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 .

November 15: Big Santa Anita Canyon

FRIDAY, November 15, 2024
6:30 AM - Noon
Trip Leader: Lance Benner

Join us for a fall hike into Big Santa Anita Canyon as we search for American dipper, Pacific wren, canyon wren, rufous-crowned sparrow, and other lower montane species. Pacific wrens have been present here in recent winters and are probably regular fall/winter visitors. Dippers have returned after an absence of about 10 years. This area is recovering from the Bobcat Fire in 2020 so we may encounter some changes from fall trips in previous years. Many of the trees survived, and this is still a beautiful area.

We're planning to hike down into the main canyon, up through the slot canyon a short distance above Sturtevant Falls, and then return, for a total of about 4-5 miles. Bring sturdy shoes, plenty of water, some food, sunscreen, a hat, warm clothing, and an Adventure Pass for your car. Heavy rain cancels but drizzle does not.

Participant number: No Limit

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

Photo: Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus)

Sign up here

November 17: Parrot Roost

Sunday, November 17, 2024
4:15 PM to 5:30 PM
Leader: Luke Tiller

The San Gabriel Valley is now known nationally for its overnight roosts of Amazona parrots and Mitred and Red-masked Parakeets. On most late afternoons during the non-breeding season, the (sub)urban skies and soundscape get overtaken by cacophonous flocks returning from their daytime foraging sites to gather at the roosts. These parrots and parakeets are not native to the United States, but large populations have established themselves in the Los Angeles area and become an important part of the local ecosystem. Join Pasadena Audubon as we sort through the impressive numbers of parakeets and Red-crowned Amazons (Parrots), looking for some of the less common species. For this trip, we will mostly be standing around letting the birds come to us. We may stroll slowly through the neighborhood to get closer to roosting flocks, but this will involve minimal walking on sidewalks.

Participant limit: none

PHOTO: Lilac-crowned Parrot (Amazona finschi). Photo by Luke Tiller.

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

Sign up here

November 17: Antelope Valley

Sunday November 17, 2024, 7:00 AM -- noon (or longer if there is interest)
Trip leader: Grigory Heaton

The Antelope Valley is home to many birds not easily found elsewhere in the county. This trip will explore some of the parks and desert habitats in the far northeast corner of Los Angeles County. We'll be targeting some local specialty birds such as Ferruginous Hawk, Mountain Plover, and Prairie Falcon. There will be an opportunity to carpool from Pasadena.

Participant number: No Limit

Trip details such as how to get there and what to bring will be emailed to signed-up participants 3-5 days before the trip.

PHOTO: Raven (Corvus corax) and Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis). Photo by Wendy Miller/flickr

Sign up here

November 20: Midweek Nice and Easy Birding Group - Legg Lake

Wednesday, November 20, 2024, 8:00 AM
Trip leader: Ed Stonick

We will meet at the north end of the large parking lot on Santa Anita Ave.

Participant number: No Limit

Photo: Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis). Photo by Chris Spurgeon.

Sign up here.

November 23: Legg Lake

Saturday, November 23, 2024
7:00 AM to 11:00 AM

Leaders: Darren Dowell, John Rodgers

(This site is good enough to schedule two trips in one month!) Join us for a relaxed bird walk through the inviting habitat at Legg Lake in South El Monte. We’ll focus on wintering songbirds (hoping to find some “goodies” for the upcoming CBC), and for sure we’ll spend time looking through the trees, expansive lawns, densely-vegetated lake edges, and weedy patches for those. But Legg Lake has more to offer, including newly-arrived migratory ducks, near certain views of Common Gallinule and Vermilion Flycatcher, a chance to hear the resident Least Bitterns, and a mixed blackbird flock always interesting to look through. We’ll be birding the main park routes, covering about 2 miles on dirt trails and lawns (sometimes thick and/or wet).

Participant number: No Limit

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

PHOTO: Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata). Photo by Chris Spurgeon.

Sign up here

November 23: Huntington Library

Saturday, November 23, 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!

December 7: Eaton Canyon

Saturday, December 7, 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

To join this bird walk, please sign up here.

 

December 8: Los Angeles Arboretum Monthly Bird Walk

Sunday, December 8, 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, December 3, 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!

In addition to this month's LA Arboretum Bird Walk, PAS Member Merrilee Fellows invites guests to participate in a special interactive, on-site art exhibit after the birding. This outdoor interactive art installation is called “Archiving Eden: Exchange.” Artist Dornith Doherty presents a translucent structure adorned with 5,000 vibrant x-ray images of native California seeds. Over time and with viewer participation, the installation will change physically and visually, creating a living seed bank by replacing the colorful x-ray tiles with envelopes of single seeds. As a bonus, each participant is able to retain the x-ray tile of the seed “exchanged.”This exhibit is hosted by the Los Angeles County Arboretum. If you are unable to attend this additional event, feel free to revisit it at a later date. The exhibit runs through November 17. Visit the LA Arboretum website here


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