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Ferruginous Hawk by Teresa Cheng
Field Trip: Members Only Raptors of Tres Pinos (San Benito County)
Tres Pinos is an often overlooked town just south of Hollister on the way to Pinnacles National Park. The expansive ranch land surrounding the town is excellent habitat for Ferruginous Hawks, Bald and Golden Eagles, Prairie Falcons, and Greater Roadrunners. We also have good chances of seeing several Loggerhead Shrikes, Tri-colored Blackbirds, and Cassin’s Kingbirds.
We will stop for a picnic lunch at San Benito County Historical Park. This will offer an opportunity for walking around and birding the park once we finish lunch. For the rest of the trip, we will be birding alongside lightly-traveled rural roads and caravanning in between birding stops. Because of this, we only have room for 14 participants (including leaders) across 4 vehicles. We will do our best to coordinate carpooling ahead of time, but we may need to meet in South Hollister to consolidate vehicles before heading to Tres Pinos. The leaders will coordinate with participants over email prior to the trip.
Trip Difficulty: 0.5 miles, lawns (potentially wet), muddy or possibly muddy after rain, little or no elevation gain, little to no shade, caravanning
Other Trip Notes: Bring a packed lunch, scopes are useful but not essential
Leaders: John Tsortos (408) 348-6805
Caravanning
Meet: Parking lot of Immaculate Conception Catholic Community
Directions: From US-101 take exit 353 onto CA-25 S. After nearly 20 miles, turn right into the Immaculate Conception Catholic Community Church parking lot. We'll met at the far end of the lot. Latitude/Longitude: 36.787380, -121.316703
Facilities: bathroom, cell coverage may be intermittent or non-existent
Parking Type and Fees: dirt parking lot, parking in pullouts alongside road
Questions? Email general questions to fieldtrips@scvbirdalliance.org or contact the trip leader for questions regarding the event.