Field Trips and Meetings

Join Professor Bruce Lyon of  UCSC’s Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Department as he shares what’s been learned so far from banding and behavioral studies of Gray-crowned Rosy-finches, one of the resident songbirds on one of the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea. He will introduce the island, its people, and its history before describing the ongoing research on the finches. Rosy finches remain one of the most poorly studied group of birds in North America due to their remote alpine breeding habitat and inaccessible nests. On St. Paul Island, however, the birds are abundant, tame, and at double the body size of mainland finches they are examples of an island giant.

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 

This will be an easy 2-ish mile loop through the grasslands and oak woodland of the preserve with a stop at the pond. Possible Golden Eagles. No bathrooms available. Directions: Meet at the Parking area for Glenwood East, just south of the Shugart park walkway
Leader: Paul Miller

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

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

This is a great place to bird before the camping begins in May! I hope to find great breeding bird activity from raptors to Bushtits. Meet at the end of Zils Road off San Andreas Road.
Leader: Lisa Larson

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.

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.