March’s Field Trip to Mines Road and Del Puerto Canyon: Saturday, March 28th 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. with Robin Leong & Wendy Cole

Mine’s Road stretches 35 miles from Livermore to San Jose! We meet at the junction of Tesla and Mines Roads at 8 a.m. with a full tank of gas, money for entrance fees, lunch and plenty of liquids. The majority of this trip is not a hiking trip, but a true road trip. Participants should try to carpool, as much as possible as there are very few pull outs for a long caravan. We will be using Jean Richmond’s book “Birding in Northern California” as our guide. As we head down the beginning of Mines Road in arroyos at the lower elevations we hope to observe Acorn and Lewis’s Woodpeckers, Phainopeplas, Yellow-billed Magpies and Lark Sparrows. At Del Valle Regional Park we will stop at the reservoir that hosts a variety ducks and waterbirds and look for Green Herons, Wood Ducks, Greater Yellowlegs, Great Horned Owls, and a variety of Warbler species. Along the road at higher elevations in the extensive chaparral zone we have a chance to see a variety of exciting birds including Lawrence’s Goldfinch, California Thrashers, Rufous-crowned and Bell’s Sparrows and there is even the possibility of a sighting a Roadrunner! At the junction of Mines and Del Puerto Canyon Road we will head East with a stop at Frank Raines County Park. There we will visit a riparian woodland that has a host of resident birds and we should also be treated to a number of early migrants as well. The trip will end at HWY 5, where we turn north and head back home which will complete our 75 mile journey.

For more Information Look for the Mines Road Field Trip eBlast in your email (be sure to check your spam folder if you don’t find the eBlast).