Beginners’ Bird Walk – February 15

Recently the weather has been cooperating with sunny days, and our Beginners walks have been excellent outings.  Now the weather pattern is changing and rain is coming.  We need the water, so this is great news for the flowers and plants, but it may put a damper on our next Beginners Bird walk which we are scheduling for Sunday, February 15.  If the weather cooperates and we can avoid the rain, then Carol and I will be leading a walk at American Canyon Wetlands Edge Park on the 15th.  If it is wet weather, we’ll cancel the walk and try again on Sunday, February 22, weather willing.

Hopefully the weather will cooperate.  If it does, we’d be delighted to have you join us for our next Beginners’ Bird Walk on Sunday, February 15, at the American Canyon Wetlands Edge Park.  No reservations are necessary, just plan to show up and enjoy being outdoors for a while.

It’s a great time to be birding at the wetlands as the location offers an opportunity to observe a wide variety of wintering birds.  What you’ll see are ducks, shorebirds, songbirds, and raptors.  You’ll see both migrant species that call the local wetlands their winter home and our resident birds that live in the area year-round.

The walk is open to birders of all levels and ages.  Napa Solano Audubon membership is encouraged but not required.  It’s free, it’s fun, and loaner binoculars are on hand if you need them.  If you have questions about this outing, please e-mail Tom Slyker at .

Meeting time and location:  We will meet at 9 AM on Sunday, February 15, at the parking lot for the Wetlands Edge Park, which is located at 2 Eucalyptus Drive in American Canyon.  We expect that the walk will take between 2 – 3 hours and we should be finished by noon.

Directions: From Vallejo, take Hwy 29 north towards Napa.  Turn left off of Hwy 29 onto Rio Del Mar.  There is a stop light at this location.  Immediately after turning onto Rio Del Mar, turn right onto Eucalyptus Drive.  Continue west on Eucalyptus until you reach the parking lot.  From Napa, drive south on Highway 29 till you reach Rio Del Mar.  Turn right onto Rio Del Mar and immediately turn right onto Eucalyptus Drive.  Continue west on Eucalyptus until you reach the parking lot.  From eastern Solano County take Hwy 80 to American Canyon Road.  Go west on American Canyon Road until it ends at Wetlands Edge Road.  Turn right on Wetlands Road and go north until you hit Eucalyptus Road.  Turn left on Eucalyptus Road and you will be at the Wetlands Edge Park parking lot.

Leaders: Tom Slyker and Carol Boykin will be leading this walk.  Both are citizen science volunteers who participate in the Napa Solano Audubon’s CA Birdseasons project at the wetlands location.  NSAS has been monitoring birds at this site on a weekly basis since 2016.  This monitoring has provided the participants with a wealth of knowledge about the birds you might see.

What to bring: Warm clothing in layers as it can get windy and cold at this location.  We will be walking ~ 2 miles over paved trails so comfortable walking shoes will be needed.  Bring binoculars if you have them.  If not, we will have extra binoculars for you to use.  Tom and Carol will have spotting scopes for better views of some of the more distant birds.  Water and snacks are items you should plan to carry with you.