From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Wed Mar 10 11:40:32 2004 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id i2AJbpwg014837 for <[[email protected]]>; Wed, 10 Mar 2004 11:37:51 -0800 (PST) Received: from avocet.mail.pas.earthlink.net (avocet.mail.pas.earthlink.net [207.217.120.50]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id i2AJaLkF014790 for <[[email protected]]>; Wed, 10 Mar 2004 11:36:21 -0800 (PST) Received: from dialup-67.30.104.53.dial1.sanjose1.level3.net ([67.30.104.53]) by avocet.mail.pas.earthlink.net with esmtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 1B19V2-0000yr-00 for [[email protected]]; Wed, 10 Mar 2004 11:36:17 -0800 User-Agent: Microsoft-Outlook-Express-Macintosh-Edition/5.02.2022 Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 11:33:23 -0800 From: Leda Beth Gray <[[email protected]]> To: South Bay Birds <[[email protected]]> Message-ID: Mime-version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.5b1 Subject: [SBB] Spring Birdathon Guided Trips X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5b1 Precedence: list List-Id: South Bay Birding List-Unsubscribe: , List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Sender: south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Errors-To: south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by plaidworks.com id i2AJbpwg014837 Dear SB Birders, In case you haven't seen it in the Avocet, here (below) is our list of guided birdathon trips for this year's Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society's Spring Roundup Birdathon. There are some unique birding opportunities (birding with top birders, peeking into nest boxes at baby birds, a snipe hunt ending with wine and cheese , San Benito County birding, etc) on the list of trips below, and something for every level of birder and varying intensities of experience. One trip is already full so don't delay-- check it out now. The Birdathon window this year is April 10 - May 10. For details about the Birdathon, check the Spring Birdathon link on our website (www.scvas.org). All you have to do to participate in a guided birdathon trip is raise enough pledges to equal $1 per bird species that you find on the trip. It is an easy sell (and we have lots of pledge-collecting tips on our web site -- www.scvas.org), since the money goes toward SCVAS' education programs for school kids and families, including taking classes on field trips to Shoreline Park in Mountain View and teaching them about birds and their habitats. Like most people, you'll probably raise far more than you expect. We will have lots of prizes including optics, artwork, birding trips, and more. The Birdathon Committee is busy lining up prizes (we had close to $10,000 worth last year) for the most money raised, the most species seen, the rarest bird and other categories. You can also organize your own team and run your own birdathon -- it can be anything from a few hours in your own backyard to a two day, 6 county mega-bird-chase. Lastly, we will have a birdathon awards ceremony in June for all participants with complementary pizza and drinks, and lots of fun, including a bird quiz where participants have another crack at winning prizes. I hope to see you there. Best regards, Leda Beth Gray SCVAS Board Member and Conservation Chair The Wild Western Bluebirds ­ Wild Birds Unlimited Saturday April 10. An all-day trip in San Benito County with SCVAS Board Member and local tour leader Ralph Schardt. We¹ll look for Bald Eagles, Mountain Bluebirds, Canyon Wrens, Greater Roadrunner and much more. Geared toward intermediate birders, but beginners are welcome too. Expect 70-90 species. The Varied Twitchers -- with Mike Rogers Saturday April 17. Our highest intensity birding trip. Join expert birder Mike Rogers for a true "Big Day" in Santa Clara County, starting with owling in the early morning and birding all day, ending at sunset. Last year this team found a whopping 157 birds! For intermediate and advanced birders. Kirsten¹s Kestrels -- with Kirsten Holmquist Sunday April 18. A morning trip for intermediate or advanced birders. Join Kirsten, an experienced field trip leader for SCVAS for a morning of birding at Montebello Preserve in Palo Alto. Possible species include Pileated Woodpecker, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Purple Finch. Expect about 40 species. The Snipe Hunters ‹ with Laurie West Roberts and Rick Roberts Sunday April 18 (note: the date listed in the Avocet is incorrect) ‹ Ever been on a Snipe Hunt? Well, Snipe really do exist, and we have a chance of finding one. This birdathon experience is geared toward beginners, but you must know how to use binoculars. We will visit local parks covering a variety of great habitats in the mid-county area (Los Gatos, Campbell, San Jose or Mountain View). We will end with a pot luck wine and cheese celebration where we can recount our successes. Expect 80-90 species. The Wacky-Capped Chickadees¹ Big Sit -- with Debbie Thompson Saturday April 24. Funny hats will be the order of the day at this fun gathering hosted by SCVAS Board President Debbie Thompson. Bring a hat and your lawn chair and sit for a few hours at a choice location at Shoreline Park in Mountain View to see how many birds we can count. A door prize will be awarded to the best hat of the day. Expect 40-50 species. The Boppin¹ Bluebirds ‹ with Dave Cook Saturday April 24. Join SCVAS Board Member and Bluebird Box Guy Dave Cook as he checks his bird nesting boxes at Grant Ranch County Park‹with plenty of birding in between. We may see eggs, chicks and roosting parent birds close up (chickadees, titmice, bluebirds, swallows and others), as Dave checks to make sure all is well with the occupants. Half-day - beginning to intermediate birders. Expect 50-75 species. Already Full: The Wrong Terns -- with Bobbie Handen and Allen Royer Sunday April 25. Birdathon veterans Bobbie and Allen know how to have a good time while birding. The Wrong Terns find their share of birds but eating is almost as much part of the interest as birding. Join us to bird various parks in Santa Clara County and enjoy a potluck gourmet lunch. 8AM to 3PM. Expect 60-70 species. PV Birders -- with Craig Breon Saturday May 1. How many birds can you find in one town? Join SCVAS Executive Director Craig Breon for a 9 to 3 birdathon in the town of Portola Valley and find out (Jasper Ridge is in Portola Valley). And how about this --Craig will even provide your lunch! Expect 50-60 species. Freddy¹s Wild Birders -- The Wild Bird Center Sunday May 2. Especially for beginning birders, a morning at Almaden Lake Park with SCVAS Board Member and veteran guide, Ralph Schardt. Ralph enjoys showing the birding ropes to beginners so this will be a learning experience as well as a Birdathon. Expect 45-80 species. _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. south-bay-birds mailing list ([[email protected]]) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://www.plaidworks.com/mailman/options/south-bay-birds/south-bay-birds-archive%40plaidworks.com This email sent to [[email protected]]