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 .

Midweek Nice and Easy Birding Club with Ed Stonick

3rd Wednesday of each month, 8AM

Pasadena Audubon is relaunching what used to be our midweek “Magpie Study Group” events. Given that these tongue-in-cheek midweek trips involve little studying and even fewer magpies last year we thought we’d change the name to something that is just a little more descriptive. What these walks will offer is some easy paced birding, with generous later morning start times (8:00-9:00am) typically at just one local location at sites that are picked for both their quality of birding and accessibility for birders.
Upcoming trips will include the Los Angeles River, San Gabriel Spreading Grounds and more. Trips will mainly be run by PAS guide Ed Stonick, with some guest appearances from some other PAS trip leaders.
To sign up for the trips you will need to read our guidelines on field trips.

Then, sign up below. Once you complete the sign up you will be able to access and download the meeting time and locations for the Nice and Easy trips in the coming year. Unlike other current PAS trips these tours will not limit the number of participants.

Questions? Email Ed Stonick at edstonick@gmail.com or Luke Tiller at luke.tiller@gmail.com.

Sign up here

Temple City Parrot Roost

Saturday, February 11, 2023
4:00 PM to 5:30 PM
Leader: Corey Husic and others

One of the greatest wildlife spectacles in Southern California takes place right here in the San Gabriel Valley as thousands of parrots and parakeets descend into their nightly roosts during the winter months. These birds are not native to the United States, but large populations of several parrot species have established themselves in the Los Angeles area and have become an important and noticeable part of the local urban ecosystem. Join Pasadena Audubon as we visit the Temple City parrot roost to witness this impressive and very noisy phenomenon! When we led a trip here two months ago, we saw impressive numbers of Red-crowned Parrots, Mitred Parakeets, and Red-masked Parakeets in addition to smaller numbers of less common parrots.

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.

Field Trip General Notes

This field trip is offered by reservation only. Trip details such as meeting time and location will be emailed to participants before the tour departs.

Sign up here

Birding the Spreading Grounds

Saturday, February 11, 2023
7:00 AM to 10:30 AM
Leader: Luke Tiller

The water control basins at the San Gabriel Coastal Basin Spreading Grounds offer a wide range of habitats for birds. Areas filled with water provide habitat for congregations of ducks, shorebirds, and gulls while the drier, weedy areas often hold sparrows, pipits, and a variety of other songbird species. Several raptor species can frequently be found hunting over these habitats. Over the years, over 220 bird species have been recorded at this local hotspot, including several exciting rarities. A trip to the spreading grounds is always worth it—you never know what you might see!

This trip will involve a slow, flat 2.5 mi stroll around the spreading grounds.

Participant limit: none

Photo: Snowy Egret (Egretta thula). Photo by Chris Spurgeon

Field Trip General Notes

This field trip is offered by reservation only. Trip details such as meeting time and location will be emailed to participants before the tour departs.

Sign up here

Los Angeles Arboretum Monthly Bird Walk

Sunday, February 12, 2023
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Trip Leader: Katy Mann

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, February 7, 2023. Also be sure to check out the Arboretum's current COVID policies.

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

Night Hike in the San Gabriel Foothills

Thursday, February 23, 2023
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Leader: Catherine Hamilton

Nocturnal wildlife abounds in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, but most never get an opportunity to see these creatures due to the cover of darkness! Join us for this unique opportunity to explore a local canyon at night in search of wildlife using thermal scopes that allow us to see heat signatures of animals, even in total darkness. On this trip last month, we found small mammals, a hunting Great Horned Owl, and even a roosting songbird! You never know what we might come across on a hike like this. Due to the nature of this walk and the need to maintain a quiet presence while looking for nocturnal creatures, we will be holding a lottery for spots on this trip.

This trip will involve slow walking in the dark and may involve some slopes and uneven terrain.

Participant limit: 10 (chosen by lottery, registration open until 2/16)

PHOTO: Coyote (Canis latrans). Photo by Gregory Smith. License: CC BY-SA 2.0

Field Trip General Notes

This field trip is offered by reservation only. Trip details such as meeting time and location will be emailed to participants before the tour departs.

Sign up here

Huntington Library

Saturday, February 25, 2023
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.

See our full interim field trip guidelines here.

Sign up!

San Francisquito Canyon and vicinity

Saturday, February 25, 2023
7:30 AM to noon
Leader: Corey Husic

On this trip, we will explore San Francisquito Canyon and surrounding areas within the Sierra Pelona Mountains and the far western reaches of the Antelope Valley. We will start our day in a shady oak/sycamore canyon looking for Mountain Quail and Varied Thrush—both of which have been seen here in past winters. As we move higher in elevation, we hope to run into mixed flocks of sparrows, where multiple species of both Fox Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco can frequently be found together. As the day warms up and we find more open habitat, we’ll keep our eyes to the sky for raptors, including Golden Eagle, Ferruginous Hawk, and Prairie Falcon. This part of Los Angeles County is severely under-birded, so who knows what surprises we may discover!

This trip will involve slow walking on dirt roads and well-developed trails with constant, slight inclines.

Participant limit: 20 (chosen by lottery, registration open until 2/18)

PHOTO: Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius). Photo by Mick Thompson. License: CC BY-NC 2.0

Field Trip General Notes

This field trip is offered by reservation only. Trip details such as meeting time and location will be emailed to participants before the tour departs.

Sign up here