Yolo Audubon set to offer a field trip and lecture on Feb. 11 and Feb. 21
The public is invited to join Yolo Audubon for a field trip to the Cosumnes River Preserve, led by Ryan Janke, on Feb.1, and then a lecture on Feb. 21, presented by Manfred Kusch.
According to a Yolo Audubon press release, the preserve has an array of important valley floor bird habitats, including wetlands, floodplains, agricultural land, and rare valley oak riparian.
Birding at the interface of these habitats provides a unique opportunity to view a diverse list of species with relative ease. The group will follow the flat and well-maintained walking trails through these habitats to view woodpeckers, raptors, wetland birds, wintering sparrows, ducks, geese, and shorebirds.
The agricultural fields along Desmond Road will also be surveyed for the renowned Sandhill Cranes.
The group will depart at 7 a.m. from the Park and Ride behind Ikeda's in Davis. Please arrive beforehand to arrange carpooling if possible. Heavy rain cancels this trip.
This field trip will entail two to three hours of walking in the preserve plus standing for shorebird/aquatic bird viewing. All levels of birding experience are welcome. Please bring binoculars, plenty of fluids, and dress in layers.
This field trip will finish in the early afternoon. For more information about this trip, contact Janke at rhjanke29@gmail.com.
Then, on Feb. 21, Yolo Audubon will present a lecture by Manfred Kusch entitled `Four Weeks in the Falkland Islands.
In January 2018 and again in December 2022, Kusch joined six other wildlife photographers to explore several islands of the Falkland archipelago.
Located off the tip of South America in the South Atlantic, these treeless and wind-swept islands offer solitude and an austere beauty that form the backdrop for their rich birdlife and sea mammal breeding colonies.
Besides five species of penguins, large colonies of albatrosses and cormorants could be found and be easily approached and photographed. Also, many skuas, petrels, caracaras, geese, swans, grebes, and ducks abound.
Manfred will present some of the wildlife photos from his trips, including photos of the landscapes taken from the ground and from the air as they flew from Island to Island.
Manfred is a retired UCD faculty member who taught in the departments of French, Italian and Comparative Literature. He has had a life-long interest in birds and took up bird photography in his retirement. He has traveled throughout the Americas from Patagonia and the Falklands to Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska, and, more recently, to Borneo and Australia.
Locally, his large garden, adjacent to Putah Creek, has hosted many Yolo Audubon bird walks and has been the site of a 12-year hummingbird study undertaken by UCD faculty and students.
This free lecture will be held at the Davis Senior Center, located at 646 A St. in Davis. The program begins at 7:30 p.m. and runs until 8:50 p.m.
Folks are welcome to arrive at 7:00 p.m. to gather with other attendees before the program. This lecture can also be viewed on Zoom. Details for joining the Zoom meeting can be found on our social media pages: yoloaudubon.org or facebook.com/yoloaudubonsociety.
Yolo Audubon, a chapter of the National Audubon Society, is a non-profit organization whose mission is to foster an appreciation of birds and conservation in Yolo County.
The group offers live and virtual events in an effort to educate and inform the public about birds and birdwatching. More information on birds in Yolo County is available on our websites: yoloaudubon.org or facebook.com/yoloaudubonsociety.