due to rules implemented by The Huntington these trips will only be open to current PAS members. You must be a Pasadena Audubon member to attend this trip! After you sign up for the field trip, you will receive an email acknowledging your signup. The acknowledgment email is not a guarantee of a spot! PAS will process signups in the order that they are received, verifying your membership status. The trip leader will contact you after signups are closed, informing you whether you have confirmed spots or are on the wait list. Not yet a member? You can sign up for PAS membership here.

If you have a Huntington membership that allows you to enter the gardens at 8:00 on weekends, please consider making a reservation using your Huntington membership, thereby freeing up spots for PAS members who are not Huntington members.

Photo: California Towhee (Melozone crissalis) by Chris Spurgeon

Field Trip General Notes

This field trip is offered by reservation only. If you miss out on the initial places you will be added to a waitlist and will be emailed by the trip leaders if a place opens up. If you are unable to attend a booked trip please email the trip leader and allow them to make your space available to someone on the wait list.

Sign up!