uj  |
Altacal Audubon SocietyA California Chapter of the National Audubon Society |
 |
| uj |
Altacal Audubon SocietyA California Chapter of the National Audubon Society |
|
Mission: To promote the awareness, appreciation, and protection of native birds and their habitats through education, research, and environmental activities.
Help Wanted!
In all our areas of interest (e.g.,
Field Trips, Education, Conservation, etc.) we are trying to get things
done more efficiently and effectively by asking members to contribute
in any way they can by contacting a Committee Chairperson or other
Board member and offering to help in some area of interest.
There’s no need to sign on for a particular position or office and you
can be sure you’d be appreciated.
Upcoming Programs
| As an avid birder I chose Peru
as a
destination due to the startling number of bird species within its
border, a staggering 1792 at last count, and growing. What I didn’t
expect was that I was going to be entering an enchanting country full
of life and extraordinary vigor, aside from its well known history.
From the ancient capital of the Incas, Cusco, we will travel up and
over the Andes, and descend into the Cloud Forest of the east slope.
Birding around the famous Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge, and Amazonia Lodge,
we will then travel on a six-hour boat trip down the Madre de Dios
River to the magical Amazon Basin outpost of the Manu Wildlife Center.
The Center is adjacent to the Manu Biosphere Reserve, which includes
the 3.7 million-acre Manu National Park. It has been said that this
park “represents the wildest, most wildlife-packed rain forest in the
world”. And one can add the most pristine. Hopefully, my PowerPoint
presentation will convey a bit of the essence of Peru, and why you
should place it high on your list of “must see” places. Mac McCormick was a high school teacher in the Bay area for 37 years. Today he lives in Chico and spends much of his time in Sierra City where he maintains a mountain cabin. Mac has been a Bird Banding Instructor for the Sierra Nevada Field Campus of San Francisco State University since 1990. Among his many birding accomplishments are: |
 |
|
August
4-8,
Wednesday-Sunday
-
Saddlebag
Lake and Mono Lake
Trip
Leaders: Mike Fisher and Gaylord Grams
Saddlebag
Lake
is
located
about
10 miles west of Lee Vining on CA 120, just east
of Yosemite National Park in the Hoover Wilderness. This high
elevation area (10,150 feet) is known as the Twenty Lakes Basin.
We will camp at Saddlebag Lake Campground Wednesday and Thursday
nights, using it as a base for exploring the Saddlebag Lake area.
We will meet at the campground on Wednesday. Thursday morning we
will get up early and take the water taxi across the lake to the
trailhead (roundtrip cost is $11 but cuts 4 miles off the hike giving
us more time to look for our target birds).
|
 |
 |
Join us as we explore the Eureka/Arcata/Trinidad areas of our beautiful north coast. We will spend some time at the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary - 307 acres of restored fresh and saltwater marshes, mudflats, grassy uplands, oxidation ponds and a brackish lake. There are so many great hotspots in the area and we will visit as many as time allows. Some possibilities include Patrick’s Point State Park, Elkhead/College Cove in Trinidad, Mad River County Park, North Spit, and Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. We will camp at either Patrick’s Point State Park or a nearby private campground. If you would rather not camp, you can arrange your own lodging in Trinidad, McKinleyville or Arcata. The weather is often nice this time of year, but you should be prepared for cool, foggy or rainy weather. A major storm or forecast of heavy rain will cancel this trip. For more information or to reserve a spot, contact Nancy Nelson at 345-0580 or concownancy@earthlink.net |
September
3-5,
Friday-Sunday
- Juniper Lake
Trip Leader: Jennifer Patten Juniper Lake is located in the southeastern corner of Lassen Volcanic National Park and is the park’s largest lake. We’ll be hiking, birding, swimming and don't forget your kayak or canoe. Camping is rustic with pit toilets, but no potable water. For further details and to reserve a space, contact Jennifer Patten at 345-9356 or jpchico@sbcglobal.net. |
 |
 |
Point Reyes National Seashore is
well-known for its excellent birding. The seashore and surrounding
areas offer many different habitats from grasslands, estuaries, and
coastal scrub to forests. The projection of the Point Reyes peninsula
some 10 miles seaward from the "mainland" makes Point Reyes National
Seashore a landing spot for many vagrants - birds that may have made
errors in navigation and thus are unexpected in this area. Each fall
these vagrants seek out resting spots along the peninsula on their way
south. Some of these rarities have included Black-throated Blue
Warbler, American Redstart, White-throated Sparrow, Palm Warbler and
Prothonotary Warbler. We will visit these vagrant traps (resting
spots), such as the Fish Docks, the lighthouse rocks and cliff areas,
Abbott’s Lagoon, Tomales Bay, Drake’s Beach, Bear Valley, Olema Marsh
and the famous historic ranches along the way. We will camp Friday and Saturday night at Olema Ranch Campground. Please contact Jennifer at 345- 9356 or Mike at 624-4777 if you are interested in going or for more information on what to bring, directions, camping, etc. |
October
3,
Sunday
– Oroville Wildlife Area Kayak Trip Trip Leader: Gaylord Grams
Enjoy the Feather by kayak! Along the way we’ll see spawning salmon and the usual cast of bird characters. Meet at the Chico Park ‘n Ride (lot nearest Rte 99) at 8:30 or at the Oroville Fish Hatchery at 9:00. Contact Gaylord Grams at 533-1624 for more information. |
 |
 |
October 9, Saturday – Upper Bidwell Park (a “Second Saturday” Bird Walk) Trip Leader: Steve King On October 9th (and November 13th), we will have our first monthly field trips to Upper Bidwell Park. These dates are every second Saturday of the month (January may be skipped). By early October almost all of the birds that spent the summer in places north of us and in higher elevations should be back in the upper park. Let’s meet at 8:00 a.m. at the parking lot on the left just past the gun club (follow Wildwood Ave for 1.75 miles and turn left just before the gate). Bring binoculars, water, snacks walking shoes and proper clothing for the expected weather conditions. Rain cancels. For more information contact: Nancy Nelson at 345-0580. |
| Altacal Audubon Society has had an exciting opportunity to create an educational brochure to inform landowners along the Sacramento River about Bank Swallows (Riparia riparia), their nesting habitat, and incentive programs to help protect them. Members Carolyn Short, Raina King and I were awarded a grant to create the brochure and companion website by the Fund for Wild Nature. Go to Bankswallows.org to learn more about this species population on the Sacramento River. | 
Image copyright 2006: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART |
|
Membership Application (printable PDF) Gift Contribution (printable PDF) |
Joe Morlan's California Birding Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge California Wildlife Festival Calendar |
| North-state
Naturalists
http:// Liam Huber's banding experiences http:// Those Amazing Birds |
|
Submission of Articles Notices or articles submitted for publication
consideration should be sent by e-mail message to the newsletter editor
as Microsoft Word (if possible) attachments by the 1st of the month for
the next issue of the newsletter (i.e., Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep and Nov
1st) -
editor@altacal.org – Thanks. |
|
Attention Libraries! |
|
If you would like to receive the White-tailed Kite for distribution to your patrons, please email membership@altacal.org to let us know how many copies you'd like. |
Support us by becoming a member: Membership Application (PDF)