- Date: 03/06/2010
- Time: 06:00:00 AM
Panoche Valley
Field Trip
Late winter in the Little Panoche Valley is usually good for raptors (e.g., Prairie Falcon, Golden Eagle), ducks, sparrows, Say’s Phoebe, Mountain Bluebirds, Horned Larks, and, sometimes, Tricolored Blackbirds, Costa’s Hummingbird, longspurs, Chukar, and Greater Roadrunner. Later in March one can sometimes find Cassin’s Kingbird.
A special attraction occurs at Mercey Hot Springs, where Long-eared Owls often roost. However, trip participants who wish to see the owls typically have to pay the proprietor a $5 day-use fee.
Plan on a long day, dress in layers, be ready for rain, and bring a lunch and water or
soft drinks.
Meet at 6:00 a.m. at the Park-N-Ride lot by Ikeda Market in East Davis, (near the Mace Boulevard Exit from I-80). We’ll also leave LPV by 5 p.m., so participants can be back to Davis near 8 p.m.
During one past winter, a series of heavy rains forced cancellation of a trip to
LPV. (The local ranger warned against trying to drive the valley road, which in low,
wet areas may subside under the weight of a vehicle.) A major storm would also
cancel this trip. Call the trip leaders, Nick and Sandy Fittinghoff, at (530) 756-0584
on Friday, March 5 for go/no-go information.