SoCA Birding Guides - Policies

The purpose of SoCA Birding Guides (SBG) is to give our clients a maximum birding experience. Our goal is to find and show you your target birds with a minimum of effort. Achieving this requires that our clients adhere to the following guidelines.

  • TIMING: Seeing some species requires proper timing. Proper conditions of daylight, tides, moisture, or temperature must often be met. Therefore, adherence to the appropriate schedule is mandatory. Please be ready to leave or move on at the appropriate times.
  • ADMISSION FEES: Clients are responsible for all admission fees not covered by annual passes owned by SBG.
  • FRS RADIOS: Communicating in the field can be very important. Sometimes it is better to spread out to find a particular bird. We use FRS radios on the ABA standard frequency (ch. 11 / code 22). Clients are encouraged to obtain their own FRS radios. SBG may occasionally have spare radios available for client use, but please do not rely on it. We would rather save these for backup units in case a radio fails during the trip.
  • BIRDING ETHICS: SBG is in the business of taking clients to various locations to find birds. These include National, State, County, and City parks, National Forest, and some private locations open to the public or open privately to us. It is essential that we be able to return to these area and stay in the good graces of their managers. We therefore insist that all clients follow the ABA Ethics Guidelines and any and all rules set down by the location managers. Violations will result in termination of the trip. Client will be responsible for all trip fees and the cost of any damage caused.