Upcoming Field Trips

The quickest way to find out about upcoming trips and registration details is via our member's eblast (these will likely come out in the last week of month prior to the trip). If you have not already signed up for our eblasts sign up here.
Sign up and confirmation notes:

If the Google sign-up form for the trip you want to go on doesn't work the first time, try reloading the web page or restarting your browser, then try again.

If it's less than 3 days before a trip that you signed up for, and you think you should have gotten a message but haven't, try looking for it (carefully) in your spam/junk folder.

If these suggestions didn't help solve the issue, please contact us at fieldtrips@pasadenaaudubon.org .

January 10: Quail Lake

Saturday, January 10, 2026
7:30 AM - 12:00 noon

Trip Leaders: Naresh Satyan and Lance Benner

Join us for a trip to explore winter bird visitors to Quail Lake. Quail Lake is a reservoir along the California Aqueduct in the northwest corner of Los Angeles county. Wintering waterfowl species here include many species not easily seen on the coastal slope, including Greater Scaup, Common Merganser and Common Goldeneye. We will also look for raptors such as Ferruginous Hawk, Prairie Falcon and Eagles, and anything else that may show up.

We will walk about 4 miles round trip on mostly flat terrain with our spotting scopes. Quail Lake is 75 minutes from Pasadena via the I-5 freeway. Spotting scopes are very helpful if you have them. In addition to your binoculars and your scopes, please bring sturdy shoes, a hat, sunscreen, plenty of water, and dress in layers to protect yourselves from cold and windy conditions that are often present in this part of the Antelope Valley. Some of us may continue birding in the area after the trip ends -- if you choose to do so, please bring lunch and a full tank of gas. There are portapotties in the parking lot of the lake.
Participant limit: none.

Trip details such as meeting location will be emailed to signed-up participants 3-5 days before the trip.

PHOTO: Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula). Photo by Chris Spurgeon.

Sign up here

January 10: Parrot Roost

Saturday, January 10, 2026
4:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Leader: Luke Tiller

The San Gabriel Valley is known nationally for its overnight roosts of Amazona parrots and Mitred and Red-masked Parakeets. On most late afternoons during the non-breeding season, the suburban skies and soundscape are overtaken by cacophonous flocks returning from their daytime foraging sites to gather at the roosts. These parrots and parakeets are not native to the United States, but large populations have established themselves in the Los Angeles area and become an important part of the local ecosystem. Join Pasadena Audubon as we sort through the impressive numbers of parakeets and Red-crowned Parrots, looking for some of the less common species. For this trip, we will mostly be standing around letting the birds come to us. We may stroll slowly through the neighborhood to get closer to roosting flocks, but this will involve minimal walking on sidewalks.

Participant limit: none

PHOTO: Lilac-crowned Parrot (Amazona finschi). Photo by Luke Tiller.

Trip details such as meeting location will be emailed to signed-up participants 3-5 days before the trip

Sign up here

JANUARY 11: Los Angeles Arboretum Monthly Bird Walk

Sunday, January 11, 2026

8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Trip Leader: Catherine Hamilton

We are excited to partner with the Los Angeles County Arboretum to offer free monthly bird walks to PAS members. Please note that due to new rules implemented by LA Arboretum these trips will only be open to current PAS members (and not friends of members as in past years). In other words all persons attending must be current Pasadena Audubon members -- either on their own, or as part of a PAS family membership.

Not a PAS member? Join here!

This field trip is offered by reservation only. To reserve a spot go to https://www.arboretum.org/events/bird-walk-with-pasadena-audubon-8/. Registration is scheduled to open at 9 AM on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.

SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT REGISTERING FOR THE ARBORETUM WALK: Evidently when the monthly Arboretum walk has reached capacity, the sign-up form stops functioning correctly. This issue is beyond our control. If in doubt, sign up early!


PHOTO: Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) by Luke Tiller.

January 17: MacArthur Park

Saturday, January 17, 2026
7:30 AM – 11:00 AM
Trip Leader: Jon Feenstra

Far from the natural beauty of the local mountains, the space and solitude of the desert, and the tranquility of the scenic coastline, right in the middle of the crushing hardscape of Los Angeles lies one of the city’s few truly urban parks, the only park within walking distance for thousands of Angelenos. However, MacArthur Park is a hotspot on par with other field trip destinations in this newsletter with a long list of rarities, and is particularly renowned among locals “gullers” as the best place in the County to observe gulls at close range. Iceland Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, and Herring Gull are regular winter visitors, as are various and mysterious hybrids that are also often present. The urban setting with close quarters and ample tossed food scraps allow for close study and hot debate. We’ll do a loop around the park then spend as much time as we can or need to sift the gulls.

Meet at the Levitt Pavilion in the northwest corner of MacArthur Park at 7:30 AM. Take public transit, or there is free parking on Wilshire Blvd and metered parking on S. Park View St. ($1/hour). If it goes quickly at MacArthur Park we may move to Echo Park Lake.

PHOTO: Slaty-backed Gull (Larus schistisagus) found at MacArthur Park. Photo by Chris Spurgeon.

Sign up here

January 21st: Midweek Birding Group at Peck Rd. Water Conservation Park

Wednesday, January 21st, 2026, 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Trip leader: Jodhan Fine

Our next Midweek Birding Trip will be to Peck Rd. Water Conservation Park located in North El Monte.

To reach the parking lot where we will meet, go south from the 210 freeway on Myrtle Ave., which becomes Peck Rd. The entrance is on the right, about two miles south of the freeway and a quarter mile south of Clark St., which has a traffic light.

We'll spend two to three hours at the site, but anyone can leave sooner if they wish. The walking is mostly on level roads and trails. We can expect to see a nice variety of water birds, raptors, and passerines. A scope is helpful if you have one.

Peck is the no. 9 eBird hotspot in L. A. County, with an all-time list of 275 species.

The weather should be mostly sunny and fairly pleasant, but you may want to have a hat and a light jacket for the first hour or two. Hard rain cancels.

There's more information about the location on the L. A. Parks & Recreation website.

Participant number: No Limit

PHOTO: Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax). Photo by Chris Spurgeon

Sign up here.

January 24: Huntington Library Monthly Bird Walk

Saturday, January 24, 2026
8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Trip Leader: Mark Hunter

This is a great walk for beginning birders and families, with easy walking and a nice variety of species present year round.

Please note that due to rules implemented by The Huntington these trips will only be open to current PAS members. You must be a Pasadena Audubon member to attend this trip! After you sign up for the field trip, you will receive an email acknowledging your signup. The acknowledgment email is not a guarantee of a spot! PAS will process signups in the order that they are received, verifying your membership status. The trip leader will contact you after signups are closed, informing you whether you have confirmed spots or are on the wait list. Not yet a member? You can sign up for PAS membership here.

If you have a Huntington membership that allows you to enter the gardens at 8:00 on weekends, please consider making a reservation using your Huntington membership, thereby freeing up spots for PAS members who are not Huntington members.

Photo: California Towhee (Melozone crissalis) by Chris Spurgeon

Field Trip General Notes

This field trip is offered by reservation only. If you miss out on the initial places you will be added to a waitlist and will be emailed by the trip leaders if a place opens up. If you are unable to attend a booked trip please email the trip leader and allow them to make your space available to someone on the wait list.

Sorry, this trip is completely filled.

DATE CHANGE! January 25: Oliver & Alex''s Magical Mystery Vagrant Tour

Sunday, January 25th, 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Trip leaders: Oliver Huang & Alex Coffey

Jump into a carpool adventure of yet unknown destination! With PAS's youngest but sharpest trip leader Oliver Huang as he scours eBird and any Rare Bird Alerts to seek what local rarities are around in the fall migration days approaching this trip - and chase them! We plan to stay local within approximately 10 miles of the heart of Pasadena.

TRIP LIMIT: 20 people. Participants will be chosen by lottery.

Sign up here