LOOK!: Up in the SKY!
It’s…it’s…
It’s Birdathon 2024!
Actually, the picture shows one of our dedicated Birdathon team leaders, Luisa, along with one of her “Young Birders Group in the final Birdathon event for 2023.
It is our tradition to hold “Birdathon”, our major annual fund-raising event for the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society (SFVAS) during the months of April and May. Once again, we will have a dedicated team of leaders who will ask for our pledges of support based on the number of bird species they can spot during a single day’s outing at popular birding destinations throughout southern California.
You can simply pledge donations to any of the team leaders and, for most of these outings, you can also join as a team member. As a team member you help, not only by making pledges but also by joining the event to increase the numbers of birds spotted. And, that’s in addition to a great outdoor experience with friends and experienced birders. If you have questions or concerns you may email us (birdathon@sfvaudugon.org ) or the Team Leader to clarify any details.
Which bird are you most likely to spot during our Birdathon 2024?
Join one of our events to find out if you are right!
Schedule of BIRDATHON 2024 EVENTS
April 7, 8 a.m. Kris Ohlenkamp
kris.ohlenkamp@sbcglobal.net
Estimated Species Count: 60
Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve starting from Model Aircraft Field (Google Map)
Details: Kris will begin his walk at the Apollo 11 Model Aircraft Field parking lot and will visit nearby segments of the LA River, the Sepulveda Dam and end in the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area. To reach the Model Airplane Field parking lot, turn west off Woodley Ave about 1.5 miles north of the intersection of Woodley Ave and Burbank Blvd (or 0.4 miles south of the intersection Woodley Ave with Victory Blvd). Follow this unpaved road south along Woodley Creek to the parking lot, about 1 mile.
April 15, 5 a.m. Alexander deBarros
alexanderdebarros@yahoo.com
Estimated Species Count: 100
Five Stops Across the Santa Monica Mountains
Details: Contact leader via email.
April 16, 9 a.m. Carolyn Oppenheimer
c.oppenheimer@sfvaudubon.org
Estimated Species Count: 30
O’Melveny Park (Google Map)
Details: This walk departs from the O’Melveny Park parking lot. Take the 118/Ronald Reagan Freeway and exit at Balboa Blvd. Turn north, driving two miles to Sesnon Blvd. Turn left, going west 0.6 miles and turning right at the O’Melveny Park entrance.
April 21, 8 a.m. Kathy & Dave Barton
katherynbarton@gmail.com
Estimated Species Count: 35-40
Malibu Creek State Park (Google Map)
Details: This walk departs from the second (lower) day-use parking lot at Malibu Creek State Park at 8 a.m. The entrance to the park is on the west side of Las Virgenes Road, just south of Mulholland Hwy. Entrance fee is $12 per car.
April 28, 9 a.m. Luisa Bergeron & Rebecca Marschall
youngbirders@sfbaudubon.org
Estimated Species Count: 20
Young Birders at O’Melveny Park (Google Map)
Details: This walk is recommended for young, beginning birders. We will count species for our Birdathon Event, peek into our Bluebird boxes, and check out a variety of nests. We will have binoculars to share but, if you have your own, don’t forget to bring them!
If you plan to join us, please send us a quick e-mail at youngbirders@sfbaudubon.org .
Directions: Take the 118/Ronald Reagan Freeway and exit at Balboa Blvd. Turn north, driving two miles to Sesnon Blvd. Turn left, going west 0.6 miles and turning right at the O’Melveny Park entrance. Meet in the parking lot.
For more information about our Young Birders Program, email Luisa and/or Rebecca at youngbirders@sfbaudubon.org . We will add you to our mailing list.
May 5, 9 a.m. Charlie Wilken
cswilken@gmail.com
Estimated Species Count: 30
Aliso Canyon (Google Map)
Details: Charlie will begin his walk at 9 a.m. from the parking lot for Aliso Canyon Park at 11518 N. Hesperia Ave, just north of the intersection of Hesperia Ave and Rinaldi Blvd in Granada Hills CA 91344.
May 12, 8 a.m. Paula Orlovich & Jolene Herz
54warbler@gmail.com
Estimated Species Count: 30
Serrania Park, Woodland Hills (Google Map)
Details: Paula and Jolene will begin their walk at 9 a.m. from the parking lot for Serrania Park at 20726 Wells Drive, in Woodland Hills CA 91364.
May 25, 8:15 a.m. Pat Bates
batesbird@gmail.com
Estimated Species Count: 40
Hansen Dam (Google Map)
Details: Meet near the ranger station at 10965 Dronfield Ave in Pacoima CA 91331 at 8:15 a.m. Dronefield Ave. intersects Osborne Street approximately ½ mile south of Foothill Blvd. Turn into the park on Dronefield Ave. and, after about 0.2 miles, turn right. The ranger station will be immediately on your right. Accessibility for this walk is good which is mostly on a packed dirt road.
The following team leaders will not be accepting company on their walks but, they are extremely talented birders and have been dedicated supporters of Birdathon over the decades. They deserve your donations.
Allan & Muriel Kotin
Malibu and Nearby
Estimated Species Count: 50
John & Andrew Willis: The Lori Willis Memorial Fund
The Palos Verdes Peninsula
May 11 Estimated Species Count: 30
Art Langton
Highway 33: From the Ocean to the Mountains
Estimated Species Count: 80
If an outing shows no email address, the Leader has chosen to do their outing alone or will be accompanied only by members of their personal Covid pod. Make no mistake, these team leaders have worked tirelessly over decades to support SFVAS in its environmental conservation and education efforts. They richly deserve your support.
On April 28, we plan a special YOUNG BIRDERS EVENT at O’Melveny Park. In addition to spotting as many bird species as we can, we plan to sneak a peek inside some of our Bluebird nesting boxes with a cell phone on a custom selfie stick. Plus, we will bring along some of our nests from previous years so everyone can see (and feel) the astonishingly different nest styles that are programmed into the DNA of each species. Have you got a young birder that could bring you to the event?
All our leaders have shown long-term support for Audubon and for our conservation and education goals. Please show your support for them by pledging generously. SFVAS members and supporters will receive an introductory email containing links to the Birdathon section of our website where you will be able to make your pledges.
And feel free to lead your own Birdathon outing and solicit support from your friends. (Email me too (birdathon@sfvaudubon.org). I’ll make a pledge to your event!
Come join us in these events, support our worthy causes and, have fun on some great days outdoors.
Traditionally, Birdathon has been the major support for our Sepulveda Basin Environmental Education Program (SBEEP), carried out in partnership with the Resource Conservation District of Santa Monica Mountains (RCDSMM) to provide teacher training and field trips to the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve for sixty classes, nearly 2000 children from the Los Angeles Unified School District, largely from Title 1 schools that most need our help. In recent years, the pandemic shut down almost all such field trips. However, now that the pandemic has eased, the students have returned and, once again, we need your help to support these important field trips and learning opportunities.
Check for any updates to details of these Birdathon events including team leaders and the location, date and time of their treks on our website.
