Field Trips

Birding in Marin, Season 10 – Trip 12 Saturday, December 6, 2025 8:30 AM to mid afternoon Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin Register HERE for this field trip Registration is required and opens November 26 at 8 AM MAS acquired and restored to tidal action the diked bay lands around the residential Bahia neighborhood. As the ebbing tide exposes the mudflats thousands of shorebirds now descend to feed, while on the flood tide hundreds of ducks and some gulls float, forage and loaf about. The oak-wooded ridge stretching from Hwy 101 to Bahia, also saved from development by MAS, holds Oak Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatch, Hutton’s Vireo, at least four woodpecker species and many sparrows in the winter. Horseshoe Pond (Homeowners Lagoon) at the southeast end of Topaz is a great place to look for wintering ducks. Goldeneyes, Scaup, Canvasbacks, Buffleheads, and Mergansers seem to like it and it has been Marin’s best place for Barrow’s Goldeneyes the last few years. After lunch we plan to look at the nearby Rush Creek area from the Airport Rd which parallels Hwy 101 north of Atherton. DIRECTIONS: From 101 in north Novato take Atherton Avenue east, take the Y left onto Bugeia which becomes Bahia Drive, near the end at the bottom of the hill take a right onto Topaz, follow Topaz to its end and park.

Corte Madera Marsh Ecological Reserve Sunday, December 7, 2025 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM Birding with Lisa Hug Register HERE Registration is required. Registration opens November 26 at 8 AM. This field trip is an eBird workshop for those participating in the Christmas Bird Count in Southern Marin County.  We will walk the Corte Madera Marsh Ecological Reserve starting at the Marin Audubon Society site Lookout. The walk is level and easy. We will be making observations using eBird. We will see waterfowl and shorebirds in the estuary as well as upland suburban residents.  Experienced birders and Christmas Bird Count Leaders as well as eBird newbies can enjoy counting and compiling together in an informal and fun setting. Directions: From 101 North, take Lucky Drive Exit to Wornum, turn left on Tamal Vista Blvd and left on Madera Blvd. Go under freeway and take a left on Redwood Highway and turn right into the Trader Joe’s /World Market mall.  Stay to the right and park behind World Market. From 101 South take the Corte Madera exit left over the freeway on Tamalpais Dr. Take a left on Redwood Blvd. and Right into the World Market Mall, staying right and parking behind. Meet in the parking lot.

Thursday, January 1, 2026 8:30 AM to noon Birding with Mark Clark Registration is not required. 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 walk around the ponds at Las Gallinas. On our search we’ll be looking for waterfowl, waders, songbirds and raptors. 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 restroon in the parking area for public use.

Friday, January 16, 2026 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Birding with Daniel Edelstein Register HERE for this Field Trip Registration required. Registration opens January 6 at 8 AM. Skaggs Island Road; flat, level hiking on road for no more than 1.5 miles; lunch at bridge (~.6 mile from the parking area at Highway 37.) Daniel invites you to discover the joy of a wilderness-like paradise — Skaggs Island Road — that often attracts dozens of shorebird and duck family members, in addition to uncommon, visiting non-breeding raptors such as Rough-legged Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, and Merlin (along with sightings of White-tailed Kite and other raptor species). Closed to the public, Skaggs Island Road is accessed by meeting our group in the parking area adjacent to Hwy. 37 (approximately 3 miles east of Reclamation Road and 2 miles east of the Highway 121/Sears Point Raceway intersection (at the stoplight). We’ll meet on the north side of Hwy. 37 where it intersects with Skaggs Island Road. Please be careful turning into this road when coming from Marin County. Oncoming traffic is often heavy. Here’s a map link that shows where we’ll meet: https://www.google.com/maps/search/Skaggs+Island+Road,+Highway+37/@38.1563398,-122.3935838,14z Daniel is a freelance Birding Guide (WarblerWatch.com) and Consulting Avian Biologist. His web site (WarblerWatch.com) features abundant birding information, in addition to his 17-year-old warbler-centric blog (WarblerWatch.blogspot.com).