Field Trips

General Field Trip Information

Napa-Solano Audubon Society has Weekly Bird Walks, Beginner Bird Walks and Monthly Field Trips scheduled from September – June. These walks are led by our chapter’s more experienced birders. Our Weekly and Beginner Walks are open to all members and non-members. To learn more information about these walks complete our Activity Sign-up Form and select Field Trip Notices to receive regular updates, and/or subscribe to our Calendar.  Our Field Trip email updates provide the details you need to participate in these fun birding activities. Saturday Walks begin at 8:00 a.m. and go until about Noon to local birding hot spots in Napa or Solano County. Beginner Bird Walks are usually held at American Canyon Wetlands or Benicia Community Park and start at 9:00 am. and run 2-3 hours. They are a great way to take your first steps into birding. Monthly Field Trips are open to our Members and travel throughout the Bay Area and beyond. For everyone’s safety, we encourage all participants, who are eligible, to be vaccinated for Covid 19. All participants must also sign our Release of Liability Form before participating in our Field Trips. Field Trip Coordinators and Leaders will have a Liability Release Form for you to sign at the beginning of each trip.

Saturday Weekly Bird Walks with Andrew Ford

Our Saturday Bird Walks with Andrew Ford have been a great success and will continue throughout the year beginning on Saturday, September 7, 2024 at Kennedy Park in Napa! Andrew has a wealth of information regarding birds, plants and just about anything else you might happen to come across on the weekly birding trip. These Saturday field trips may be organized on short notice, with the destination usually close enough that the trip only lasts half a day. Weekly Walks will typically travel to local Parks or Open Spaces in Napa or Solano Counties. Since birding hotspots vary throughout the season due to the weather and unpredictable migration patterns, the scheduled locations may change the week of the trip. Be sure to sign up for Field Trip Email Announcements to have all of the up-to-date locations and specifics. Go to our Activity Sign-up page.

Beginner’s Bird Walks: American Canyon Wetlands & Benicia Community Parks

NSAS Sponsors regular Beginner’s Bird Walks with Tom Slyker, Carol Boykin and Karina Garcia. Tom, Carol and Karina are citizen science volunteers who have each participated in a variety of projects, including the Napa Solano Audubon’s CA Bird Seasons project at these locations. NSAS has been monitoring birds at these sites every week starting in 2016. This monitoring has provided the participants with a wealth of knowledge about the birds you might see at this location. Our fall Beginner’s Bird Walk participants are likely to see a variety of species, from waterfowl to raptors to warblers and everything in between. Look for our eBlast with dates for our next Beginner’s Bird Walk.

Monthly Field Trips

Napa Solano Audubon offers Monthly Field Trips led by local experts from September through June. These field trips normally travel throughout the Bay Area and beyond and usually last a full day or longer. Monthly Trips require registration as they are often limited to 15-20 participants to facilitate car caravans traveling to the various birding locations throughout the trip. Trip details will be posted on our website and emailed to everyone who has registered for Field Trip announcements approximately 1 month prior to the trip.

New Field Trip Sign-up & Registration Process

We have established a new registration process for our popular Monthly Field Trips to give all members an equal opportunity to sign-up. This year, all participants must register by completing our new Monthly Field Trip Registration Form that will be emailed out on the Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. following the initial detailed trip announcement.  Be sure to check your junk/spam folder for this Registration Form as they occasionally wind up there. Sign-ups will be on a first-come, first-served basis, so if you are interested in attending be sure to complete the Trip Registration Form as soon as possible.  Newcomers and bird watchers of all levels are most welcome with members receiving preference and non-members allowed only if space permits! We encourage all non-members to join our Chapter if you are wishing to participate in our Monthly Trips. Attending a field trip is a great way to find new birding locales, learn more about birds, and get to know more about us. Go to our Email Sign-up page.

What to Bring

In general, we recommend participants to bring snacks or pack a lunch and be sure to include plenty of water. A daypack comes in handy to carry these items as our walks usually travel 1 – 2 miles. It’s always a good idea to wear a hat, bring sunscreen, and insect repellent. Remember to dress in layers as our weather constantly changes. Don’t forget your binoculars! (We have binoculars available to borrow if we know of your needs in advance.)

Carpool Locations

Carpools typically meet at one or two standard locations. Check the email announcement for a particular trip to see which carpool locations are being used. Be a good carpooler and help share expenses with the driver! We suggest $0.40/mi split by the number of riders. Note that carpools are not sponsored by NSAS, and you assume all risk associated with traveling to or from a NSAS activity whether in your car or a carpool. Find out more

Join our Field Trip email list!

We have an email list dedicated to sending information and last minute updates about weekly field trips. Click here to learn more and ask to be added to our list.