February field trips for bird lovers
Locations to offer variety of sighting opportunities

The Ventura Audubon Society announces field trips for February. Call the phone number listed for each event for more information.

•Jack Gillooly will lead a birding trip at 8:30 a.m. Sat., Feb. 9 in Soule Park in Ojai. The group will look for woodpeckers, raptors, mixed sparrow flocks, and mountain birds. Warm clothes are recommended. Jack (805) 646-3867.

•Reed Smith will lead a trip to the Ventura County Game Reserve at 8 a.m., Sun., Feb. 10. Birds seen may include ducks, peeps, ibis and raptors. The trip will include a considerable amount of walking. Reed (805) 652-0706.

•Taldi Walter will present a slideshow at 7:30 p.m. Tues., Feb. 12 at the Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill Road in Ventura. Walter is the Alaska Outreach Coordinator of the National Audubon Society's Public Policy Office. She will highlight important natural areas and birds found in wild Alaska, and discuss the challenges and opportunities facing Alaska's wild areas.

•Allen Bertke will lead a Beginner's Walk 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Sat., Feb. 16 in Foster Park. The walk is combined with the 11th annual Great Backyard Bird Count sponsored by the National Audubon Society and Cornell Laboratory. The birds seen may include sparrows, bluebirds, raptors and herons.

•Orange County Weekend Birding is March 14 to 16. Many birding sites in the area will be visited, beginning 8:30 a.m. Sat., March 15 at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach. The Sea and Sage Audubon Society will be included in the trip. Reservations are encouraged.