PAS is excited to resume outdoor birding field trips, following all known county and city health codes applicable to the field trip sites and planned activities. In addition to the pre-existing risks associated with field trips, the risk of infection with the serious SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 disease at the field trip site or in transit to/from the site continues. Though health guidelines indicate that COVID-19 transmission in outdoor settings is relatively uncommon the pandemic is not yet over and given the difficulties of socially distancing while birding we plan to continue cautiously.

Advice for Participants

1. At this current time, PAS Field Trips will only be available by email reservation and a waiver form will need to be completed during the signup process.
2. To keep groups smaller, field trips will be limited to approximately 10 participants per leader, with some variation depending on the trip. When possible, we will put additional people signing up on a waitlist.
3. Given recent CDC guidelines that fully vaccinated people (those two weeks out from their final vaccine dose) are not required to socially distance or to wear masks in most outdoor settings PAS are not going to require masks for tour participants. If you have been unable to get fully vaccinated (small children, immunocompromised), then you should wear a mask. Equally those that have been vaccinated are more than welcome to bring and wear a mask as one’s own comfort levels dictate given that social distancing is sometimes difficult in birding situations. We continue to watch the public health situation and field trip leaders reserve the right to request and require mask wearing even in outdoor settings in the future.
4. We urge everyone to know their own risk factors and to check the most recent information on the CDC website before planning a public outing.
5. PAS Trip leaders will often have spotting scopes available to use during trips. Though the transmission of COVID-19 through touching of surfaces is rare we will have wipes in order to wipe down group scopes. If you are uncomfortable using a shared scope currently, please feel free to bring your own or to limit yourself to the use of your personal binoculars.
6. If you are unable to make an event, please inform the trip leaders as soon as possible so that we can offer the spot to someone on the wait list.
7. If you have had any sign of COVID-19 symptoms, or have come into contact with anyone who has tested positive within the last 14 days, please do not attend the event. If you have had COVID-19 please do not attend an event until at least 10 days since symptoms first appeared and 24 hours have passed with no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving.
8. During this period of heightened health awareness, we ask that anyone with active symptoms of any communicable disease (even a common cold) do not participate in the trip.