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Members Only Panoche Valley Auto Tour
Mountain Bluebird by Fred Lim
Leaders: Matthew Dodder (650) 868-4922, Andy Melnick (650) 823-4117 and Sheila Raymond (408) 887-4854
Description: Panoche Valley’s remote desert and grassland habitats, spanning parts of Fresno and San Benito counties, offer an opportunity to see many uncommon birds not easily found in Santa Clara Valley. Mountain Bluebird, Ferruginous Hawks, Prairie Falcons, and Greater Roadrunners roam these lands, as do Sage Thrasher, Vesper Sparrows, Cassin’s Kingbird and more. Mountain Plover is sporadic, and will be a target on this trip as well.
Panoche Valley is huge, so this trip is an auto tour, with participants caravanning to pre-planned stops in a variety of habitats. The number of cars is limited based on the quantity of safe pull-outs, so carpooling is a must - please see the carpooling section below. Bring a full tank of gas, water, snacks, and lunch.
For more information on Panoche Valley and a summary of the general route we’ll take, see the Panoche Valley Self-Guided Field Trip.
Spots are limited to 12 attendees
Trip Difficulty: The majority of the trip is driving and stopping at pull-outs. Birding will be done from the vehicles unless we are in areas where exiting is permitted. Many stops are along roadsides, so great care and attention is required to maintain safety. Walkie talkies will be supplied to each car to ensure ample communication.Roads range from nicely paved to heavily potholed to gravel, but passenger cars should be fine. There may be one or two short but moderately steep hills; walking will be 0.5 miles or less.
Facilities: Minimal to no cell service. Porta-potty at Little Panoche Reservoir, a vault toilet at Panoche Hills.
Parking Type and Fees: Gravel and roadside parking. No fees.
Other Trip Notes: There is no gasoline and minimal services in Panoche Valley.
Meet: Previously arranged carpools will meet at the gravel parking lot at Little Panoche Reservoir, 36.78486, -120.79842. (The tour is a one way drive. We will not be returning to our starting location.)
Directions: From San Jose, head south on US-101 to Gilroy. Take the exit for CA-152 east (exit 356) and follow the signs to stay on CA-152 over the Diablo Range mountains to I-5. Take I-5 south 23.6 miles to exit 379 Shields Ave. At the exit, head west (right turn) onto Little Panoche Road, and drive 4.2 miles to the parking lot for Little Panoche Reservoir. The parking lot will be on the left, and is not easily seen from a distance. You will see the earthen dam in advance, which is where the parking lot is. Latitude/Longitude: 36.78486, -120.79842
Carpooling: This trip requires carpooling and caravanning. Carpooling will be arranged in advance. The caravan will be limited to 4 cars with 4 people each. If you are willing to drive, please let the trip leaders know so they can help arrange carpools. The leader will share driver names and contact info with everyone so that attendees can make carpooling arrangements directly with each other. We’d like 4 people per car, but if you can accommodate more, please let us know.
Backup Day: If this trip cancels due to rain, we will reschedule it for Saturday, Jan 25th.
Cancellations: Cancel by Jan 3 for full refund. Rain cancels, with refund.
Waitlist: If this trip is full and you would like to be on a waiting list, please email fieldtrips@scvas.org
Banner Photo: Mountain Bluebird by Fred Lim
Questions? Email general questions to fieldtrips@scvas.org or contact the trip leader for questions regarding the event.