SJAUDUBON

Beginner Birding at the San Joaquin River NWR
2025-11-29 08:00 - 23:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge, 2714 Dairy Road, Vernalis, CA, 95385, United States
Leader: Henry Koertzen
We will drive and/or walk from the parking lot along Pelican Road to enjoy the sunrise, bird sounds and the Geese and Cranes departing for the day from the wetlands. Binoculars will be available for use. There are bathrooms at the parking lot.
Directions: Meet at the refuge gravel parking lot on Dairy Road (2714 Dairy Rd, Vernalis, CA 95385)

Christmas Bird Count Review and Prep
2025-12-09 19:30 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Central United Methodist Church, 3700 Pacific Avenue, Stockton, California
Please join us for our annual Christmas Bird Count review with updates provided by our very own David Yee. David will discuss the latest information on birds in the Central Valley, the State, North America, and the World. David has his finger on the pulse of all-things bird related so you can rest assured that we will be receiving the latest information that’s out there.
David Yee is a past San Joaquin Audubon Society President, Board Member, and Field Trip Leader. He is also a Founding member, Past President, and Board member of the Central Valley Bird Club, the creator of the Central Valley Birding Symposium, and a wonderful friend and mentor to most San Joaquin Audubon Society birders

Stockton Christmas Bird Count
2025-12-14 07:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | CA
Leader: Compiler-Donna Marciano
This is one of two Christmas Bird Count (CBC) within San Joaquin County. The Stockton count is comprised of north Stockton, Lodi and Thornton, a valley floor count as compared to our foothill count.

Beginning birders to experienced birders are welcome. Some area have all walking (~7 miles), others areas have birding mostly from the car, still other areas are a combination of both.
Christmas Bird Counts are performed rain or shine (except in extreme conditions).
Please contact Donna Marciano @ paulmarciano@att.net if you would like to join a group.
The Stockton count circle is at the intersection of Hwy 12 & Hwy 5, the official center point. The count circle radiates out 15 miles in all directions. Counts will start 7-7:30 am with designated leaders in 15 areas and ends when the count is completed, usually before sundown. Count area surveys consist of all driving, some walking & driving or all walking 6-7 miles. Some count leaders also conduct an owl survey occurring before dawn.

Wallace-Bellota Christmas Bird Count
2026-01-03 07:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | CA
Leader: Compiler-Kasey Foley

This is a Christmas Bird Count (CBC) that goes from the valley floor up to the lower foothills and incorporates San Joaquin County, Calaveras County, with a sliver in Amador County. It is centered in San Joaquin County.
Beginning birders to experienced birders are welcome. Some area have all walking (~7 miles), others areas have birding mostly from the car, still other areas are a combination of both.
Christmas Bird Counts are performed rain or shine (except in extreme conditions).
Directions: contact Kasey Foley at kaseyfoley@sbcglobal.net for assignments, please put “CBC” in Subject line

Wetlands Beginner Birding at the San Joaquin River NWR
2026-01-24 08:00 - 23:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge, 2714 Dairy Road, Vernalis, CA, 95385, United States
Leader: Henry Koertzen
We will hike along the wetlands section of the Pelican Trail for a flat couple of miles looking for a variety of bird species. Binoculars will be available for use. There are bathrooms at the parking lot.
Directions: Meet at the refuge gravel parking lot on Dairy Road (2714 Dairy Rd, Vernalis, CA 95385)

Merced NWR Field Trip
2026-01-25 09:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Merced National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), 7430 West Sandy Mush Road, Merced, CA, 95341, United States
We will drive the loop trail. If conditions permit and there is interest, we can hike the refuge trails. Expect to be back in Stockton by late afternoon. Bring lunch, water. Keep your eye on the weather and dress accordingly. Carpooling is encouraged.
Meet Jim Rowoth at

07:30 AM PST @ Bagel St Cafe (formerly Tout Sweets) (Quail Lakes & March) OR
09:00 AM PST @ Main parking lot at entrance of NWR

Bird Sit at University of Pacific (Stockton Campus)
2026-02-01 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | University of Pacific Stockton Campus, 3601 Pacific Ave., Stockton, CA, 95211, United States
Please join us for this fun event suitable for everyone. No matter your age, your knowledge of birds and your level of mobility. We will be sitting in one spot to enjoy, observe and/or discuss the birds, and all other parts of nature, around us.
Bring your questions regarding bird identification by sight or sound, binoculars, free phone apps, etc.

Come at any time from 2pm and stay as short or long as you like. Bring your binoculars or borrow our extras.

The fountain is located to the north of the library and bench seating is available.

Handicapped parking on Atchley Wlkwy and regular parking on Dave Brubeck Way.

Birds of the California Delta by Aaron Haiman
2026-02-10 19:30 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Central United Methodist Church, 3700 Pacific Avenue, Stockton, California
The Delta is a place of connections where rivers meet each other, where freshwater meets salt water, where ocean fish come inland, where birds from the north come for the winter, and where birds from the south come to breed. The Delta is also a place of complexity. How water interacts with land and forms soil is a complex process. How birds and fish find and utilize habitats are complex sets of instincts and signals. How humans use water and land contains a nest of complex pressures. All these connections and complexities play out on a daily basis throughout the Delta. Exploring the many wetlands, grasslands, and sloughs of the Delta is always a fascinating and beautiful adventure into this meeting ground of complexity. And these adventures have led to a book that Aaron has written titled: Birds of the California Delta. This book introduces the reader to the Delta and to a scattering of the birds that live and visit it. Aaron will be sharing this book, and his own birding experiences and knowledge.

Aaron Haiman began birding when he was 6 years old, and his passion for birds has remained strong ever since. Following this passion has included volunteering for a variety of bird research organizations, undergraduate and graduate degrees studying birds, and working for the State of California as a Senior Environmental Scientist on ecosystem restoration. Aaron’s love of birds also takes him out birding on his own and with friends, old and new, and onto social media to share information and love of birds, nature, and science under the handle “A Birding Naturalist”.

Ripon Water Treatment Plant & River Trail
2026-02-28 08:00 - 10:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Ripon Water Treatment Plant
As shorebirds begin their journey southward they pass through the Ripon Sewage ponds. Our hope is to be there when they pass through, we can expect to see Greater Yellowlegs, sandpipers (least and maybe western), Black neck Stilts, long billed dowitchers and maybe a few unexpected species. Join leader Donna Marciano for a morning of birding. This will be a good trip for beginners to learn about shorebirds or for experienced birds to improve your identification skills. The trip is for folks of all ages. We will start at the gravel parking lot located at the south end of Jack Tone Road. We’ll be walking the smooth dirt/path, accessible by stroller or wheelchair. Bring water, hat, sunscreen and binoculars, we do have a few pairs to loan out for the trip if you need them.
First we will look for water and shore birds on the ponds, and then we will bird the path along the Stanislaus River.
Note: there are no bathroom facilities on site.

Beginner Bird Walk at UoP
2026-03-01 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | University of Pacific Stockton Campus, 3601 Pacific Ave., Stockton, CA, 95211, United States
Leader: Henry Koertzen
Please join leader Henry Koertzen for this fun beginner event. We will stroll around the campus identifying the birds we find.
Bring your questions regarding bird identification by sight or sound, binoculars, free phone apps, etc.,
Remember your binoculars or borrow our extras.
We will meet at the fountain which is located just north of the library

Introductory Birding at Lodi Lake
2026-03-07 08:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Lodi Lake, 1101 W Turner Rd, Lodi, CA, 95240, United States
Join leader Cavan Allen at the north end of Laurel Ave. in Lodi (on the east side of Lodi Lake Park, off of Turner Rd.) at 8:00 AM. Birders of all skill levels are welcome, but the focus will be on birding fundamentals. Extra binoculars and field guides will be available.Location: Lodi Lake,1101 W Turner Rd, Lodi

Cosumnes River Walk
2026-03-08 06:45 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Cosumnes River Preserve, 13501 Franklin Blvd, Galt, CA 95632, Galt, CA, United States
Join leader Jim Rowoth for the monthly River Walk bird count through the varied habitats of the CRP. Meet Jim at the visitor center on Franklin Blvd.

Climate Change and the Birds of the Zuni Mountains Region of New Mexico: Past and Present, and Maybe Future
2026-03-10 19:30 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Central United Methodist Church, 3700 Pacific Avenue, Stockton, California
The Zuni region enjoys a history of ornithological study that must be the envy of every other place in interior western North America. The specimens collected in the second half of the 19th Century and the early years of the 20th Century are mostly still extant and form the basis of assessing how the regional avifauna has changed and is changing across time. Change has been very rapid since the turn of the new millennium.

Born and reared in Vallejo, John Trochet has lived in Sacramento for the last 44 years. He briefly practiced medicine before returning to school in ornithology, and retired from the UC Davis Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology in 2017. He remains a research affiliate of the museum. Along with following the birds of the Cosumnes River Preserve and being a team member of Project Principalis in Louisiana, the 45+ year study of the birds of the Zuni Mountains Region is one of three long-term projects that keeps him busy in retirement.

Del Puerto Canyon Fieldtrip
2026-03-14 08:00 - 16:30 UTC | Del Puerto Canyon Meeting Point, Starbucks , 2952 Speno Dr, Patterson, CA, 95363, United States
Field Trip Coordinator – Ralph Baker
Del Puerto Canyon is Stanislaus County’s most diverse natural environment. Its habitats range from grasslands along the western valley floor to chaparral, blue oak woodland, and pines. Over 150 species of birds have been observed here (your guide has personally seen 128). Species we could see at this time of year include Golden Eagle, Prairie Falcon, Greater Roadrunner, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Lewis’s Woodpecker, Rock and Canyon Wren, Wrentit, California Thrasher, Phainopepla (which would make it a good day, indeed) and Rufous-crowned Sparrow. The birds, along with interesting geology, herps, insects, and other wildlife, make this a must-see birding spot. A Townsend’s Solitaire has recently been seen in the upper reaches of the canyon and this is one of the few places in the county where it’s possible to see Steller’s Jay (though they are extremely rare, even here).

Visit the Stanislaus Audubon website HERE for a more detailed description of the canyon.

We will traverse the canyon, stopping at several locations to bird. Most birding will be done near or from the road, but there will be a couple of hikes away from the road; the one at Frank Raines Park will be rather steep, but anyone who does not wish to participate in the steep climb can bird around the parking lot and picnic area. Dress in layers, where comfortable walking shoes and bring lunch/snacks (as we will not be returning to Patterson until sometime after lunch), water and binoculars. A scope would also be useful if you have one
Directions: Meet at Starbucks, 2952 Speno Dr, Patterson, CA 95363

Monthly Census @ Fish Hatchery
2026-03-15 08:00 - 10:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Mokelumne River Fish Hatchery Day Use Area, 25800 N Mcintire Rd, Clements, CA, United States
Join leader Liz West for our monthly census of this lovely riparian area on the Mokelumne River below Camanche Dam. Meet the leaders in the fish hatchery parking lot below the dam at 8:00 AM.

Woodbridge Wilderness Survey
2026-03-21 08:00 - 10:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Woodbridge Wilderness Area, 301 E. River Meadows Dr., Woodbridge, CA, United States
Join leader Cavan Allen for our monthly census of this small riparian area on the banks of the Mokelumne River.
Woodbridge Wilderness Area, 301 E. River Meadows Dr.,Woodbridge

Beginner’s Bird Walk @ River Islands
2026-03-28 08:00 - 11:00 UTC | River Islands, 301, Stewart Rd, Lathrop, CA, 95330, United States
Join leader Henry Koertzen for a beginning bird walk for folks of all ages. We will start at the gravel parking lot at the south entrance of River Islands (at the river side of the road) . We will walk the smooth paved path, accessible by a stroller or wheelchair.We will do a two mile loop. First we will follow the path along the San Joaquin River, and then we will cross over to return around the lake. Note: there are no bathroom facilities at the site.
DirectionsTake exit 460 (Manthey Rd) from I-5(S).Turn right onto Manthey Road.At the first stop sign turn left onto Stewart Road. When you reach the first roundabout the parking area is on the right. Coordinates 37.788505, -121.309836
https://maps.app.goo.gl/2jzoQsgQJcNVeDhf7

Against All Odds...Protecting the West's Largest Wetland
2026-04-14 19:30 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Central United Methodist Church, 3700 Pacific Avenue, Stockton, California
Presenter: Peter Ottesen

Will discuss my book of the same title, going from the time of the northern Yokuts, to Cattle Baron Henry Miller, to the dewatering of the San Joaquin River, to fighting for water to sustain and protect the 240,000-acre Grassland Ecological Area.
Legacy: A classic example of private ownership fighting for a public trust resource.
Click here to see the book review
