Field Trips

This all-day birding walk will focus on seeing as many bird species as possible in the Mono Basin and throughout Mono County. It will be a fast-paced day and therefore is recommended for intermediate and advanced birders. We will be out all day so be sure to bring a lunch and plenty of water! Click here to see last year's list.

Presenter: Dan Cooper is the California Director of Bird Conservation for Audubon  and is currently developing its Important Bird Areas program. Recently relocated to the Point Reyes area, he is a native of Southern California, having worked for the past three years with Audubon’s Los Angeles Nature Center project. Dan holds an M.S. from UC Riverside and a B.A. from Harvard, and has conducted research on bird distribution and ecology across the US and abroad. No stranger to big days, his team finished first in the Great Texas Birding Classic in 1999.

Saturday  6:00–5:30 pm   Maximum number: 20 FULL
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.

Jeff Maurer will lead us on an exploration of Upper and Lower Horse Meadows in the canyon area just south of Lee Vining Canyon. This area is less traveled than other canyons of the Mono Basin and the mix of meadow and forest habitats will no doubt provide a wide range of bird sightings for us. If the group is willing, we may journey into Gibbs Canyon.

Presenter: Jeff Maurer is a bird ecologist at the University of California, Davis, where he earned an M. S. in Avian Sciences in 2000, and currently lectures and researches lead poisoning in California condors. Jeff conducted a study of goshawk ecology in Yosemite National Park from 1994 to 1998, in which he investigated the role of forest structure, diet, and forest fires on goshawk nesting and productivity. He has also researched great gray owls and peregrine falcons in Yosemite, and conducted counts of migratory hawks at various locations in North America with Hawkwatch International. Jeff has lived at Crowley Lake and worked for the Inyo NF. Jeff teaches also with the Sierra Institute and the Yosemite Association, and enjoys watching shorebirds in California's Central Valley at the magical spring puddles of water, Mono Lake's smaller cousins, known as vernal pools.

Saturday 8:00-11:00 AM Maximum number: 15  FULL
Sunday 8:00-11:00 AM Maximum number: 15  FULL
Meet in front of the Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center.

Our field trip will start with an early morning walk to the end of the State Reserve boardwalk below the Mono Lake County Park. Along the boardwalk are signs indicating where the lake level will be when it reaches the elevation mandated by the State Water Resources Control Board, thus allowing an intriguing look into the future. We will get a sneak peak at the bird life along the Mono Lake shoreline, and Debbie will talk briefly about her ongoing waterfowl monitoring project. Next the group will visit Bridgeport Reservoir – another important body of water in the “Eastern Sierra flyway”.

Presenter: Debbie House is a Watershed Resources Specialist for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in Bishop. She has a Master’s Degree in Biological Sciences from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where she conducted research in avian community ecology. As a field ecologist for the last 15 years, she has conducted research and monitoring projects on small mammals, bats, reptiles, and amphibians, raptors, songbirds, and plants. She is currently conducting a waterfowl project at Mono Lake, Bridgeport Reservoir, and Crowley Reservoir. .

Sunday  7:00–11:00 AM    Maximum number: 15   FULL
Meet in front of the Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center.

Take a walk in the forest as the last light of the day gives way to night.  Under the guidance of our master hooter, we'll weave our way through the Jeffrey Pines listening to the night sounds and maybe encountering an owl or two.  Bring a flashlight and dress warmly.  Not recommended for very small children.

Presenter:  Burleigh Lockwood has been a field biologist since the age of 4 (smashed worms and crumpled caterpillars in inquisitive hands). She pursued biology through high school and into college. While she was finishing her degree in Environmental Biology, she began working for California Fish and Game as a seasonal biologist. It was a career shift to the United States Forest Service that brought her into contact with owls. As an official “hooter” on Spotted Owl Surveys for the Forest Service, she learned the habits and hoots of the owls in the Sierra. She is currently a biologist for the Education Department of the Chafee Zoo in Fresno, California.

Friday 8:15-9:30  PM    Maximum number:  20 FULL
Saturday  8:15-9:30  PM   Maximum number: 20 FULL
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.  

Lee Vining Canyon is one of the Eastern Sierra’s premier birding locations. It offers a variety of habitats and breathtaking views. Of particular interest is the habitat progression as Lee Vining Creek drains from the high alpine mountains of Yosemite and Tioga Pass down through the canyon and out into the arid, sage-scrub surrounding Mono Lake. American Dipper, Yellow Warbler, and nuthatches are among the many species that we may see on this trip.

Presenter: David Lukas has led over one hundred birdwatching and natural history programs for The Nature Conservancy, Audubon Society, Elderhostel, and other groups. He is the author of two books Watchable Birds of the Great Basin and the recently published Wild Birds of California, and is currently writing a field guide to birds of the Sierra Nevada.  

Saturday  8:00–11:00 am  Maximum number: 15 FULL
Sunday  8:00-11:00  AM  Maximum number:15 FULL
Meet in front of the Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center.

Join Margaret Rubega for a walk along the shore to see how birds cope with saline water at Mono Lake. We’ll attempt to directly observe phalaropes and other shorebirds and through these observation discuss their ecology. This will include biomechanics, feeding biology, and osmoregulation and their application to birds at this unique saline lake.

Presenter: Margaret Rubega is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut where she specializes in avian functional and evolutionary morphology and conservation biology. She is also the State Ornithologist of Connecticut. Her doctoral work included a study of phalaropes, at Mono Lake in the 1990's.

Saturday 8:30-10:00  AM   Maximum number: 10
Saturday  1:30-3:00  PM     Maximum number:10 FULL
Meet in front of the Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center.   

Join Justin Hite and Peter Wrege down by Mono Lake to watch the foraging behavior of California Gulls and talk about all aspects of the behavior of this fascinating species (and anything else that happens by). Peter and especially Justin have spent hundreds of hours probing the secret lives of Mono Lake's gulls and have plenty of insights and funny anecdotes to share.

Presenter: Peter H. Wrege is a Senior Research Associate at Cornell University. Traveling widely, he has studied White-fronted Bee-eaters in Kenya, Wattled Jacanas in Panama, and Galapagos marine iguanas. His current research includes the Tree Swallow Dispersal Project in New York State and Golondrinas De Las Americas. Dr. Wrege spent two summers studying the feeding and breeding ecology of California Gulls at Mono Lake. Justin Hite is currently a student at Cornell University and has been involved with the California Gull research for the past four years. His stories of summers spent living with the gulls out on Mono Lake's islands will no doubt entertain you!

Saturday 10:30-12:00 NOON   Maximum number: 15
Sunday 10:30-12:00 NOON   Maximum number: 15
Meet in front of the Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center.   

Join Yosemite Park Ranger/Naturalist Erik Westerlund in an exploratory hike of the alpine environment of the Tioga Pass area. Expect a short (1-2 mile), but moderately-strenuous hike up to Gaylor Lakes where we will look for various finches, American Pipits, White-crowned Sparrows, Prairie Falcons, Golden Eagles and other high elevation specialists amidst the rugged cliffs, glacial cirques, and spectacular rock gardens. Note: This is a high elevation hike at approximately 10,000 feet and above.

Presenter: Erik Westerlund has worked as a naturalist in Yosemite since 1992.  He received a B.S. in Biology from the University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire and an M.S. in Natural Resource Management from University of Washington-Stevens Point.  He spends most of his free time studying the natural history of Yosemite's birds, plants, and insects and is an avid observer of all that is beautiful.  

Sunday  7:00-11:45  AM    Maximum number: 15 FULL
Meet in front of the Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center

Join State Park Ranger Janet Carle on the boardwalk for a come-and-go-as-you-please hour of informal conversation and birding at the shore of Mono Lake. Take a look through the spotting scope as the birds of the hour make their appearance. What have you always wanted to know about Mono Lake but never asked? Hear this veteran ranger's unique perspective on the issues and events that have taken place during her 22 year tenure here at the lake.

Presenter: Janet Carle is a State Park Ranger with the Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve. She has a Masters degree in interpretation and has enthusiastically led  walks and talks in the Mono Basin for the past 22 years.  

Saturday  4:00-5:00  PM
Meet at the end of the State Reserve Boardwalk below the Mono Lake County Park.
No registration for this event.

Join birding expert Jon Dunn on this birding tour of the scenic June Lake Loop. This route covers a variety of habitats and therefore we should see a variety of birds. Grant Lake Reservoir may hold lingering loons or mergansers. Mountain conifers and aspen riparian are home to many species—including Mountain Chickadee, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Western Tanager, and many more. Don’t forget to scan the skies and cliffs for a possible Golden or Bald Eagle!

Presenter: Jon Dunn was chief consultant to the National Geographic Society’s Field Guide to the Birds of North America, the 4^th edition, the last of which was published in 2002. He has extensive knowledge of the identification and distribution of North American birds and has written articles on these subjects that have appeared in a wide variety of journals. He was co-author and the host of the two-video set Large and Small Gulls of North America in the Advanced Birding Video Series as well as co-author with Kimball Garrett of  Birds of Southern California: Status and Distribution and Warblers. Jon is currently a member of the American Birding Association’s Board of Directors as well as a consultant for their magazine, Birding. Jon also serves as Chair of the ABA Checklist Committee and is a member of both the California Bird Records Committee and the American Ornithologist’s Union Checklist Committee.

Sunday  7:00–11:00 am   Maximum number: 15 FULL
Meet in front of the Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center.

Wrens, warblers, woodpeckers and water birds can be seen in this rich variety of habitats. We’ll make our way from the sagebrush through the old cottonwoods, around the willow thickets and on to the boardwalk to the shoreline of Mono Lake.

Presenter: Mike Prather will lead on Saturday and Sunday. He is a past president of the Eastern Sierra Audubon Society and is the current president of the Owens Valley Committee. He actively works on Owens Valley and Owens Lake water and wildlife issues and has been a resident of Inyo County (Lone Pine) for 30 years. He’s also a long time Monophile.
Saturday  8:00-10:00  AM    Maximum number: 15 FULL
Saturday  10:15–12:00 noon   Maximum number: 15 FULL
Sunday  10:15-12:00 noon   Maximum number: 15  FULL

Presenter: Dave Marquart will lead  a walk on Sunday and has been a naturalist ranger for the Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve for 21 years. He is especially good at birding by ear and may even do a few bird calls for you! He has an intimate knowledge of the Mono Basin and has been leading bird walks at County Park and the State Reserve for 12 years.
Sunday  8:00–10:00 am  Maximum number: 15

Meet in the parking lot at Mono Lake County Park.

Enjoy a morning birding one of the Mono Basin’s most spectacular locations—Lundy Canyon. The mixture of aspen-cottonwood riparian habitat with mature conifers provides prime habitat for a variety of birds. Even some eastern vagrant warblers were seen here last spring! The beautiful scenery, including spring wildflowers, should provide additional flavor for this outing.

Presenter: Peter Metropulos has spent time exploring and birding in and around the Mono Basin for 15 years and has an intimate knowledge of Mono County bird distribution. He has been a sub-regional editor of North American Birds for San Mateo County for 25 years and has co-authored several articles and bird-finding guides. He is a practicing horticulturist and is therefore able to identify and explain the area’s many botanical wonders too!

Saturday  7:00–9:30 am   Maximum number: 15 FULL
Sunday  7:00-9:30  AM   Maximum number: 15  FULL
Meet in front of the Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center.

Join Kristie Nelson on a bird walk through the charred remains of a Jeffrey pine forest south of Mono Lake. In the summer of 2001, a lightning caused fire provided new opportunities for woodpeckers and other bark gleaners. Our chances of seeing the elusive Black-backed Woodpecker are good. White-headed and Hairy Woodpeckers are also possibilities! We will observe trees that are recovering and those that are not, a changing understory, and the apparent effects on bird life.

Presenter: Kristie Nelson has had a love for birds since some of her earliest memories. After a childhood filled with such activities such as bird taxidermy and careful field observations, she obtained a wildlife degree at Humboldt State University, all the while birding as much as possible! She has conducted ornithological fieldwork throughout much of the state including the Farallon Islands. She now lives in the Mono Basin and is very familiar with its assemblage of bird life. Her passion for birds is quite contagious!

Saturday  8:00–12:00 noon   Maximum number: 18 FULL
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.

Take a break from birding this weekend and join Brett Pyle as he teaches us about the geological history of the Mono Basin. We will hike into Panum Crater, a beautiful example of a rhyolitic plug-dome volcano, and discuss its formation as well as the volcanic history of the Mono Basin, the formation and glaciation of the Sierra Nevada range, and changes in the level of Mono Lake over time. This pleasant hike offers beautiful views of the lake and the opportunity to find out how this marvelous area was formed.

Presenter: Brett Pyle is the Retail Manager of the Mono Lake Committee Information Center and Bookstore and has lived in the Mono Basin for six years. He has a B.S. in Geology, conducts tours of Panum Crater for Outdoor Education groups in the summer, and still likes to roam around the basin picking up rocks.

Saturday  8:30-10:00  AM    Maximum number:15 FULL

Meet at the Panum Crater parking lot. From Lee Vining, drive approximately 6 miles south on Hwy 395. Turn left on Hwy 120 East and travel another 4 miles to the Panum Crater sign. Turn left and follow dirt road to the parking area. Allow 15 minutes driving time from Lee Vining.

Join the Friends of the Inyo for a short, but steep, hike over some of the Eastern Sierra’s most colorful rock to beautiful Gardisky Lake, perched high above Lee Vining Canyon at 10,483 feet. From there, we’ll turn north and climb onto the Tioga Crest for a view down into the headwaters of Lee Vining Creek. Along with early alpine wildflowers, rosy finches, rock wrens, and possibly crossbills, we may catch a glimpse of the Sierra’s bravest mountaineer, the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, as we explore this citizens’ proposed addition to the Hoover Wilderness. Be sure to wear sturdy shoes and bring lunch, water, sunscreen, and a hat. This will be a moderately strenuous walk at high altitude.

Presenters: Sally Miller works as a Regional Conservation Representative for The Wilderness Society, and serves in her spare time on the boards of Friends of the Inyo, the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation, and the Mono County Planning Commission. When not working to protect the eastside’s vast public lands, Sally enjoys them on foot and on skis. Paul McFarland is the Conservation Director for the Friends of the Inyo (www.friendsoftheinyo.org), a locally-based non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the Eastern Sierra’s publicly-owned wildlands. He likes to think of birds as little dinosaurs, eat organic anything, and shop locally. To paraphrase poet Gary Snyder, “Go light, Stay long, Learn the flowers.”

Saturday  8:00-1:00  PM  Maximum number: 12  FULL
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.

Robbed of its life-giving water for decades, burned by a wildfire and used as a trash dump, one would think Lee Vining Creek had had enough. Come see the staying power of this amazing high desert creek and watch restoration in action. Explore the dry bitterbrush uplands, resurrected riparian zones, newly formed stream channels and experience the resilience of life when water is returned to the desert.

Presenter:  Paul McFarland is the Conservation Director for the Friends of the Inyo (www.friendsoftheinyo.org), a locally-based non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the Eastern Sierra’s publicly-owned wildlands. He likes to think of birds as little dinosaurs, eat organic anything, and shop locally. To paraphrase poet Gary Snyder, “Go light, Stay long, Learn the flowers.”

Sunday  9:00-10:30  AM   Maximum number: 15
Meet in front of the Mono Lake Committee Information Center and Bookstore.

Tree and Violet-green swallows are members of a genus of swallows spread throughout the Americas who share one very important feature: they nest in holes that they do not excavate themselves.  Thus, they are dependent on accidents of nature or the actions of other species to create their nesting homes.  Over the past century, these swallows have grown increasingly dependent on nest-boxes put up by humans for places to nest.  Come with David Winkler a short distance into Lee Vining Canyon to explore the breeding biology of these hardy aerial hunters at a nest-box population that has been building over the past several years.  We will see nests, eggs, and chicks, take a shot at catching some adults, and explore the relations between these two species and their joint fondness for the feathers of other species to line their nests. The meadow may be wet, so come along prepared to get your feet wet if necessary, and be sure to wear a hat and sun-screen and dress for chilly morning temperatures.

Presenter: David W. Winkler, Ph.D. is a professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and faculty curator of birds at Cornell University. A California native, he received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley with the majority of his work centered on studying breeding California gulls at Mono Lake. He publishes regularly in journals ranging from Ecology and Evolution to The Auk, The Condor and Living Bird. His current research focuses on the life histories of Tachycineta swallows from Alaska to Argentina through a research collective he has created called Golondrinas de Las Americas (see http://golondrinas.cornell.edu). Dr. Winkler continues to maintain an active role in bird research at Mono Lake, both through his students' research on the gulls and an active Golondrinas site in Lee Vining Canyon.

Sunday  9:00-11:00  AM   Maximum number: 10 FULL
Meet in the front of the Forest Service Scenic area Visitor Center.

Last Updated April 16, 2006 Copyright © 2002-2006, Mono Lake Committee. (how to contact us)