OCCNPS Field Trip - Starr Ranch Joint Field Trip with Sea & Sage Audubon

Starr Ranch is a 4000 acre Audubon preserve in southeast Orange County. Driving down the Ranch's oak lined country road is like going back through time. The original Ranch buildings, built in the 1930s by previous owners Eugene and Applin Starr, now serve as staff residences and spaces for meetings and education programs. The Ranch protects and restores the rare native landscapes of Southern California and is truly a wildland jewel in South Orange County.

Sea & Sage Audubon and Orange County CNPS are leading a fun field trip at the Ranch identifying the birds and plants along the way. We will split the groups into two, each with a wildlife biologist/ornithologist and a botanist/restoration ecologist. Limited to 30 participants.

Our ornithologists will be Adam DeLuna and James Lee. Adam DeLuna is a professional wildlife biologist/ornithologist who volunteered for many years at Starr Ranch. James Lee is the current seasonal ornithologist at Starr Ranch.

Our botanist/restoration ecologists will be easy to remember, they are both named Sandy. Sandy DeSimone has been the director of research, education and land management at Starr Ranch since 1997. Sandy Leatherman is a professional botanist with over 30 years of experience in Orange County.

LOGISTICS:

Meet Time: 8:00-11:00, Saturday June 7, 2025.

Time: 3 hours

Physical Difficulty: moderate, some steep trails.

Bring: Hat, sunscreen, camera, wildflower and bird book/notepad, water, hiking shoes/boots; Please bring your own drinking water. You're welcome to bring a lunch to eat at our picnic tables. You will need to sign and bring with you the following release form.

Facilities: restrooms at parking area.

Please use the following link: WaiverSign

DIRECTIONS TO STARR RANCH

From north:

5 Fwy to Alicia exit, then left on Alicia

then right on Santa Margarita Pkwy then:

From south:

5 Fwy to Ortega Highway (74) exit, turn right on 74 then left on Antonio Pwy

then right on Santa Margarita Pkwy then:

Turn right on Plano Trabuco Road (at the end of SM Pkwy); left on Dove Canyon Drive to Dove Canyon Security Gate (visitor's entrance). Tell security guard you're going to a Starr Ranch Education Program. Stay on Dove Canyon Drive (down hill, up hill) to left on Grey Rock Road then second take the right on our access road (just before our white mailbox: "National Audubon Society Starr Ranch Sanctuary" ). Stay on our main single lane road. Continue past the Sanctuary Office and proceed across a wooden bridge to the parking area by a wooden fence. Approximately 1.25 miles to parking from our mailbox. Do not use internet or GPS to directions - they won't get you here.