The field trips for 2010 have not been scheduled yet, but we will be offering field trips similar to last year's. Below are descriptions from last year to give you an idea of what we are working toward.

Saturday, May 15, 2009

Celebration Park birding, banding & petroglyphs tour - 6am - 11am ($20 adults, $10 for kids under 12; maximum 40 people)
Join Jim Holcomb as he takes you to Celebration Park, Idaho's only archaeological park, located on the Snake River at the western boundary of the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. Upon arrival, you will bird some of the park’s hotspots including a look at a nesting golden eagle. Idaho Bird Observatory will be banding songbirds in the morning during your visit. The tour will then conclude with a guided petroglyph tour and a hands‐on demonstration and discussion of lithic technology and survival strategies of indigenous peoples.

Raptor banding in the NCA - 8am - 4pm ($50 adults, $25 for students 12‐17; sack‐lunch provided; maximum 15 people)
This will be an all day activity and due to safety issues, the field trip is geared toward students 12 and older and adults. Help band nestling western screech owls or ferruginous hawks. Learn about the productivity, food habits, movements, fidelity to nest site and mate, and annual weight cycle of western screech owls. Nestling ferruginous hawks are banded to study nest productivity.

NCA Raptors bus and Snake River canyon boat tour - 9am - 3pm ($70 adults, $35 for kids under 12; sack lunch provided; maximum 50 people)
This will be a half day activity; back to town by 2‐3pm. Tour the western portion of the NCA and practice your identification skills in the field. Join guide Steve Guinn with Birds of Prey Expeditions (www.birdsofpreyexpeditions.com) to tour the western portion of the NCA via bus and practice your identification skills in the field. Then board a boat and experience the Snake River canyon up close while learning about geology, history, and nesting birds of prey

Wees Bar History and Birding Field Trip - 9am - 4pm ($15; meet at Swan Falls Dam, bring own lunch and water; maximum 10 people)
This will be an all day hike. The total distance covered will be approximately 9 to 10 miles. Wees Bar
has a rich cultural and natural history. Join Jesse Wees as you investigate remnants of the old Priest Ranch, view ancient petroglyphs and the old Wees house. We may see various birds of prey hunting or simply soaring on the canyon winds.

Oregon Trail & Southwestern Idaho’s Historic Tour - 9am - 4pm ($30; sack‐lunch provided; maximum 40 people)
This tour will take you to some of the best scenic and historical viewing areas in the southwestern part of the state. Dedication Point provides an outstanding view of the Snake River Canyon. Swan Falls Dam, built in 1901 (the first hydroelectric dam on the Snake River), was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Celebration Park, Idaho's only archaeological park, boasts petroglyphs carved on boulders by Native Americans and early settlers. Hands‐on demonstration and discussion of lithic technology and survival strategies of indigenous peoples, as well as atlatl (ancient spear throwing device) demonstration, coaching and practice will be given. A stop at the Owyhee County Historical Museum will teach you about the Oregon Trail. With nearly 3,000 cultural and historic sites, Owyhee County contains the richest concentration of archeological sites in Idaho.

Burrowing owl lecture and tour - 10am - 12pm ($15 adults; $10 kids under 12 ; maximum 20 people)
Burrowing owls are a declining species across the west and a species of greatest conservation need in Idaho. Learn about these little diurnal owls with Boise State University’s Raptor Biology graduate student, Matt Stuber. He will then lead a short field trip to visit a burrowing owl nesting area. Please, do not follow the buses to the locations of the owls. This will allow all to enjoy the wildlife resources of the area while maintaining personal safety and the welfare of the birds as the highest priority.

Sunday, May 16, 2009

Bird walk at Celebration Park - 7am - 9am ($5; meet at Celebration Park - *transportation not provided)
Join local bird experts from SIBA, Southwestern Idaho Birders Association, and Golden Eagle Audubon as they lead a bird walk at Celebration Park. Nesting killdeer, Bullock’s oriole, and Lazuli bunting can be seen as well as flight displays of long‐billed curlew. Black‐chinned and rufous hummingbirds, rock and canyon wrens, loggerhead shrikes, and six species of swallows can be seen.

NCA Raptors bus and Snake River canyon boat tour - 9am - 3pm ($70 adults, $35 for kids under 12; sack lunch provided; maximum 50 people)
This will be a half day activity; back to town by 2‐3pm. Tour the western portion of the NCA and practice your identification skills in the field. Join Steve Guinn with Birds of Prey Expeditions (www.birdsofpreyexpeditions.com) to tour the western portion of the NCA via bus and practice your identification skills in the field. Then board a boat and experience the Snake River canyon up close while learning about geology, history, and nesting birds of prey.

Burrowing owl lecture and tour - 10am - 12pm ($15 adults; $10 kids under12; maximum 20 people)
Burrowing owls are a declining species across the west and a species of greatest conservation need in Idaho. Learn about these little diurnal owls with Boise State University’s Raptor Biology graduate student, Katie McVey. She will then lead a short field trip to visit a burrowing owl nesting area. Please, do not follow the buses to the locations of the owls. This will allow all to enjoy the wildlife resources of the area while maintaining personal safety and the welfare of the birds as the highest priority.