Conejo Valley Audubon

Bear Divide Field Trip
2023-04-15 07:30 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Bear Divide Picnic Area, 21525 Santa Clara Truck Trail, Canyon Country, CA, 91387, United States
Meet at Janss Park & Ride opposite T.O. Library, at 7:30 am to carpool, or meet at Bear Divide on Sand Canyon Rd. The flow of migrants peaks at dawn, and is mostly done by 9 am.
Leader is Dee Lyon (805) 427-0987

Beginner Bird Walk - Rancho Sierra Vista / Satwiwa
2023-04-12 08:00 - 09:30, 2023-03-08 08:00 - 09:30, 2023-02-08 08:00 - 09:30, 2023-01-11 08:00 - 09:30, 2022-12-14 08:00 - 09:30, 2022-11-09 08:00 - 09:30 | Rancho Sierra Vista / Satwiwa, 4803 Lynn Rd, Newbury Park, CA, 91320
Conejo Valley Audubon invites birders of all experience levels to attend our monthly Beginner Bird Walks at Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa. These walks are held on the second Wednesday of each month. We will meet at 8:00 am at the main parking lot, which is accessible off Lynn Road at Via Goleta in Newbury Park.
Rancho Sierra Vista is an excellent place to see many of the oak woodlands birds that are common in the Conejo Valley area. We will take time to introduce beginning birders to these species and will teach the best techniques for locating and identifying them. Wear comfortable walking shoes.
Please register in advance by contacting walk leader Richard Armerding at (310) 701-3878 (texting is OK).

Sisar Canyon Field Trip
2023-04-08 08:00 - 11:00 | Sisar Canyon, 12799 Sisar Canyon Rd, Ojai, CA, 93023
Meet at 8 am at the parking lot off Sisar Rd. Parking is very limited, so carpooling is suggested. Target species will be spring migrants (vireos, warblers, flycatchers).

Leader is Spencer Seale (805) 746-9789.

Monthly Program - April 2023
2023-04-03 19:00 - 20:30 | CVAS Monthly Program Zoom Meeting
PLEASE NOTE THE NEW TIME FOR THIS PROGRAM – 7:00pm
BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING CALIFORNIA NATIVES
California native plants can make excellent, drought tolerant choices for our gardens, saving water and providing food and shelter for native insects, birds, and other animals, but there’s also a long history of how our local indigenous peoples made use of these plants.

Laura Pasetta Owner of Wild Rootz is a California Naturalist, Master Gardener, Herbalist,and Nature Photographer. She speaks on a wide variety of topics that include the Animals, Birds and Insects of California Ecosystems, Ethnobotany, and Drought Tolerant Gardening using California natives in our urban landscapes.

In Person
Masks will be required, and the in person group will be limited to a maximum of thirty to allow for social distancing purposes, so please RSVP to the Programs Coordinator to reserve a seat.
Via Zoom
To attend this meeting, use this link (https://zoom.us/j/6155249106) at the meeting time.

Lake Piru Field Trip
2023-04-01 08:00 - 11:00 | Lake Piru, 4780 Piru Canyon Rd, Piru, CA, 93040
Meet at 8:00 am at the store/Condor Point, beyond the entrance. The entrance fee is $5 per car, (Normally it is $10, however the fee was reduced for this Fieldtrip, so be sure to tell them you are part of the CVAS birding group).
Target birds include spring migrants, raptors, and condors.
Leader is Peter Robertshaw (909) 771–9720.

Canada Larga Road Field Trip
2023-03-25 08:00 - 11:00 | Canada Larga Road, 180 Canada Larga Rd, Ventura, CA, 93001
Meet at the start of Cañada Larga Road at 8 am.
We will look for sparrows, sapsuckers, raptors and other various field birds. This is car birding with several stops. Bring masks and water.
Leader is Chrystal Klabunde (805) 522-8023

Las Llajas Canyon Field Trip
2023-03-18 08:00 - 11:00 | Las Llajas Canyon, 5715 Evening Sky Drive, Simi Valley, CA, 93063, United States
North on Yosemite Ave, right on Evening Star Dr, Simi Valley. Meet at the trailhead at 8 am.
Hilly terrain, bring water.
We’ll look for raptors, Roadrunners and Phainopeplas.
Leader is Dee Lyon (805) 427-0987

Annual Dinner and Auction
2023-03-11 17:30 - 21:30 | Palm Garden Hotel, 495 Ventu Park Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA, 91320, United States
The 2020 Annual Dinner and Auction Is Finally Here!!!
Yeah, I know. It’s now 2023, but all the decorations and preparations for the 2020 event are still sitting in our family room waiting for the party.
It’s been a long time, and we’ve all missed each other. We’ve missed the fun. We’ve missed the live auction with the suave Don Klabunde. We’ve missed the silent auction and especially the raffle with the charming Thelma Williams whipping us up into a frenzy for those priceless white elephants.
Of course Palm Garden Hotel always serves up a delicious buffet dinner, CVAS is providing wine and the hotel has a full bar where serious adult beverages can be had for a price.
For those who haven’t experienced this event before, it’s not only a chance to get to know some of your fellow CVAS members, but also who knows what wonders you might be able to buy for a song – wonders from original works of art to one-of-a-kind adventures.

Monthly Program - March 2023
2023-03-06 19:00 - 20:30 | Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, 439 Calle San Pablo, Camarillo, CA, 93012
PLEASE NOTE THE NEW TIME FOR THIS PROGRAM – 7:00pm
CALIFORNIA’S NATIVE BEES

California is home to over 1,600 species of native bees, and they are a vital part of many ecosystems. They are important pollinators and a sign of a healthy garden. Through macro photography you’ll get to know more about these native bees, their special relationships with native plants, and what makes them so special to community science engagement.

Community Scientist, and Photographer Krystle Hickman is based in Los Angeles, California. Through her artful photography, she strives to increase awareness of the worrisome decline of native bee species and their biodiverse ecosystems. She regularly works to photograph and document the bees in public gardens like the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Arlington Garden, and she also collects data on rare bee species in the Mojave Desert, Joshua Tree National Park, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and the Santa Monica Mountains, as well as private yards with native gardens. Her photography has been featured in scientific journals, children’s books, and The LA Times.

In Person
Masks will be required, and the in person group will be limited to a maximum of thirty to allow for social distancing purposes, so please RSVP to the Programs Coordinator to reserve a seat.
Via Zoom
To attend this meeting, use this link (https://zoom.us/j/6155249106) at the meeting time.

Foster Park Field Trip
2023-02-18 09:00 - 12:00 | Foster Park, 50 Casitas Vista Rd., Ojai, CA, 93001, United States
Meet at 9 am at Casitas Vista Rd. under the 33 Fwy overpass. We can park off the road there and walk into the park.
Text questions to leader Matthew Page at (805) 990-6534.

Lake Sherwood Field Trip - FULL
2023-02-12 08:30 - 11:00 | Lake Sherwood, 2201 Stafford Rd., Westlake Village, CA, 91361
February 8, 2023: We’re sorry, but this field trip is full.
Meet at 8:30 am. Enter on Stafford Rd. off of Potrero Rd. We will see lots of great water birds and oak woodland denizens.
Leader is Mary Hansen. Call her at (805) 390-4586 to get your name onto the list to get in through the gate.

Monthly Program - February 2023
2023-02-06 19:00 - 20:30 | Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, 439 Calle San Pablo, Camarillo, CA, 93012
PLEASE NOTE THE NEW TIME FOR THIS PROGRAM – 7:00pm
FROM THE ASHES:
LIFE AFTER WILDFIRE IN THE LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST
Bryant Baker
What happens in the first days, weeks, and months after a fire comes to our region and leaves nothing but burnt stems and ash behind? What do our local ecosystems look like a year later? Two years later? Ten years later? These are the questions naturalist and photog-rapher Bryant Baker set out to answer during his explorations of burned areas in and around the Los Padres National Forest. Through this virtual visual journey, see the unique phases of ecosystem regrowth, learn about the different strategies plants and animals use to cope with wildfire, and find out what lies ahead as these places continue to recover.
Bryant Baker is the Director of Conservation and Research at Los Padres ForestWatch, a nonprofit organization based in Santa Barbara, and dedicated to protecting the Los Padres National Forest and other public lands in the region. His research focuses on fire ecology and management in shrubland and forest ecosystems in California. Bryant is also a Geographic Information System (GIS) analyst and cartographer, and his maps on land use and wildfire have been published by major media outlets.
In addition to his conservation research, Bryant is a plant and landscape photographer spe-cializing in post-fire habitats and native plants in California. His work has appeared in books, magazines, and newspapers across the region.
In Person
Masks will be required, and the in person group will be limited to a maximum of thirty to allow for social distancing purposes, so please RSVP to the Programs Coordinator to reserve a seat.
Via Zoom
To attend this meeting, use this link (https://zoom.us/j/6155249106) at the meeting time.

Carrizo Plain Field Trip
2023-02-04 08:00 - 16:00 | Carrizo Plain Meeting Point, 32660 CA-33, Maricopa, CA, 93252, United States
We’ll look for Ferruginous Hawk, Prairie Falcon, Golden Eagle, Mountain Bluebird, Horned Lark and Mountain Plover.
Meet at 8 am at the corner of Hwy 166/33 and Soda Lake Rd.
Please Note: The recent rains and flooding have caused significant damage to Highway 33 near Ojai, resulting in complete closure of this route. Please check for road conditions before driving to this field trip. An alternate route may be needed.
Leaders are Thelma Williams and Dee Lyon – (805) 427-0987.

Lake Casitas Field Trip
2023-01-28 08:00 - 11:30 | Lake Casitas, 11311 Santa Ana Rd, Ventura, CA, 93001, United States
Meet at 8 am outside the gate off Hwy 150.
Leader is Tina Tan – tinastacytan@gmail.com

Point Mugu Navy Base Field Trip
2023-01-20 08:00 - 11:00
This field trip is open only to current members of Conejo Valley Audubon Society. Unfortunately, no cameras are allowed on this trip.
Contact Frank DeMartino ASAP to get your information submitted to the Navy.
We saw close to 70 species in November.

California State University Channel Islands Field Trip
2023-01-15 08:00 - 11:00 | Old Hueneme Rd., Old Hueneme Rd, Camarillo, 93012
We will look for flycatchers, grassland birds and any unusual birds found on the Christmas Bird Count.
Trip Leader: Sammy Cowell (818-470-7098)

Salton Sea Field Trip
2023-01-07 - 2023-01-08 | Salton Sea Meeting Point, 90480 66th Ave, Mecca, 92254
Meeting Point
We will meet at the huge Arco gas station on 66th Avenue in Mecca just before 1 pm on Saturday. This should give everyone plenty of time to drive down from Ventura County on Saturday morning. Take I-10 east to Route 86 south signposted for Brawley/El Centro; go 12.1 miles on 86S and then turn left on 66th Avenue. You can see the Arco station from the traffic lights at the intersection of Route 86 and 66th Avenue.

Please be ready to depart from the meeting point at 1 pm. We will not be stopping to eat lunch. Make sure that you have plenty of fuel.

Trip leader Peter Robertshaw will be driving his old white Toyota 4Runner – 5HWB615. His cell phone is 909-771-9720.

If you are travelling down to the Salton Sea a day earlier, there is no need to drive all the way back to Mecca to meet the group. Email the trip leader – PeterRobertshaw@verizon.net – and he will suggest an alternative meeting point and time closer to the south end of the Sea.

Make your own hotel reservation in Brawley for Saturday night.

We will drive on one or two unpaved roads, but 4×4 or high clearance vehicles are not needed.

What to Bring

Your own binoculars, scope (highly recommended if you have one), and camera.
Warm clothes.
Plenty of drinking water, snacks, and food for lunch on Sunday. We will not be stopping at any cafés or gas stations, etc. to buy or eat lunch.

Target birds: thousands of Snow and Ross’s Geese, Sandhill Cranes, lots of ducks and waders, rails, raptors, Burrowing Owls, and desert species like Gambel’s Quail, Abert’s Towhee, doves, Gila and Ladder-Backed Woodpeckers, and Vermilion Flycatcher.

Monthly Program - January 2023
2023-01-02 19:00 - 20:30 | Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, 439 Calle San Pablo, Camarillo, CA, 93012
PLEASE NOTE THE NEW TIME FOR THIS PROGRAM – 7:00pm
A BIRDING SAFARI IN KENYA

To travel the world looking for small birds is to see everything, for how can you miss an elephant, leopard, historic monument or larger bird? In March and April 2022, Lifetime Naturalist and Conservationist, retired U.S. National Park Ranger, World Traveler and CVAS Board Member Bonnie Clarfield-Bylin and her husband, Stephen, traveled to Kenya for five weeks. For twenty-seven days they adventured on a guided Birding Safari. This program will provide a snapshot of the birds, wildlife and scenery of Kenya.

This program will be in a hybrid format: in-person at the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, and also online via Zoom.
In Person
Masks will be required, and the in person group will be limited to a maximum of thirty to allow for social distancing purposes, so please RSVP to the Programs Coordinator to reserve a seat.
Via Zoom
To attend this meeting, use this link (https://zoom.us/j/6155249106) at the meeting time.

Chesebro Canyon
2022-12-26 08:00 - 11:00 | Chesebro Canyon, 5792 Chesebro Rd, Agoura Hills, CA, 91301
Meet at 8:00 am in the parking lot. We’ll look for chaparral and grassland birds. Always great for woodpeckers.
Leader is Dee Lyon, (805) 427-0987.

Christmas Bird Count 2021
2022-12-18
Please join us for the National Audubon Society’s 121st annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) on Sunday December 18, 2022, and help cover the Conejo Valley Audubon Society’s “Thousand Oaks” CBC circle.
See this page for more details

Paramount Ranch
2022-12-10 08:00 - 11:00 | Paramount Ranch, 2903 Cornell Rd., Agoura Hills, CA, 91301
Meet at 8:00 am, in the parking lot. Great birds in the oak trees and grasslands.
Leader is Ava Molnar – birdgirl.lookup@gmail.com

Monthly Program - December 2022
2022-12-05 19:00 - 20:30 | Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, 439 Calle San Pablo, Camarillo, CA, 93012
PLEASE NOTE THE NEW TIME FOR THIS PROGRAM – 7:00pm
SPECTACULAR JAPAN
Varied Tit
There is no doubt that Japan is one of the great civilizations of our planet, yet there is another side that one usually doesn’t contemplate, and this is the natural world of Japan. If one word had to sum it up, it would be spectacle—a nature spectacle! Picture thousands upon thousands of Hooded and White-naped Cranes, rivaling what one might see at Bosque del Apache or the Platte River. But in Japan there are more than two species of cranes. To the north one can see the rare and beautiful Red-crowned Cranes dancing on the ice—truly
spectacular! Also imagine the spectacle of the largest fish eagle in the world, the Steller’s Sea Eagle—and in numbers! Seabirds and waterfowl abound including some of the most iconic “rarities” for us Californians, Baikal Teal, Falcated Duck and yes even the Mandarin Duck—but wild! This is but a small taste of what Japan has to offer the birder. The spring migration is also spectacular with not only locally endemic breeders showing up, but also some of the Siberian goodies that people hope for when they go to vagrant hotspots in Alaska. All of this, and we have not yet mentioned the amazing food. Japan is awesome, and whatever your preconceptions are about the country, it is going to surprise you and endear itself to you.
Alvaro Jaramillo, who is owner of the birding tour company Alvaro’s Adventures, was born in Chile but began birding in Toronto, where he lived as a youth. He was trained in ecology and evolution with a particular interest in bird behavior. Early research forays and backpacking trips introduced him to the riches of the Neotropics, where he has traveled extensively. He is the author of the Birds of Chile, an authoritative yet portable field guide to Chile’s birds. He also writes the “Identify Yourself” column in Bird Watcher’s Digest magazine, and recently wrote part of the sparrow chapter for the Handbook of Birds of the World, and the new ABA Field Guide Birds of California. He was recently granted the Eisenmann Medal by the Linnaean Society of New York, it is awarded occasionally for excellence in ornithology and encouragement of the amateur. He organizes and leads international birding tours, as well as a full schedule of pelagic trips in central California. Alvaro lives with his family in Half Moon Bay, California.

This program will be in a hybrid format: in-person at the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, and also online via Zoom.
In Person
Masks will be required, and the in person group will be limited to a maximum of thirty to allow for social distancing purposes, so please RSVP to the Programs Coordinator to reserve a seat.
Via Zoom
To attend this meeting, use this link (https://zoom.us/j/6155249106) at the meeting time.

Rancho Sierra Vista / Satwiwa
2022-11-26 08:00 - 09:30 | Rancho Sierra Vista / Satwiwa, 4803 Lynn Rd, Newbury Park, CA, 91320
Photo by Richard Armerding
Rancho Sierra Vista is an excellent place to see many of the oak woodlands birds that are common in the Conejo Valley area.

Trip leader is Richard Armerding (310) 701-3878 (texting is OK).

Conejo Valley Botanic Gardens
2022-11-19 08:00 - 11:00 | Conejo Valley Botanic Garden, 400 W. Gainsborough Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA, 91360
We will see lots of passerines and chaparral birds.
California Quail
This 41-acre property, adjacent to Conejo Community Park, was first acquired in 1973. In 1976, the first areas of the Botanic Garden began to emerge. Since then, dedicated community volunteers, donors, and sponsors have continued to nurture this growing garden oasis, adding a popular children’s garden in March of 2003.
Enter on Jeaunine Dr, off of Gainsborough Rd and park near the Kids Adventure Garden.
Trip Leader: David Person 805-469-6806

Monthly Program - November 2022
2022-11-07 19:00 - 20:30 | Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, 439 Calle San Pablo, Camarillo, CA, 93012
PLEASE NOTE THE NEW TIME FOR THIS PROGRAM – 7:00pm
A 27 YEAR WILDFLOWER JOURNEY:
the making of
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: CALIFORNIA WILDFLOWERS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Rob Badger and Nita Winter take you behind the scenes on their 27-year journey photo-graphing wildflowers throughout California and the West. It began in the year 1992 when they discovered and fell in love with California’s spectacular wildflower blooms in the Mojave Desert’s Antelope Valley California Poppy Preserve. Photographing these beautiful landscapes and individual flowers evolved into their documentary art project, “Beauty and the Beast: Wildflowers and Climate Change.” This beautiful, multiple award-winning coffee table book, co-published with the California Native Plant Society, focuses on California’s amazing plant diversity. It is a companion to their traveling educational exhibit.
Gorgeous superbloom scenery isn’t the only thing that makes this series so special. The photographers show how they create wildflower portraits in the field, lugging 80 pounds of cameras and their “natural light” studio equipment from below sea level in Death Valley National Park to 13,000-foot-high mountain passes. Rob also shares two innovative field techniques he developed to capture unique floral portraits that go beyond that of traditional wildflower photography.
Because most land based birds directly, or indirectly, rely on the existence of wildflowers and other native plants for their survival, creating native plant gardens is an important way to support local wildlife. Nita and Rob will take you into their evolving native plant garden and share the joy and rewards it brings them.
Purchase books and learn more at wildflowerbooks.com.
Identify flowers with:
Calflora.org
PlantID.net
Calscape.org (by CNPS)

This program will be in a hybrid format: in-person at the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, and also online via Zoom.
In Person
Masks will be required, and the in person group will be limited to a maximum of thirty to allow for social distancing purposes, so please RSVP to the Programs Coordinator to reserve a seat.
Via Zoom
To attend this meeting, use this link (https://zoom.us/j/6155249106) at the meeting time.
