Field Trips

Field trips take place nearly every weekend (except for the summer) and are scattered throughout Southern California, with an emphasis on Ventura County. Experienced birders lead these trips designed to demonstrate the wide variety of migrant and residential birds that our area attracts every year.

Visit our Event Calendar to see what field trips are coming up.

COVID-19 Update

CVAS will continue its modified approach to birding trips now that we are living with a pandemic. Most trips will be limited to 15 people maximum.

While they are not required on our field trips, face-masks are a great way to prevent the spread of diseases.

Please contact the the trip leader to register. Since it will be hard to share guidebooks, we encourage you to bring your own or download one on your mobile phone (the Sibley guide is available as a book and an application for both Android and iPhone). Also, for safety we will not have extra binoculars to share, so please be sure to bring your own pair. Finally, given social distancing requirements, it may be difficult to hear each other if it’s a breezy day or there is other ambient noise. If you have a walkie talkie, it might be a good idea to bring that as well.

While you are out birding, please be prepared to follow these guidelines from ebird.org:

  • Keep your optics to yourself. Don’t share your scope, binoculars, or camera with others; disinfect the eye caps of your optics after each birding trip.
  • Maintain distance. If you are birding near others (whether they are birders or not), maintain at least 6 feet of space between yourself and other people at all times. Take turns at blinds, shelters, and in other situations where proper distancing may not be possible.
  • Respect restrictions and closures. Check if your favorite park, trail, or wildlife refuge is still open before heading outside. Plan your birding trips in accordance with the latest recommendations of your local authorities.
  • Share checklists, not phones: eBird Mobile users should avoid passing phones to review checklists for the time being. Confirm lists verbally before submission and if you need to make changes after you submit, it is easy to share and correct lists on the eBird Mobile app!