Field
Trip Schedule
Upcoming
Field Trips
Trip
Reports 08-09
Trip
Reports 09-10
Trip
Reports 10-11
Trip
Reports 11-12
Field
Trip Waiver Forms
2-way
radios
|
| |
Owl
Prowls |
at
Starr Ranch Sanctuary |
|
| Saturday
evening, March 10 |
6:30
- 8:30 p.m. |
| Saturday
evening, March 24 |
6:30
- 8:30 p.m. |
| Saturday
evening, March 31 |
6:30
- 8:30 p.m. |
|
| |
| The
Owl Prowl is a short nighttime excursion into Starr Ranch Sanctuary.
Our evening will begin with an orientation in the classroom
where we will watch some Barn Owls by means of the live cam.
Pete DeSimone, who has been Manager of Starr Ranch Sanctuary
since the mid 1980's and knows all about the owls and hawks
which inhabit Bell Canyon, will talk with us about the Barn
Owls and answer our questions about owl behavior. We will then
board the big open bed truck for a short ride down the Canyon
to search for some owls. At each stop, Pete will play some recordings
of owl calls while we listen carefully for owl replies and watch
for any sight of them. |
| |
Live
Owl Webcam at Starr Ranch |
| Check out the live
owl webcam at Starr Ranch. Pete DeSimone has set up the camera
on a nest cavity high in a eucalyptus tree at Starr Ranch on
a Barn Owl family. So far, the female has laid 4 eggs and if
you look closely, you can see the adults and eggs in the cavity
as well as hear the adult owls. It's a great opportunity to
watch these interesting birds! |
|
| |
| Advance
reservations are necessary because
trip size is limited. Trip fee is $20 per person. Make check
payable to: Sea & Sage Audubon and mail it to: Owl Prowl,
c/o Nancy Kenyon, 32 Almond Tree Ln, Irvine CA 92612. Be sure
to include your email address for trip confirmation and information
as well as your phone number in case Nancy needs to contact
you at the last minute. These trips are very popular and fill
up quickly, so do not wait until the last minute to sign
up! |
| |
| Here
is a description of an Owl Prowl in early November of 2009: |
| Audubon CA Starr
Ranch Sanctuary is a wonderful place during daylight hours;
at night, it becomes almost magical. The sky was completely
covered by a soft gray blanket of clouds that evening so there
were no stars or moon to shed their light on the canyon. Due
to the cloud cover, the temperature was quite warm and the air
reverberated with the sounds of the Cricket Chorus. The oaks
and sycamores formed dark silhouettes against the hillside above
us and the sweet scent of grass and sage brush filled the night
air. As Pete slowly drove the truck down the bumpy dirt road
into Bell Canyon, he made frequent stops for the Common Poorwills
which were sitting in the road. They appeared to be confused
by the sudden brilliance of our truck’s headlights and
did not fly off until we were almost on top of them. Though
we did not actually see an owl, we definitely heard them, first
the Barn Owls near the classroom, then several Western Screech-Owls
along the way, and finally, a lone Great Horned Owl calling
his soft mellow hoot from a dense thicket of trees. It was a
wonderful night to be out in the gentle wilderness of Starr
Ranch and we were reluctant to leave its quiet solitude.
—N.
Kenyon |
| |
| Trip
Leader: Pete DeSimone |
| Reservations:
Nancy Kenyon
|
|
|
