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
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.