Connecting People with Birds
Our mission is to share the fun of birding, promote conservation and scientific understanding of wild birds and their habitats, and offer engaging, science-based education emphasizing the communities of Napa and Solano counties.
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Bird Family Galleries
Welcome to Napa Solano Audubon Society!
Bird of the Week – Bell’s Sparrow
Found at the top of Mix Canyon Road along Blue Ridge
Select to learn more about this bird
NSAS Spring 2025 College Scholarship Awards Program:
This Spring, NSAS will continue providing a one year, $2,000 Scholarship for two High School Seniors from Napa & Solano Counties who will be enrolled in the Fall of 2025 at a Community or 4-year College pursuing a course of study in ornithology, wildlife, conservation, environmental studies or related fields. If you know of any seniors living in either Napa or Solano counties who are continuing their education in one of these fields of study please let them know they can apply for one of our scholarships. To be considered, applications must be submitted by April 30, 2024. Click here for more information and eligibility requirements.
Upcoming Field Trips – All Members, Family & Friends of NSAS are Welcome to Join!
Field Trip Announcements: Beware our Field Trip eBlasts may end up in your Spam Folder!
Weekly Field Trips to Napa & Solano County Hotspots with Andrew Ford
NSAS offers Weekly Bird Walks on Saturday mornings with Andrew Ford to birding hotspots in Napa or Solano County, beginning at 8 a.m. and ending around noon. Come join in all the fun and have a great morning learning about birds. To look at some of our favorite weekly walk outings see Saturday Walks! A typical trip attracts approximately 20 birders. Through the seasons we try to catch the local “spectacles” of birding: spring shorebirds at American Canyon, winter raptors and Mountain Plovers in the Solano prairie, or fall warblers at Lagoon Valley. Locations are subject to change due to the changing of bird population and influx of migrants.
Beginner Field Trips to American Canyon Wetlands with Karina Garcia, Carol Boykin and Tom Slyker
So, if you are dipping a toe into birding, or dusting off a pair of binoculars for the first time in a while and you want some company as you learn about birding, we’d be delighted to have you join us for our Beginners Bird Walks. We hold Beginner’s Walks at the American Canyon Wetlands Edge Park on two Sundays each month beginning at 9:00 a.m. No reservations are necessary, just plan to show up and enjoy being outdoors for a little while. Sign up for Field Trip Notices by clicking on the Activity Sign-up Button at the top of our Home Page or Check our Calendar for the next Beginner’s Bird Walk. These walks are open to birders of all levels and ages. It’s free, it’s fun, and loaner binoculars are on hand if you need them. Napa Solano Audubon membership is not required. Karina Garcia, Carol Boykin, and Tom Slyker lead these walks. They are citizen science volunteers and participate in the Napa Solano Audubon’s CA Birdseasons project at this wetlands park location. NSAS has been monitoring birds at this site every Monday morning since 2016. This monitoring has provided the participants with a wealth of knowledge about the birds you might see at this location. They have been observing numerous species of waterfowl, a variety of shorebirds including American Avocets and Black Necked Stilts, as well as a variety of raptors, while looking and occasionally spotting the secretive Sora and Virginia Rails.
June Field Trip to Sierra Valley & Yuba Pass with Mark Stephenson & Bruce Thomsen
Thursday – Sunday, June 5th – 8th, 2025
Date: June 5, 2025
Time: Begins 7:30 AM
Meet: Madora Lake Loop Trail Parking Lot Graeagle-Johnsville Rd
Leaders: Mark Stephenson & Bruce Thomsen
Our NSAS June Trip will be to the Sierra Valley and Yuba Pass vicinity from June 5th to June 8th. This is a great way to wind up the Spring and start off your Summer!
Birding this Area: We will take 4 days to explore this bountiful region visiting some of the best locations it has to offer. The Yuba Pass encompasses High Sierra habitats including boggy meadows, willow and alder thickets, aspens groves and coniferous forests. Within the mountain ecosystem we hope to observe Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin, Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, Clark’s Nutcracker, Sooty Grouse, Mountain Quail, Calliope Hummingbird, Red-breasted and Williamson’s Sapsuckers, Black-backed Woodpeckers, Townsend’s Solitaire and Hermit Thrushes, Hammond’s and Dusky Flycatchers, Mountain Chickadee, Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches, Ruby and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Warblers including Hermit, Nashville, MacGillivray’s, and Yellow as well as a variety of sparrows.
Over the summit, the Sierra Valley consists of vast areas of sagebrush and grassland along with extensive wet meadows and marshland with the heart of the valley being fed by perennial springs and tributaries of the Feather River. This rich sage and grassland ecosystem is home to Sage Thrasher, Horned Lark, Black-billed Magpie, Savannah and Vesper Sparrows, along with Swainson’s and Red-tailed Hawks, Peregrine and Prairie Falcons, Golden and Bald Eagles that frequently soar overhead. The marshlands are home to a number of waterfowl, including Cinnamon Teal, Gadwall, Mallards, Sandhill Cranes, American Bittern, Sora and Virginia Rails, American Avocet, Willet, Wilson’s Snipe, Marsh Wren, Yellow- headed Blackbirds as well as Cliff and Barn Swallows.
Accommodations: There are limited options for overnight accommodations in this area. However, there are a few small hotels in Sierraville and Portola and in between as well as AirBnB’s. There are also a number of campgrounds including Plumas Eureka State Park, Clio’s River Edge RV Park, Lake’s Basin, Gold Lake and Lake Davis Campgrounds. The Yuba Pass Campground is closed.
Meeting Location: We will begin exploring birds at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 5th at the Parking lot for the Madora Lake Loop Trail located along the Graeagle-Johnsville Rd. More trip details with additional options for accommodations and meeting locations will be sent to trip participants following registration.
Registration Information: to reserve a spot on this field trip click on the link below, complete the form, and submit your registration. This field trip has a limit of 15 NSAS Members. The first 15 members to register will be active participants in this outing and additional registrations will be placed on a waiting list. All participants will be asked to sign the NSAS Field Trip Waiver in advance of the trip.