Field Trips and Meetings

A beginners bird walk. We will start with a look at the ocean for seabirds migrating North, then will walk the trails looking for newly arrived summer breeding birds and local residents. Mostly easy walking for about a mile. Meet at the entrance on Delaware.

Meet at the main parking lot, walk Discovery Loop as well as scoping the pond. White-breasted Nuthatch often heard and seen. We'll continue up the trail if time allows. Outdoor bathroom available.
Leader: Paul Miller

Clive Bagshaw, who monitors nest boxes at the UCSC Arboretum, and  Bethany Kilzer, who monitors others at West Glenwood Open Space Preserve, will give a joint presentation on their respective monitoring programs, which will include some history and impact of the nest boxes, plus photos and videos of the bird species that use the nest boxes.

We will walk into the Ponderosa Lodge area and look for the regular species, focusing on songs and calls. We also hope to find a Pileated Woodpecker, but no guarantees. Meet at Juvenile Hall parking lot, 3650 Graham Hill Rd.
Leader: Paul Miller

We will bird the chaparral ridge that divides Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties. Specialties we might see here include Bell’s and Black-chinned Sparrow, Purple Martin, and Lawrence’s Goldfinch. A morning flight of landbirds is possible and may involve various species of hummingbirds, warblers, and other migrants passing over the ridge. The weather here can be cold, hot, and windy all in one morning, so come prepared for changing conditions. Plan for about 3 miles of mostly level walking.

Directions: head north on Highway 17, take a right onto Summit Road. Continue on Summit Road (which turns into Highland Way past Soquel-San Jose Road) and turn left onto Mt. Bache Road. Follow Mt. Bache Road for about a mile to the Loma Prieta Way intersection; keep right here and continue heading uphill for three more miles. Meet at 7 AM at the very wide dirt pullout at the intersection of Loma Prieta Way and Summit/Mt. Madonna Road (located here 37.0969, -121.8467).
Leader: Alex Rinkert

Join Zeka Glucs, Director of UCSC's Predatory Bird Research Group to learn about the legacy of groups legacy and their ongoing community science monitoring program tracking the population of Peregrine Falcons in our region.