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.
Sign up and confirmation notes:

If the Google sign-up form for the trip you want to go on doesn't work the first time, try reloading the web page or restarting your browser, then try again.

If it's less than 3 days before a trip that you signed up for, and you think you should have gotten a message but haven't, try looking for it (carefully) in your spam/junk folder.

If these suggestions didn't help solve the issue, please contact us at fieldtrips@pasadenaaudubon.org .

July 20: Summertime Blue(s) Ridge

Saturday, July 20, 2024
7:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Trip Leader: Luke Tiller

Escape the heat of summer as we head to Wrightwood at the east end of the San Gabriels. We will explore the picturesque East Blue Ridge Road and Blue Ridge campground and check feeders at Grassy Hollow.

Targets will be higher elevation specialties like White-headed Woodpecker, Clark’s Nutcracker, Green-tailed Towhee and Dusky Flycatcher as well as sparrows including Black-chinned, Bell’s and Brewer’s. We will also keep our eyes open for butterflies including the rare and highly localized Veined Blue.

A high clearance vehicle can be helpful for this trip.

Participant number: 30, determined by lottery. Sign up before Tuesday, July 16, at 6 PM.

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

Photo: Townsend's Solitare (Myadestes townsendi) by Luke Tiller.

Sign up here

July 21: Mt. Pinos

Sunday, July 21, 2024
Time: 7:00 AM - 12:00 NOON
Trip Leaders: Lance Benner and Naresh Satyan

Join us as we explore Mt. Pinos at the northern edge of Ventura County.

This mountain provides good access by car to montane habitat at elevations exceeding 8000 feet. The mountain is a short distance west of Frazier Park and about 70-80 minutes by car from Pasadena. We'll make a few stops along Mt. Pinos as we drive to the top and then we'll explore Iris Meadow (elevation = 8300 feet). After that there will be an optional extension to hike two miles to the summit of Mt. Pinos, where there are more options for high-elevation species. Possible species include white-headed and hairy woodpecker, golden eagle, Cassin's and purple finch, red crossbill, all three nuthatches, thick-billed fox sparrow, green-tailed towhee, olive-sided flycatcher, dusky flycatcher, Clark's nutcracker, and Bell's sparrow.

Participant number: 15, determined by lottery. Sign up before Wednesday, July 17, at 6 PM.

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

Photo: White-headed Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus albolarvatus) by Chris Spurgeon

Sign up here

July 24: Birds and Beers

Wednesday, July 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.

July 27: Lower L.A. River – Shorebird Extravaganza, Part 1

Saturday, July 27, 2024
7:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Trip Leaders: Jon Fisher & TBA

Again this year, Pasadena Audubon will be running two LA River trips looking at shorebirds. The first trip will allow us to see adult birds still in breeding plumage and the second (in August) juvenile birds and adults in basic plumage. Come and join PAS shorebird experts for a morning honing your ID skills with the common species and working out the ID challenges posed by potential uncommon species and vagrants. This is the most exciting time for shorebird migration, and the Los Angeles River can boast north of 30 species of shorebird in July and August.

Participant number: no limit

Trip details such as meeting location will be emailed to signed-up participants before the trip. At the field trip site, anticipate a paved ramp from street level up to the paved bike path along the L.A. River. We will walk slowly along the path for up to 2 miles distance.

Photo: Black-necked Stilts (Himantopus mexicanus). Photo by Chris Spurgeon

Sign up here

July 27: Huntington Library

Saturday, July 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.

Sorry, this trip is completely filled.

July 28: Black Swifts and Lesser Nighthawks

Sunday, July 28, 2024
4:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Languages available: English, Mandarin
Trip Leaders: Darren Dowell and Oliver Huang

Black Swifts, so enigmatic was this species that up until 2012 ornithologists still had no idea where the birds wintered. We will seek out these aerial acrobats at Claremont Wilderness Park, the only reliable spot in LA County to find this most mysterious of birds. The swifts are best looked for late in the day and so we will spend a couple of pre-dusk hours seeking them out. On our return towards Pasadena we will make a sundown stop in Duarte to look for displaying Lesser Nighthawks.

Not a morning person, then this may be the perfect PAS trip for you!

Participant number: no limit

Trip details such as meeting location will be emailed to signed-up participants before the trip. At the Swifts site, anticipate a slow, uphill/downhill hike on a wide dirt trail (fire road), approximately 2 miles round trip. At the Nighthawks site, the route is mostly paved and level with some short interruptions; distance is approximately 1 mile round trip.

PHOTO: Black Swift (Cypseloides niger). Photo by Luke Tiller.

Sign up here

August 3: Eaton Canyon

Saturday, August 3, 2024, 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM

Trip leaders: Kristen Ochoa and Lulu Marin, and Eaton Canyon Nature Center docents

*This field trip is led in English and Spanish. ¡Ven a observar aves con nosotros!

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

Sign up coming soon!

 

August 11: Los Angeles Arboretum Monthly Bird Walk

Sunday, July 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, August 6, 2024.

SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT REGISTERING FOR THE ARBORETUM WALK: Evidently when the monthly Arboretum walk has reached capacity, the sign-up form stops functioning correctly. This issue is beyond our control. If in doubt, sign up early!

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

September 22: Dana Point Pelagic

Sunday, September 22, 2024
7:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Departure location: Dana Point (24200 Dana Point Harbor Dr, Dana Point, CA 92629)
Price: $120.00 per person

After an incredibly successful trip last year we’re excited to announce our dates for 2024’s dedicated pelagic! Departing from Dana Point in Orange County aboard the Ocean Institute Explorer, we'll spend time exploring the waters of both Orange and Los Angeles Counties. This nine-hour trip will help us connect with species that are harder to see from just your average whale watch and chartering the boat will allow us to focus specifically on the birds. (Trip report from last year here.)

We will be providing expert pelagic tour leaders for this trip to help pick out interesting species. Birds that might be encountered include a variety of shearwaters, jaegers, phalaropes, alcids, gulls, and terns. One of our main targets will be the rafts of storm-petrels that gather offshore in September which may include both Black, Ashy, and Least. Uncommon and rare species discovered on similarly timed trips have included: Manx and Flesh-footed Shearwater, Arctic Tern, Red-footed and Blue-footed Booby, and Craveri’s Murrelet among others.

Please note that all ticket sales are final, except in the event of trip cancellation. We will, however, allow transfers and do our best to assist those who need help with that.

By traveling on their boat, this trip also helps support the non-profit Ocean Institute, whose work focuses on marine science, environmental education, and maritime history.

Photo: Pink-footed Shearwater (Ardenna creatopus) by Luke Tiller

Register here!