Western Bluebird; photo by docent Sarah Roeske

Date & Time: Sunday, November 17th  at 9:00 am  

Location: Laursen Bear River Preserve, North Auburn 

Come help us look for birds in our “backyard” – the farms and woodlands of north Placer County!  Whether you are a beginning or expert birder, you are invited to join us as we stroll quietly through a variety of foothills habitats, including open meadows with brush piles, open oak-grass woodland, and denser fir-oak habitat. Our trained docents will help you look and listen for year-round residents and migrating songbirds. We’ll practice basic birding identification skills and will get to know the common residents of the diverse habitat of this beautiful preserve. This is a partnered event by Placer Land Trust and the Sierra Foothills Audubon Society. 

Distance and difficulty: This will be an easy outing with about 1.5 – 2 miles of walking, mostly on trails, but portions may be off-trail in tall grass. There are some sections across fields with minimal hills and some uneven terrain. The event will be about three hours long, and there is a porta-potty on-site if needed but no water.   

Who should attend: This event is open to all levels of birders; no prior experience necessary, and more advanced birders are welcome too. Younger children are not advised unless they are good at being quiet. Sorry, no dogs are allowed unless they are service animals due to the potential conflicts with livestock and wildlife.  

This is a free event; however, donations help make these activities possible! We suggest a donation of $10 per person or $25 for a family. You can donate during registration, and we’re happy to accept cash or a check at the event in an envelope with your name written on it. 

Registration:  

  • You may only register yourself and members of your household. People outside of your household must register themselves.  
  • The deadline to sign up is 5 pm on the Thursday before the event unless the event fills first. 
  • Space is limited to 12 people. Please only register if you will be attending so that you don’t take a spot away from someone else.  
  • If you signed up and can no longer attend, please contact Elia at elia.rivas@placerlandtrust.org.  

Participants must sign a release of liability available here.    

Please complete the online waiver by the Friday before the event. One form per adult. Parent signature is required for children under 18. This does not register for you the event – please scroll down to register. 

About Laursen Bear River Preserve 
This preserve includes a working cattle ranch and protects critical unfragmented oak woodlands in the Bear River watershed. It is part of one of the last relatively “wild” areas in western Placer County and is comprised of 361 acres of blue oak woodland and about 1.5 miles of riparian habitat along the banks of the Bear River on the far north side. Learn more about this beautiful preserve here.  

This activity is a wilderness outing in a natural setting. PLT reserves the right to cancel an event in cases of extreme weather, bad air quality, rain, or other conditions beyond our control. 

Directions to the Preserve and other important information will be emailed after registration. Check your spam folder if you do not receive the email within 15 minutes of registering. 

Important Note: Our Big Hill, Harvego and Laursen Preserves, including the roads surrounding them, are not open to the public. Please help us respect the neighborhoods around these preserves by only visiting during scheduled guided activities that you are registered for. Trespassers will be prosecuted.