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 .

POSTPONED! January 10: Gulls at the L.A. River

Friday, January 10, 2025, 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Trip leaders: Darren Dowell, Grigory Heaton

This trip will meet deep in the residential/industrial urban environment, where a stretch of the Los Angeles River and the local cuisine entices a large gull flock representing multiple species. We’ll spend the afternoon studying them, working out ages and species, and hopefully turning up a rarity or two. We’ll also take a look at the wintering shorebirds along the river, and anything else which is around. The trip assembles in Maywood. The number of participants is limited since we’ll be walking single file along a narrow bike trail. Heavy rain cancels the trip, but drizzle does not.

Participant number: 15. Sign up by 6 PM Monday Jan. 6 to be in the lottery for this trip

Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) found along the L.A. river in 2022. Photo by Chris Spurgeon

This field trip is postponed.

POSTPONED! January 11: Beginner Birding at Lower Arroyo Seco

Saturday, January 11, 2025, 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Trip leaders: Jeff and Leeann Hale

Are you curious about birding but don’t know where to start? Got new binoculars for Christmas but are unsure how to use them? Set a New Year's resolution to learn how to identify our local birds? Join us for a beginner-friendly bird walk through the Arroyo Seco! We will be meeting at Desiderio Neighborhood Park for a short introduction to birding and using binoculars before heading down to the newly renovated trails of the Lower Arroyo Seco as we spot local birds and share tips for identifying species. We will have a few pairs of binoculars available to borrow. Anyone can sign up, no membership is required.

Participant number: No Limit

PHOTO: Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria). Photo by Chris Spurgeon

This field trip is postponed.

CANCELLED!!! January 12: Los Angeles Arboretum Monthly Bird Walk

Sunday, January 12, 2025

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, January 7, 2025.

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.

January 15: Midweek Nice and Easy Birding Group: Orange County: Carr Park, Seabridge Park, Bolsa Chica

Wednesday, January 15, 2024, 9:00 AM
Trip leader: Ed Stonick

Orange County: Carr Park, Seabridge Park, Bolsa Chica
We'll start at Carr Park in Huntington Beach. We'll move the starting time to 9:00 a.m. given the extra distance. From there, we'll visit nearby Seabridge Park and Bolsa Chica Refuge. It's a bit farther than we usually go, but we're guaranteed to see a nice variety of birds, and possibly some rarities.

To reach Carr Park, take the 605 freeway south to the 405 freeway and exit at Springdale St. The park is just south of Heil Ave. You'll need to make a u-turn. Park on the edge of the park near the pond.
Allow about an hour and a half since there may be traffic. There is a carpool lane on the 605 which usually helps avoid the worst traffic.

Participant number: No Limit

PHOTO: American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). Photo by Chris Spurgeon

Sign up here.

January 18: San Gabriel River Spreading Grounds

Saturday, January 18, 2025
12:00 noon to 3:30 PM
Leaders: Darren Dowell, Oliver Huang
Languages available: English, Mandarin 中文

Join us at the San Gabriel Coastal Basin Spreading Grounds (or possibly the Rio Hondo Spreading Grounds) in Pico Rivera after a morning of birding elsewhere or a relaxing brunch! This trip is timed in hopes of catching a large gull flock to study, but we’ll be making the rounds also to look through the usually enormous winter gathering of ducks and geese at this site, the variety of songbirds along the edges, and often a few shorebirds. Views can be distant at this site, so scopes are helpful. We’ll be doing a stroll along the level, paved or compacted bike trail around the basins, up to 3 miles if we do the full loop.

Participant number: No Limit

Trip details such as meeting location will be emailed to signed-up participants 1-3 days before the trip, based on reported conditions at the site.

Photo: Snowy Egret (Egretta thula). Photo by Chris Spurgeon

Sign up here

January 25: Huntington Library

Saturday, January 25, 2025
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!