MARK
YOUR CALENDARS
RED CLIFFS AUDUBON
FIELD TRIP SCHEDULE – 2010
For all our trips you will need to bring your
lunch and snacks (cold pizza is always good) and plenty of water. Dress
according to the weather and don't forget your hat, binoculars and
2-way radios. Car-pooling is always encouraged, saves gas and
more important there is not enough safe parking place where we
stop. A long line of cars has drawn attention by the sheriff in
the past. Talking about birds with other people is half the fun.
Watch for details, more info
and updates on your e-mail, at our Red Cliffs web site and in the
newspaper. Field trips destinations occasionally change,
especially end of year trips to areas that are susceptible to
fire. It is especially important to check the monthly updates if
you plan on meeting the group at any place other than St. George BLM.
Notice: Please read our liability waiver regarding future field
trips. This signed form will be required for field trip
participation and can be submitted to the field trip guide or a Red
Cliffs Audubon representative prior to departure. Thanks for your
cooperation--we appreciate it!
**We are also planning longer field trips. Some will be
overnight. To be announced later.
Will have access of van for
transportation. - Leader: Kevin Wheeler
**Any changes to schedule will be updated on this site. Or for
more information, call 435 673-0996
General Meeting, Wednesday,
January
13: Southern Utah has been joyfully invaded!
Come hear "All About Wild Turkeys" at the next Red Cliffs Audubon
General Meeting, Wednesday January 13, 7:00 p.m. at the Tonaquint
Nature Center. The recent Christmas Bird Counts at Cedar, Zion,
St. George, and Silver Reef will be discussed. If you couldn't be
there, come hear what we found on the counts.
January 28-31, 2010 - Winter Bird Festival
Field Trips will be coordinated with the Winter Bird Festival.
Please check the Festival Schedule, and accompany one of the great
field trips there.
February 13, 2010 – Local Ponds and
strange ducks
This trip will concentrate on hitting local areas, particularly ponds
(including a couple golf course ponds) and riparian habitats to look
for wintering waterfowl and songbirds. Expect to see several species of
waterfowl, possibly including Snow, Ross’s, or Greater White-fronted
Gooses, Wood ducks, and several really mixed-up domestics. Leave
the St. George BLM at 8:00 am, bring lunch, or we can pick up one along
the way.
March 13, 2010 – Greater Sage-Grouse at
Panguitch, Leader: Nicole Frey
This is the third year for this trip – if you missed it last year, you
won’t want to this time! The Greater Sage-Grouse, once a common
resident of the sagebrush lands in Utah, is now rare in the
state. Watching its lekking behavior as the male struts trying to
impress the females is a one-of-a-kind experience. We will be
traveling to one of the closest leks to St. George to view them.
Leader Nicole Frey has been working on Greater Sage-Grouse recovery,
and will share with us her knowledge of their behavior and secretive
lives. We will leave the St. George BLM office at 4:30 AM (NOTICE
THE EARLY TIME: we must arrive at the Lek before sunrise to not disturb
the birds.) Bring lunch, and you may want warm clothes.
April 17, 2010 – Henderson Bird Preserve,
Nevada
Spring will be in full swing as we head to this Nevada hotspot.
The Henderson Bird Preserve is located at the water treatment plant,
and they have created productive wetlands of them. Migrating
waterfowl and shorebirds will probably make the highlights of this
trip, although we usually see some other good birds, too. Bring
lunch, and meet at the BLM office in St. George at 7:00 am.
May 15, 2010 – Grafton and Springdale
This trip has become a favorite for many. Many of the songbirds
have set up territories and will be singing along the Virgin
River. We will visit the historical Grafton ghost town, and then
we’ll go to Springdale in the heart of majestic Zion Canyon.
Highlights from the past have been sparrows, Summer Tanager,
woodpeckers, and the appropriately labeled Canyon Wren. Meet at
the St. George BLM office in St. George at 7:00 am, and bring lunch.
June 12, 2010 – Three-toed Woodpecker at
Cedar Breaks National Monument
We shouldn’t guarantee the elusive Three-toed Woodpecker anywhere, but
Cedar Breaks is as good a place as any to search for it. We
should see many good high elevation species as well; highlights have
been Pine Grosbeak, Northern Goshawk, Clark’s Nutcracker, and Peregrine
Falcon. Meet at the St. George BLM office in St. George at 7:00
am, and bring lunch.
July 17, 2010 – Pine Park
It’ll be too hot to do anything in St. George, this time of year, so
we’ll head for the hills. Pine park will provide a cool retreat
in the ponderosas to watch for local higher elevation birds, including
Grace’s Warbler, Red Crossbill, Western Tanager, Mountain Bluebird, and
Pinyon Jay. We will eat a picnic lunch in the cool shade.
Leave the St. George BLM at 7:00 am. Bring a potluck item to
share, and your own cups/plates/utensils.
If anyone has good suggestions for field trips they would like to do in
the coming year, please let us know! Contact Field Trip
Coordinator Kevin Wheeler at turtleherder@hotmail.com
For further information contact Red Cliffs
Audubon
at P. O. Box 1225, St. George, Utah, 84771 or
phone 435-673-0996 or 435-656-1692.
For membership information contact Marilyn Davis (mkdavis028@msn.com)
Y E A R L
Y A G E N D A
TO EDUCATE PUBLIC ABOUT BIRDS OF
SOUTHERN UTAH
**Monthly
General
Meetings
(2nd
Wednesday of each month)
Presentations
aboout
birds,
habitat,
and enviornment
**Monthly
Field
Trips
with Bird Specialists (Saturday following 2nd
Wednesday's General Meeting)
**Weekly
column
in
Senior
Sampler "Artists and Birds"
**Annual
Christmas
Bird
Counts
**St.
George
Winter
Bird
Festival
**Bird
Identification
Classes
for
all ages
**Birds
in
Flight
-
Annual Water Fair for Elementary Schools
**Exhibits
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