Field Trip: Sandhill Crane Overnight

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Location: Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park

Wide Area Map

Closer Map

 

This Audubon field trip will visit the Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, The Atwell Island Wetlands, the Pixley National Wildlife Refuge and the Kern National Wildlife Refuge. It will be an overnight trip with camping at one of two places. Colonel Allensworth State Park has a nice campground with showers ($20/night). As a back up we can primitive camp at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge. Motels in Lost Hills include Motel 6 and Day’s Inn. In Delano there is a Holiday Inn. Everyone must make their own vehicle arrangements and bring the necessary camping equipment, layers of clothes, food and drink plus birding equipment.

Target Birds

  • Sandhill Cranes
  • Burrowing Owls
  • Common Gallinule
  • Horned Larks
  • Loggerhead Shrike
  • Lark Sparrows
  • Blue-winged Teal
  • Marsh Wren
  • Great Horned Owls
  • White-faced Ibis
  • plus many other species

Cost:

$20/night Campground Fee OR Motels are 20 minutes away in Lost Hills or Delano; make your own reservations if desired.

Directions

We will not caravan but rather each participant will travel from Santa Barbara area at approximately 6am on Saturday or sooner to the Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park (CASHP) campground.

We will meet just outside the park at 12:30 +/- 15 minutes. It is approximately 230 miles to Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park from Santa Barbara depending upon the route you take.

One way to travel there is as follows:

Take Hwy 101 to Paso Robles

Take Hwy 46 east to Lost Hills

Once you cross Hwy 5 continue for 18 miles to Hwy 43

Turn left (north) on Hwy 43 for approximately 15 miles to Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park

 

An alternate route is:

Take Hwy 101 south to Hwy 126

Hwy 126 to Hwy 5

Hwy 5 to Hwy 46

Take Hwy 46 east to Hwy 43

Turn north (left) on Hwy 43 to Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park

 

After determining where we will camp we will bird the park for a very short time looking to spot Burrowing Owls etc.  At approximately 12:45pm we will travel to Atwell Island Wetlands.  This is a new BLM 7000 acre restoration project that recently opened with a viewing platform overlooking the wetlands. After that (between 4pm and 5pm) we will travel to Pixley National Wildlife Refuge and view the Sandhill Cranes coming in till dark.

After Sunday breakfast we will meet at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge and bird for several hours (9am-1pm). We will then begin our return trip home.

Other Information

  • Binoculars a must, spotting scopes are very useful

 

Trip Leaders: Jeff Hanson, Peggy Kearns &
Leader Emeritus Jack Sanford

Trip Coordinator: Jeff Hanson

Contact Jeff for information or questions at

 

Sponsored By Santa Barbara Audubon Society