Location: Liberty Cafe: 1664 S. Dixie Dr, Suite K102, St. George,

 A no-host social gathering after the Cottonwood Cove & Mathis Park Bird Walk

Location: Cottonwood Cove Park

Registration Site: Registration Site. Please register for this specific date or event.

Meeting Place: 11027 South Dixie Dr, St George. Meet in the parking lot by the bathrooms.

About: We will walk the paved trails along the Santa Clara River, and then make our way a short drive to bird at Mathis Park.

Target Species: : Great Blue Herons at the rookery, Western Kingbird, Bullock’s Oriole, Summer Tanager, grosbeaks, woodpeckers, warblers.

Leader: Greg Cannon

Location:Boots Cox Park

Registration Site: Registration Site. Please register for this specific date or event.

Meeting Place: 1080 South 900 East, St George

About: We will start at Boots-Cox Park and then move on to Crosby Family Confluence Park (2099 S. Convention Center Dr). Sidewalks and lawns are mostly level. Bathrooms at both sites.

Target Species: Vermilion Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, phoebes, pipit, roadrunner, Yellow Warbler, nesting Cliff Swallows.

Leader: RJ Hughes

WEATHER UPDATE: Fellow Raptor Runners,

Regrettably Saturday’s Raptor Run field trip to Enterprise must be POSTPONED due to weather conditions. Paul Jaussi found the countryside roadways clogged with snow and deep mud, with slippery conditions expected after tonight’s icy freeze.

We will shoot for next Saturday, Feb 28. Watch for updates next Friday Feb 27 for any further changes. Best to register once again for the Feb 28 date to assure you receive email notices. If you can’t make next Saturday, I’d appreciate you email

Registration Site: Registration Site. Please register for this specific date or event.

Below are a few details including carpooling, etc, to help things go smoothly. Carpools will be reconfigured at Enterprise to minimize the number of vehicles in the caravan. Fewer vehicles will maximize participants’ chances of getting onto the birds.

Meeting Places and Time Frame:

 Carpools from St George:

• 7:15 am- Meet up for carpooling at LDS church on N Bluff (1285 N. Bluff St)

• 7:30 am- LEAVE time. Carpools cannot wait for latecomers

 Next: Carpools from Enterprise:

• 8:15 am- Meet up in Enterprise (Sinclair gas station, 855 E Main St).

• We will further CONSOLIDATE cars and riders in Enterprise before continuing. By reducing the number of vehicles in the caravan we increase the chances of everyone seeing the birds. We will split into two caravans if the group is large

• 1:00/1:30 pm- Approximate end-time in Enterprise

  Note: Vehicles with higher clearance preferred due to possible soft/muddy roads.

About the Raptor Run:

The “RAPTOR RUN” to Enterprise & Beryl Junction is our most popular field trip.

Up to 10 raptor species are possible, plus winter specialties such as Northern & Loggerhead Shrike, Horned Lark, pipit, etc.

 Bring/dress

•    Binoculars and scope to share if you have one. Some may wish to bring their camera.

•    Walkie-talkie if you have one. Leader Paul Jaussi will provide a limited number.

•    Appropriate clothes/boots for potentially cold, windy and muddy conditions.

•    (You might pack a garbage bag to put muddy boots into.)

Forecast: We will post any weather related changes on the site. Please check back.

Location: Springs Estates Pond (Springs Park & Seegmiller Marsh)

Registration Site: Registration Site. Please register for this specific date or event.

Meeting Place: 2395 East Springs Dr, St George. Meet by the bathrooms.

About: A community park featuring a pond near a marsh of the Virgin River. Path is paved around the pond and along the river; uneven dirt into the marsh.

Target Species: Waterfowl, herons, roadrunner, hummingbirds, Marsh Wren, phoebes, migrating warblers. Sora and Virginia Rail are possible.

Leader: Paul Hicks

Jackson Flat Reservoir - Kanab, Utah

For those in the Kanab area that cannot make the Raptor Run, you can join the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources for an opportunity to see a variety of waterbirds as they migrate through the state! Personnel from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources will be there to answer your questions and to help you spot and identify birds.

This event will take place on Saturday, Feb. 21, at Jackson Flat Reservoir from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Personnel from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources will be there to answer your questions and to help you spot and identify birds.

The event is free but please carefully read through the Eventbrite page for more information and directions. https://bit.ly/jacksonflat26

Register today!

Location: Tonaquint Nature Park

Registration Site: Registration Site. Please register for this specific date or event.

Meeting Place: 1851 South Dixie Dr, St George. Meet at the last parking lot by the tennis courts and bathrooms.

About: The Tonaquint Nature Park is one of the better places to find birds within our populated areas. Large, mature trees surrounding a pond attract both woodland birds and waterfowl, migrants and residents. Most anything can show up here. This is the best place to see Wood Ducks in winter. The paths are mostly dirt but level and maintained.

Leader: Greg Cannon

Birds & Bites

Location: Village Baker

 A no-host social gathering after the St James Park Bird Walk

Location: St. James Park

Registration Site: Registration Site. Please register for this specific date or event.

Meeting Place: 741 St James Ln, St George. Meet at the parking lot by the bathrooms.

About: Flat, mostly paved trails skirt the Virgin River, Fort Pierce Wash, and the St George Golf Course and ponds, attracting a variety of passerines and waterfowl.

Leader: Paul Hicks

Location: Fire Lake Park (Ivin’s Reservoir)

Registration Site: Registration Site. Please register for this specific date or event.

Meeting Place: Old Hwy 91 past Santa Clara, west of the Kayenta turnoff. Meet on the sidewalk near the parking lot and public restrooms.

About: We’ll check for waterfowl, then walk to some of the neighborhoods for White-winged Doves, Cactus Wren, Crissal Thrasher, and other surprises. Trails are mostly level, both paved and unpaved.

Leader: John Schijf

Location: Grandpa’s Pond (Stratton Pond)

Registration Site: Registration Site. Please register for this specific date or event.

Meeting Place: 350 N 3700 W, Hurricane. Meet on the sidewalk by the bathrooms.

About: A large pond between Quail Creek Reservoir and the Virgin River. Attracts waterfowl in season and riparian species year-round. We will be almost entirely on flat, paved trails.
Leader: TBA

Red Cliffs Audubon January Field Trip: Wild Goose Chase

Targeted Species:RCA’s January field trip will focus on the variety of geese that make their winter home in the Greater St George area. We’ll hope to encounter all five goose species (Canada, Cackling, Snow, Ross’s, Greater White-fronted) plus sort through the challenging assortment of subspecies that regularly (or irregularly) occur in our area. We’ll see a plethora of colorful waterfowl; and hopefully some “bonus” birds such as Eurasian Wigeon, Trumpeter and Tundra Swan, and any other rarities that show up.

FIELD TRIP DETAILS

Destination: A dozen sites in Washington County where geese congregate

Date: Saturday, January 24

Time/Meet-up location: 9:00am to noon, starting from Tonaquint Park (park past the tennis courts).  

Carpooling/cost: Carpool from Tonaquint, $3 contribution to driver. We’ll drive up to 30 miles in no more than 4 vehicles per group.

Registration required by Jan. 19: Allows advance communication with registrants; helps organize carpooling. https://www.mobilize.us/audubon-chapters/?show_all_events=true&tag_ids=27343. Limited registrations. Registrants will receive additional trip information and identification tips.

Conditions: We will frequently be in-and-out of vehicles; might be muddy; restroom stops as available.

Bring/wear: Binoculars/scope, hat and layered clothing for cold and windy weather, ample food and water, sturdy walking/hiking shoes

Photography: Potential opportunities

Lunch: We’ll eat on the fly, no food stops

Trip Organizer: Paul Hicks: 360-870-3819 | paulhicks7373@gmail.com

Location:

Registration Site: Registration Site. Please register for this specific date or event.

Meeting Place: 965 South Washington Fields Rd, Washington. Meet at the pavilion overlooking the pond as you enter the park.

About: Mostly paved level trails along the Virgin River. Bathrooms.

Target Species: Waterfowl, raptors, woodpeckers, meadowlark, bluebirds, wrens and kinglets, sparrows; snipe is possible.
Leader: Paul Hicks

General Meeting: Guest Speaker Tony Jones

Title: Owl Roads Lead to The Sax-Zim Bog of Minnesota

Description of Topic: Sax-Zim Bog in northern Minnesota is a bird-lover’s paradise, spanning over 300 square miles of mixed peat bogs, spruce and tamarack forest, meadows, and wetlands. It supports more than 240 species of birds, including winter specialties like Great Gray and Northern Hawk Owls, Pine Grosbeaks, and Boreal Chickadees. In the summer, it has specialties like Golden-winged Warbler and Connecticut Warbler. Beyond birds, the bog is rich in wildlife — from bobcats, martens, and wolves to deer, moose, and a surprising variety of insects and wildflowers.

Bio of Speaker: Tony G. Jones is an attorney at the firm of Ruesch Reeve Werrett & Jones PLLC in Hurricane, Utah. He practices law throughout the week but he is a birder and lepidopterist on the weekends. Tony has degrees in Biology and Japanese from the University of Utah and a law degree from Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. He has been a birder for over 28 years. His dual interest in butterflies has come in the last 15 years. He served on the Utah Ornithological Society board and has served as President of the Utah Lepidopterists’ Society for the last 15 years. His birding travels have been throughout the country, including Ohio and Minnesota and he has visited the Sax Zim Bog in Minnesota in both the summer and winter.

Location: Village Baker: 1472 George Washington Blvd

A no-host social gathering after the Springs Park & Seegmiller Marsh Bird Walk

Location: Springs Park & Seegmiller Marsh

Registration Site: Registration Site. Please register for this specific date or event.

Meeting Place: 2395 East Springs Dr, St George. Meet by the bathrooms

About: A community park featuring a pond near a marsh of the Virgin River. Path is paved around the pond and along the river; uneven dirt into the marsh.

Target Species: Waterfowl, herons, roadrunner, hummingbirds, Marsh Wren, phoebes, migrating warblers. Sora and Virginia Rail are possible.
Leader: Paul Hicks

Location: Royal Oaks Park

Registration Site: Registration Site. Please register for this specific date or event.

Meeting Place: 1250 N 1400 W St George. Meet by the bathrooms.

About: Royal Oaks is a small park but has excellent habitat and always has good birds. There are paved trails but we will also move along the dirt path behind the houses. Recently a family of Cooper’s Hawks resided here.
Leader: John Schijf

Location: Cottonwood Cove Park & Stonebridge Pond

Registration Site: Registration Site. Please register for this specific date or event.

Meeting Place: 11027 South Dixie Dr, St George. Meet in the parking lot by the bathrooms.

About: We will walk the paved trails along the Santa Clara River, and then make our way a short drive to bird at Stonebridge Pond.

Target Species: Wintering sparrows, kinglets, finches, and the occasional Cedar Waxwing flock. Waterfowl in the pond.
Leader: Paul Jaussi

Birds & Bites

Location: Harmon’s Grocery, 3520 Pioneer Pkwy, Santa Clara

A no-host social gathering after the Fire Lake Park Bird Walk

Location: Fire Lake Park (Ivins Reservoir)

Registration Site: Registration Site. Please register for this specific date or event.

Meeting Place: Old Hwy 91 past Santa Clara, west of the Kayenta turnoff. Meet on the sidewalk near the parking lot and public restrooms.

About: We’ll check for waterfowl, then walk to some of the neighborhoods for White-winged Doves, Cactus Wren, Crissal Thrasher, and other surprises. Trails are mostly level, both paved and unpaved.

Target Species:
Leader: John Schijf

Location: Tonaquint Nature Park

Registration Site: Registration Site. Please register for this specific date or event.

Meeting Place: 1851 South Dixie Dr, St George. Meet at the last parking lot by the tennis courts and bathrooms.

About: : The Tonaquint Nature Park is one of the better places to find birds within our populated areas. Large, mature trees surrounding a pond attract both woodland birds and waterfowl, migrants and residents. Most anything can show up here. The paths are mostly dirt but level and maintained.
Leader: Greg Cannon

Location:Tuweap Drive Riparian Area (Sand Hollow Wash)

Meeting Place: Parking lot across Tuweap Dr from the Sierra Point Apartments, 1503 N 2100 W, St George. Meet at the trailhead at the south end of the parking lot.

About: Paved/unpaved paths on both sides of wash. The trickling water here is a magnet for a variety of both desert and riparian birds. Bathrooms across the wash near Snow Canyon HS.

Target species: Marsh Wren, Anna’s Hummingbird, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, sparrows, quail; possibly rails, Green Heron.

Leader:John Schijf

Location: Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve – Henderson, NV

Registration: Registration is required by Nov. 17 at: https://www.mobilize.us/audubon-chapters/?show_all_events=true&tag_ids=27343.

Note: Registration helps organize van and carpool transport. If driving yourself, please also register so we know whom to expect. Registrants will receive additional trip information.

Meeting Place: 7:30am to 3:00pm from new Sunriver Smiths Grocery (4582 S Pioneer Rd, off I-15 exit 4)

About: RCA’s November field trip will be to Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve in Henderson, Nevada, on Saturday, November 22. With its nine brush-lined ponds, this unsuspectingly lush 140-acre oasis in the desert attracts at close viewing distance 25-plus waterfowl and dozens of wetland species, including seven heron-types and several shorebirds. We’ll hope to encounter birds not typically found in our area: Common Gallinule, Least Bittern, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher; plus Costa’s Hummingbird and Crissal Thrasher. (More info at: https://travelnevada.com/wildlife/henderson-bird-viewing-preserve/.

Transportation/Cost: Van and carpools from Smiths, $10 for van or driver. Or drive yourself, 260 miles round trip.

Conditions: Three-quarter mile of level dirt and gravel paths; ADA accessible; restrooms

Bring/Wear:: Binoculars/scope, sunscreen and hat, ample food and water, sturdy walking/hiking shoes, layered clothing for possible chilly and windy weather

Photography: Up close views of most species!

Lunch: We will bring and eat our lunches at the facility.

Resources:is https://www.redrockaudubon.com/places-to-bird, a video introduction to the site

Leader: Paul Hicks:

Location: Boots Cox Park

Meeting Place: 1080 South 900 East, St George

About: We will start at Boots-Cox Park and then move on to Crosby Family Confluence Park (2099 S. Convention Center Dr). Sidewalks and lawns are mostly level. Bathrooms at both sites.

Target species: Vermilion Flycatcher, phoebes, pipit, sparrows, wrens, roadrunner, Crissal Thrasher, Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Leader: RJ Hughes

Location: Village Baker 1472 George Washington Blvd.

A no-host social gathering after the Springs Park & Seegmiller Marsh Bird Walk.

Location: Springs Park & Seegmiller Marsh

Meeting Place: 2395 East Springs Dr, St George. Meet by the bathrooms.

About: A community park featuring a pond near a marsh of the Virgin River. Path is paved around the pond and along the river; uneven dirt into the marsh.

Target Species: Waterfowl, herons, roadrunner, hummingbirds, Marsh Wren, phoebes, migrating warblers. Sora and Virginia Rail are possible.

Leader: Paul Jaussi

Location: St James Park

Meeting Place: 741 St James Ln, St George. Meet at the parking lot by the bathrooms.

About: Flat, mostly paved trails skirt the Virgin River, Fort Pierce Wash, and the St George Golf Course and ponds, attracting a variety of passerines and waterfowl.

Target Species: Bullock’s Oriole, roadrunner, migrating warblers, swallows, sparrows.

Leader: Greg Cannon

Location: Grandpa’s Pond (also called Stratton Pond)

Meeting Place: 350 N 3700 W, Hurricane. Meet on the sidewalk by the bathrooms.

About: : A large pond between Quail Creek Reservoir and the Virgin River. Attracts waterfowl in season and riparian species year-round. We will be almost entirely on flat, paved trails.

Leader: TBA

Field Trip - Leeds Canyon / Oak Grove Campground

NOTE: THIS FIELD TRIP IS FULL!

Target birds include high elevation forest birds (nuthatches, kinglets, Brown Creeper, Cassin’s Finch, Townsend’s Solitaire); plus we hope to catch Fox Sparrow during their small fall migration window.

Oak Grove Campground lies at the foot of Signal Peak (Pine Mountain Range). The nine-mile, mostly gravel road from Leeds passes through several interesting habitat zones with an elevation gain from 3500 to 6700 feet.

Please sign up (required) and plan to carpool. Participants are limited to 12 in four vehicles. See details below. Use this LINK to register for this field trip.

Time: 8:00am meet for carpooling; 1:30pm return

Carpooling location: Leeds City Park, 60 Babylon Mill Road. We will be taking no more than four vehicles. Directions to meetup location from I-15 northbound:

Leeds exit 22; continue onto Main Street; turn right onto Babylon Mill Rd. Park at the park or on the street.

Directions from I-15 southbound:

Leeds exit 23; turn left onto Silver Reef Rd; turn right onto Main Street; turn left onto Babylon Mill Rd. Park at the park or on the street.

Bring/wear: Binoculars, sunscreen, hat, ample food and water, hiking boots, layered clothing for chilly and possibly rainy weather.

Restrooms: Leeds City Park and Oak Grove Campground (if still open)

Road conditions: Gravel, muddy if wet; high clearance vehicles preferable

Severe weather: If it’s too wet we’ll contact registrants ahead of time. Grafton is the likely alternate destination.

Trip Leader: Paul Hicks: 360-870-3819 | paulhicks7373@gmail.com