Field Trips

Thursday, May 1, 2025
8:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Birding with Mark Clark

All participants are welcome to join this trip.

We welcome bird enthusiasts of all levels, especially beginning birders, to join leader Mark Clark on our monthly first Thursday walk around the ponds at Las Gallinas.  On our search we’ll be looking for waterfowl, waders, songbirds, raptors, rails and swallows. We are likely to spot some interesting species, so come assist in our search.

The packed dirt paths around the ponds are wide, flat and easy to navigate. Heavy rain cancels.

DIRECTIONS: From Hwy 101, exit at Smith Ranch Rd. Drive east on Smith Ranch Rd. toward McInnis Park. Turn left immediately after crossing the railroad tracks and drive about 0.5 mile through the LGVSD gates and into the parking lot at the end of the road. Meet the group by the bridge just past the parking lot. There is a portable restroom in the parking area for public use.

Birding in Marin, Season 10, trip 5
Saturday, May 3, 2025
8:30 AM to mid afternoon
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin
Register HERE for this Field Trip

Registration required. Registration opens April 23 at 8:00 AM

Join Jim and Bob for a field trip to the gentle slopes of Mount Burdell where we’ll listen to and observe the impressive variety of songbirds that make this area their springtime home. Species we might see include Lark Sparrow, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Bullock’s Oriole, Lazuli Bunting and Grasshopper Sparrow, among many other possibilities. In the afternoon, we plan to continue birding at Stafford Lake or Rush Creek.

This will be a moderate hike with many opportunities to look at birds and spring wildflowers. Wear comfortable walking shoes and layered clothing. Bring water and snacks. We will meet at the end of San Andreas Drive in Novato.

DIRECTIONS: Take Hwy 101 to Novato, exit at the San Marin Dr/Atherton Ave exit. At the end of the exit ramp, turn left (west) on San Marin Dr. Go approximately two miles and turn right on San Andreas Dr. Drive nearly to the end of the road and park on the street. No restrooms available.

Monday, May 5, 2025
8:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Trip Leader: Jude Stalker
Trip Cost: $120 per person
Register HERE for this Field Trip

Registration required. Registration opens April 10 at 8 AM

This trip begins at the historic Vallejo and Mare Island waterfronts and continues into a different world, one of vineyards, backwater homes, and some of the largest contiguous marshes in the Bay Area. Even before leaving the dock, you’ll spot diving ducks and grebes feeding. At Mare Island, you’ll pass Ospreys and egrets roosting in nearby trees. As the boat passes under Highway 37, you might even catch a pair of Peregrine Falcons during this springtime cruise alongside the Napa/Sonoma marshes. A variety of raptor species are common and occasionally both golden and bald eagles are seen.

The trip costs $120. A waitlist will open if the trip sells out. Join the waitlist by clicking the Contact Organizer prompt. If you cancel your registration more than one week before the start of the trip AND we can fill your spot with someone else on the waitlist, you will be reimbursed unless you would like to convert your registration fee into a tax-deductible donation to MAS.

Ticket holders will receive instructions and directions to the Vallejo Marina, approximately one week prior to the trip.

Wednesday, May 21,2025
7:30 AM to 12:00 PM **Please note below start times for this field trip
Birding with William Legge & David Wiechers
Register HERE for this Field Trip

Registration is required for this trip. Registration opens May 11 at 8 AM

With spring migration coming to an end, we’ll be looking out for late migrants, including passing loons, shorebirds and scarcer passerines. As usual, the weather will dictate our focus with onshore northwest winds ideal for spring sea watches, while offshore easterly winds promise a good selection of passerine migrants even at this late date. Join us for a Sea Watch at 7:30 AM or arrive later at 8:15 AM for a circuit of the lagoon. A brief mid-morning ‘coffee-stop’ is planned at the Headlands Center for the Arts. Your contribution for coffee via the onsite “tip-jar” would be appreciated. This field trip is less suitable for beginners.

Tuesday, May 27, 2025
10:00 AM-2:30 PM
Birding with Ron Brown

REGISTER HERE

Registration required. Registration opens May 17at 8:00 AM.

De Silva Island is home to a long-established colony of Great Blue Herons, residing in a grove of eucalyptus trees on the banks of Belloch's Lagoon (Strawberry Cove) in Richardson Bay. In recent years Great Egrets and Double Crested Cormorants (colonial nesting species) have moved into this fine breeding site.

Although the start of the breeding season is somewhat variable, we should see late-stage Heron and Egret chicks and early-stage Cormorant chicks. The colony is best seen by a scope from across Belloch's Lagoon (Strawberry Cove). One scope will be available, but others would be welcome.

After 12:00, we will drive from Seminary Drive to the Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary for more birding. We’ll take a break for something to eat before we start. Bring drinks and lunch.

Thursday, June 5, 2025
8:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Birding with Mark Clark

All participants are welcome to join this trip.

We welcome bird enthusiasts of all levels, especially beginning birders, to join leader Mark Clark on our monthly first Thursday walk around the ponds at Las Gallinas.  On our search we’ll be looking for waterfowl, waders, songbirds, raptors, rails and swallows. We are likely to spot some interesting species, so come assist in our search.

The packed dirt paths around the ponds are wide, flat and easy to navigate. Heavy rain cancels.

DIRECTIONS: From Hwy 101, exit at Smith Ranch Rd. Drive east on Smith Ranch Rd. toward McInnis Park. Turn left immediately after crossing the railroad tracks and drive about 0.5 mile through the LGVSD gates and into the parking lot at the end of the road. Meet the group by the bridge just past the parking lot. There is a portable restroom in the parking area for public use.

Birding in Marin, Season 10, Trip 6
Saturday, June 7, 2025
8:30 AM to mid-afternoon
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin

Registration required for this trip. Registration opens on May 27 at 8:00 AM

REGISTER HERE

Trails at Big Rock, rather steep, allow us to view some of the expansive grasslands and forested ravines in Marin. Some of the grassland nesting birds we will be looking for include Lazuli Bunting, Grasshopper Sparrow, Horned Lark, and Ash-throated Flycatcher. We will also have a vast amount of sky visible so swallows, swifts, and raptors may appear with a chance for a Golden Eagle.

At midday we expect to drive Lucas Valley Road to Las Gallinas, where we’ll stop to eat our lunch before looking for American and Least Bitterns, Green Heron, Cinnamon Teal, Common Gallinule, and Great-tailed Grackle.