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 .

May 31 - June 1: Kern County Weekend Field Trip

Saturday, May 31 & Sunday, June 1, 2025
Trip leaders: Dan Cooper and Sam Bressler

Please join leaders Dan Cooper and Sam Bressler for a 2-day exploration of northeast Kern County. We will start in the west Mojave Desert at Butterbredt Spring, and then make our way north through Kelso Valley to the South Fork Kern River, where we'll hear a presentation about local ornithological research by staff of the Southern Sierra Research Station. As conditions allow, we may bird portions of the South Fork Kern. Targets at Butterbredt include Willow Flycatcher and various late-moving migrants. We'll make stops for Tricolored Blackbird in Kelso Valley, and may also see Golden Eagle (we'll pass several known breeding territories) and Scott's Oriole. Summer Tanager and Brown-crested Flycatcher are possible along the Kern River, as are various riparian/grassland species such as Blue Grosbeak.

We'll then continue to Kernville where we'll stay overnight at a lodge about 15 minutes north of town, returning for dinner. American Dipper is possible here. The next morning, we'll get an early start and bird the Greenhorn Mountains west of Lake Isabella, considered the southernmost extension of the Sierra Nevada. Targets here include Blue Grouse and Pileated Woodpecker (both normally heard-only), plus Pacific Wren, Hammond's Flycatcher, Purple and Cassin's Finches, and various Sierran breeding species. We'll depart for home after a picnic lunch.

A high-clearance vehicle is mandatory, owing to the rough/sandy road conditions leading into Butterbredt and through Kelso Valley. Participants are also asked to pack food for two picnic lunches.

TRIP LIMIT: 15, chosen by lottery.

COST: $275/person for a single room
$200/person for a shared room (two person max)

PHOTO: American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus). Photo by Kevin Krebs/FLICKR. LICENSE: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Sign up here

June 4: Midweek Nice and Easy Birding Group: Mt. Wilson

Wednesday, June 4, 2025, 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Trip leader: Ed Stonick

The home of the 100-inch Hooker Telescope is also home, or at least a stopover, for plenty of birds! Common montane species such as Stellar’s Jay, Western Wood-Pewee, and Lawrence’s Goldfinch move among the trees and structures on this iconic LA summit. Meet at Red Box Picnic Area (MAP).

Participant number: No Limit

PHOTO: Stellar's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri). Photo by Kenneth Hagemeyer/FLICKR. License: CC BY-ND 2.0

Sign up here.

June 6: C'est Chouette: Owls in the San Gabriel Mountains

Friday night, June 6, 2025
6:00 PM - midnight
Trip Leaders: Lance Benner & Alex Coffey

Join us as we search for owls and nightjars in the higher areas of the San Gabriel Mountains.

We'll start before sunset when we'll look for northern pygmy owl and diurnal mountain species, and then after dark we'll look for Flammulated Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Western Screech Owl, Great Horned Owl, and Common Poorwill.

Weather permitting, we'll also do a quick tour of the night sky, have a quick look at the Moon, Jupiter, and Mars, and point out any prominent satellites that drift by.

Participant number: 10, determined by lottery a few days before the trip. Trip details such as meeting location will be emailed to signed-up participants.

PHOTO: Flammulated Owl (Psiloscops flammeolus) in the San Gabriel Mountains. CREDIT: Photo by Chris Spurgeon.

Sign up here

June 8: Los Angeles Arboretum Monthly Bird Walk

Sunday, June 8, 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, June 2, 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.

June 18: Midweek Birding Group at Buckhorn Campground

Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Trip leader: Ed Stonick

Take a stroll amid Incense Cedars and Ponderosa Pines in the heart of Angeles National Forest. At over 6,000 feet, you can expect to see some interesting birds going about their business on a June morning: White-headed Woodpeckers, Pygmy Nuthatches, Green-tailed Towhees, and Purple Finches to name a few! The stream next to the visitor’s parking lot is a known breeding ground for MacGillivray’s Warbler. Buckhorn Campground is slightly over an hour’s drive from Pasadena, so allow plenty of time to get there.

Participant number: No Limit

PHOTO: Pygmy Nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea). Photo by Chris Spurgeon

Sign up here.

June 28: Huntington Library

Saturday, May 28, 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!

September 28: Dana Point Pelagic

Sunday, September 28, 2025
7:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Departure location: Dana Point (24200 Dana Point Harbor Dr, Dana Point, CA 92629)
Price: $135.00 per person

We’re excited to announce our dates for 2025’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

Sign up now!