Local Events
The Sierra Foothills Audubon Society has a lively calendar of events.
Scroll down their home page to see the schedule of birding field trips and meeting programs.
https://sierrafoothillsaudubon.org/
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The Sierra Foothills Audubon Society also has a terrific map and descriptions of places to see birds in Nevada County..
For example, this is the entry for Condon Park, right in central Grass Valley!
"Although this park is in the middle of Grass Valley, it is birdy and easily accessible.
Enter the park on Minnie Street and drive a short distance to the picnic pavilion on the left. From the parking area, head towards the asphalt pathway that starts on the east side of Minnie. Walk a few hundred feet up the pathway and you will see a cattail-lined pond on your right. Bird the path around the pond for sparrows and towhees any time of year. In spring and fall, the large, tree-like willow can attract many migrant species, including Bullock's Oriole; Orange-crowned, Nashville, MacGillivray's, and Wilson's Warblers; Western Tanager; and Black-headed Grosbeak. Continue east on the pathway. Peabody Creek is on your right and a baseball field is on your left. Black Phoebes and Western Bluebirds favor the open areas. Just as the pathway starts its incline you will notice the tall cottonwoods and evidence of a recently completed restoration project. As the plantings mature this area should become great birding habitat. Look for Cedar Waxwings in the treetops (F, W, Sp). The pathway ends at Walsh Street, but you may cross the street and check an older restoration area that runs along Walsh, north to Carpenter Street.
Head back down the pathway as far as the north corner of the baseball field. Walk up the alleyway between the two baseball fields to the top of the parking area and a small trailhead. Follow the trail up the small hill to its crest. A fence line to the right (east) is the back of the small Scotia Pines development. The large pines and oaks host Mountain Chickadee; Oak Titmouse; Golden-crowned Kinglet; White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches; Brown Creeper; and other "upland" species. You may continue on the trail (north), eventually passing through an opening in a fence line. Wander the trails through the woodland between the school grounds above and the disc golf course below. Woodpeckers are often seen in the area: Hairy, Downy, and Nuttall's Woodpeckers; Northern Flicker; Red-breasted Sapsucker; and occasionally, Pileated Woodpecker. Retrace your steps to the trailhead, and then walk past either side of the building (the Love Center) to the southwest and back to the picnic pavilion.
From the pavilion, another trail heads west through tall conifers that eventually reaches the Allison Ranch canal. You may continue your walk by crossing the bridge and then following the trails through the forest. Be aware you will be entering the disc golf course if you head north, so be on the lookout for flying Frisbees!"
Enter the park on Minnie Street and drive a short distance to the picnic pavilion on the left. From the parking area, head towards the asphalt pathway that starts on the east side of Minnie. Walk a few hundred feet up the pathway and you will see a cattail-lined pond on your right. Bird the path around the pond for sparrows and towhees any time of year. In spring and fall, the large, tree-like willow can attract many migrant species, including Bullock's Oriole; Orange-crowned, Nashville, MacGillivray's, and Wilson's Warblers; Western Tanager; and Black-headed Grosbeak. Continue east on the pathway. Peabody Creek is on your right and a baseball field is on your left. Black Phoebes and Western Bluebirds favor the open areas. Just as the pathway starts its incline you will notice the tall cottonwoods and evidence of a recently completed restoration project. As the plantings mature this area should become great birding habitat. Look for Cedar Waxwings in the treetops (F, W, Sp). The pathway ends at Walsh Street, but you may cross the street and check an older restoration area that runs along Walsh, north to Carpenter Street.
Head back down the pathway as far as the north corner of the baseball field. Walk up the alleyway between the two baseball fields to the top of the parking area and a small trailhead. Follow the trail up the small hill to its crest. A fence line to the right (east) is the back of the small Scotia Pines development. The large pines and oaks host Mountain Chickadee; Oak Titmouse; Golden-crowned Kinglet; White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches; Brown Creeper; and other "upland" species. You may continue on the trail (north), eventually passing through an opening in a fence line. Wander the trails through the woodland between the school grounds above and the disc golf course below. Woodpeckers are often seen in the area: Hairy, Downy, and Nuttall's Woodpeckers; Northern Flicker; Red-breasted Sapsucker; and occasionally, Pileated Woodpecker. Retrace your steps to the trailhead, and then walk past either side of the building (the Love Center) to the southwest and back to the picnic pavilion.
From the pavilion, another trail heads west through tall conifers that eventually reaches the Allison Ranch canal. You may continue your walk by crossing the bridge and then following the trails through the forest. Be aware you will be entering the disc golf course if you head north, so be on the lookout for flying Frisbees!"