Events
-
-
San Francisco and San Pablo Bay Boat Trip
CA, United StatesSaturday, November 12, 2022
9 AM to 4 PM
Trip Leader: Roger Harris
Tickets go on sale October 15th at 8AM
CLICK HERE to sign up for the boat tripSan Francisco Bay, the largest and one of the most important estuaries along the Pacific Flyway, is right in our own backyard. Join us as we cruise from Berkeley toward the Golden Gate Bridge and north into San Pablo Bay, hugging the shorelines and waters that are home to thousands of wintering birds. We will pass by 10 islands, under two bridges, and up two creeks in four counties in search of migrating and resident waterfowl, shorebirds and marine mammals. This trip offers water bird and marine mammal viewing in stunning locations, many of which can only be seen by boat.
Dress in layers. Bring liquids and lunch. Please bring a mask for any time spent inside the cabin.
The trip costs $125 and is limited to 25 people. A waitlist will open if the trip sells out. Waitlist names will be contacted according to the order they were received. You may request to cancel your ticket for a full refund, up to 48 hours before the date and time of the event.
All participants must be fully vaccinated.
Registered participants will receive directions to the Berkeley Marina and other instructions prior to the trip.
Inclement weather will reschedule the trip to the next Saturday, November 19.$125 -
-
BAHIA, HORSESHOE POND & RUSH CREEK
CA, United StatesBirding in Marin, Season 7-Trip 12
Saturday, December 3, 2022
8:30 AM to 3:00 PM
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin
Register HERE for this field tripRegistration opens on November 24 at 8 AM. Trip limit is 15 participants. No drop-ins, please.
MAS acquired and restored to tidal action the diked bay lands around the residential Bahia neighborhood. As the ebbing tide exposes the mudflats to thousands of shorebirds, 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.
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.
Become a chapter supporting member of the Marin Audubon Society starting at $35 a year, or RENEW your membership today! Your membership helps to fund important efforts such as our ongoing habitat restoration projects, the Monarch Rescue Project, and our Northern Spotted Owl Outreach program. We cannot do these important projects, along with our many other efforts, without the support of our dedicated members!
-
Corte Madera Ecological Reserve – December #1
CA, United StatesSunday, December 4, 2022
9:00 AM to noon
Birding with Bryan Flaig
Register HERE for this field tripRegistration opens on Thursday, November 24 at 8 AM. Trip limit is 20 participants. No drop ins, please.
This trip is perfect for beginning birders looking to learn how to identify waterfowl and shorebirds, as well as experienced birders interested in honing their skills. Corte Madera Ecological Reserve contains a variety of birding habitats, like tidal ponds, pickleweed marshes and a high tide refuge purchased by Marin Audubon in 2016. Much of the area has undergone extensive restoration for rare and endangered salt marsh species.
On this field trip, we will hike a short distance to explore the marsh at high tide, searching for elusive Ridgway’s Rails and winter residents. We’ll walk along the east side of Shorebird Marsh (pond), observing the wide variety of ducks, gulls, and wading shorebirds that frequent the area this time of year.
Restrooms are available at nearby stores (Trader Joe’s), but not on the marsh. Bring binoculars, scopes, layers, water, and snacks. Plan for a 1.5 to 2 mile walk on flat terrain. Light rain does not cancel the trip.
DIRECTIONS: Corte Madera Ecological Reserve is located behind Trader Joe’s in Corte Madera. Meet in the parking lot behind the store, accessed by the driveway on the south side of World Market.
Become a chapter supporting member of the Marin Audubon Society starting at $35 a year, or RENEW your membership today! Your membership helps to fund important efforts such as our ongoing habitat restoration projects, the Monarch Rescue Project, and our Northern Spotted Owl Outreach program. We cannot do these important projects, along with our many other efforts, without the support of our dedicated members!
-
Domestic Cat Management: Challenges and Opportunities
CA, United StatesThursday, December 8, 2022
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Speaker: Grant Sizemore
Register HERE for this Speaker SeriesDomestic cats (Felis catus) can make wonderful pets, but their unrestrained presence on the landscape presents serious challenges. Outdoor cats are introduced predators that inflict serious harm to birds and other wildlife and contribute to a variety of public health risks. Cat management, however, has historically been complicated by unclear authorities, resource limitations, competing priorities, and a tradition of laissez-faire attitudes. This talk will review the wildlife conservation and public health evidence emphasizing the need for owned and unowned cat management and present solutions for cat owners and communities to effect meaningful change that will benefit cats, wildlife, and people.
Grant Sizemore earned B.S. degrees in Zoology and Environmental Science from Miami University in Ohio and an M.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida. He has experience in wildlife conservation research, education, and policy and is currently the Director of Invasive Species Programs at American Bird Conservancy, where he has run the Cats Indoors program for the last 10 years.
Photo Credit - Shutterstock_forestpath
Caption – “Domestic Cat and Hooded Warbler” -
Corte Madera Ecological Reserve – December #2
CA, United StatesSaturday, December 10, 2022
9:00 AM to noon
Birding with Bryan Flaig
Register HERE for this field tripRegistration opens on Thursday, November 30 at 8 AM. Trip limit is 20 participants. No drop ins, please.
This trip is perfect for beginning birders looking to learn how to identify waterfowl and shorebirds, as well as experienced birders interested in honing their skills. Corte Madera Ecological Reserve contains a variety of birding habitats, like tidal ponds, pickleweed marshes and a high tide refuge purchased by Marin Audubon in 2016. Much of the area has undergone extensive restoration for rare and endangered salt marsh species.
On this field trip, we will hike a short distance to explore the marsh at high tide, searching for elusive Ridgway’s Rails and winter residents. We’ll walk along the east side of Shorebird Marsh (pond), observing the wide variety of ducks, gulls, and wading shorebirds that frequent the area this time of year.
Restrooms are available at nearby stores (Trader Joe’s), but not on the marsh. Bring binoculars, scopes, layers, water, and snacks. Plan for a 1.5 to 2 mile walk on flat terrain. Light rain does not cancel the trip.
DIRECTIONS: Corte Madera Ecological Reserve is located behind Trader Joe’s in Corte Madera. Meet in the parking lot behind the store, accessed by the driveway on the south side of World Market.
Become a chapter supporting member of the Marin Audubon Society starting at $35 a year, or RENEW your membership today! Your membership helps to fund important efforts such as our ongoing habitat restoration projects, the Monarch Rescue Project, and our Northern Spotted Owl Outreach program. We cannot do these important projects, along with our many other efforts, without the support of our dedicated members!
-
-
The Ponds at Las Gallinas Sanitary District (LGVSD)
CA, United StatesThursday, January 5, 2022
8:30 to 11:30 AM
Birding with Sande and Bob ChilversAll participants are welcome to join this trip. No registration required.
Join old friends and meet new ones on our regularly scheduled walks on the first Thursday of the month at Las Gallinas. With fall migration just about over, we might see more waterfowl and spot interesting species, so come assist in our search.
We welcome bird enthusiasts of all levels. We all help each other to find and identify the birds, and there are usually several experienced birders to assist.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 an outhouse in the parking area for public use.
-
STINSON / BOLINAS
CA, United StatesBirding in Marin Season 8-Trip 1
Saturday, January 7, 2023
8:30 AM to mid afternoon
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin
Register HERE for this field tripRegistration opens on December 28, 2022 at 8 AM. Trip limit is 15 participants. No drop-ins, please.
A healthy happy New Year to you all. Bob and I are pleased to share the bird rich Stinson Beach / Bolinas birding area with you. Coupled with non freezing winter weather and many diverse habitats the CBC, Southern Marin Christmas Bird Counts, show this to be most specie rich, birdiest, area in Southern Marin county. These habitats include the ocean, beaches, rocky shores, a large lagoon with acres of mudflats, Douglas Fir and Redwood forests, Alder riparian, parking lots, residential and more. The CBC data show an average of over 125 specie winter in this area. Plus, many of these birds, like ducks, gulls and shorebirds, are rather easy to see as they float about on the water or walk along the open shores. Can we find 100 species today?
Thanks can be given today to the founders of Marin Audubon and some conservation minded elders for the parks, open space, public access, and wildlife habitats in much of the country and around Bolinas Lagoon. Dr Martin Griffith was instrumental in saving Bolinas harbor from a hotel and yacht club destination and he is commemorated at the heron and egret rookery that we will pass along the east side of the lagoon.
So start your year list if you haven’t already. Bob is adept with ebird but he is recovering from hip replacement surgery. We strive to help all of our participants to see or hear all of the birds that we encounter but that is a goal not quite a reality. Let’s go birding!
Meet at 8:30 at the Stinson/Bolinas School on Highway 1
Become a chapter supporting member of the Marin Audubon Society starting at $35 a year, or RENEW your membership today! Your membership helps to fund important efforts such as our ongoing habitat restoration projects, the Monarch Rescue Project, and our Northern Spotted Owl Outreach program. We cannot do these important projects, along with our many other efforts, without the support of our dedicated members!
-
Nature’s Best Hope
CA, United StatesPresentor: Doug Tallamy
Wednesday January 11, 2023
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Click HERE on the night of the program to join this Speaker Series - Passcode: 844579 ** Please note this is a direct link to the webinar, and you will be able to join the meeting at 7 PM on January 11th. It will not work before then.Recent headlines about global insect declines and three billion fewer birds in North America are a bleak reality check about how ineffective our current landscape designs have been at sustaining the plants and animals that sustain us. To create landscapes that enhance local ecosystems rather than degrade them, we must 1 remove the invasives on our property and 2) add the native plant communities that sustain food webs, sequester carbon, maintain diverse native bee communities, and manage our watersheds. If we do this in half of the area now in lawn, we can create Homegrown National Park, a 20 million acre network of viable habitats that will provide vital corridors connecting the few natural areas that remain. This approach to conservation empowers everyone to play a significant role in the future of the natural world.
Doug Tallamy is the T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 106 research publications and has taught insect related courses for 41 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His books include Bringing Nature Home, The Living Landscape, co-authored with Rick Darke, Nature's Best Hope, a New York Times Best Seller, The Nature of Oaks, winner of the American Horticultural Society’s 2022 book award. In 2021 he co-founded Homegrown National Park with Michelle Alfandari. His awards include recognition from The Garden Writers Association, Audubon, The National Wildlife Federation, Allegheny College, The Garden Club of America and The American Horticultural Association.
Tonight’s program is a Zoom presentation of Golden Gate Audubon Society, co-sponsored by Marin Audubon Society and other Bay Area Audubon chapters. The direct link to the program is below. No registration is required.
-
Hamilton Wetlands
CA, United StatesTuesday, January 24, 2023
10 AM to 2 PM
Birding with Daniel Edelstein
Register HERE for this field tripRegistration opens January 14 at 8 AM.. Trip limit is 15 participants. No drop-ins, please.
We’ll pursue sightings of visiting shorebird, duck, gull, and songbird species for this area, including uncommon to rare species such as Lesser Yellowlegs, Western Snowy Plover, Glaucous Gull, Lesser Scaup, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Eurasian/Common Green-winged Teal, and Redhead.
Feel free to pack a lunch and beverage. Spotting scope recommended, but not essential.
Daniel is a long-time Avian Biologist, Birding Guide, and college birding instructor (WarblerWatch.com).
Directions: From US-101N, take exit 458, take right fork to continue on Nave Dr. Make a right on Main Gate Road, continue onto Palm Drive, right onto Hangar Ave, continue to South Hamilton Park, near the end of the road. Parking is available in the Park’s parking lot. Meet at the Hamilton Wetlands trailhead, near the South Hamilton Park playground.
-
-
The Ponds at Las Gallinas Sanitary District (LGVSD) – San Rafael
CA, United StatesThursday, February 2, 2023
8:30 to 11:30 AM
Birding with Sande and Bob ChilversAll participants are welcome to join this trip. No registration required.
Beginning birders are especially welcome on the first Thursday of each month for a leisurely walk around the Las Gallinas ponds. Join our friendly leaders as we search for waterfowl, waders, songbirds, raptors, and shorebirds.
Bird enthusiasts of all levels help each other to find and identify the birds, and there are usually several experienced birders to assist. You don’t even have to arrive on time because we spend the first 30 to 60 minutes studying the birds around the first pond and the group is easy to find. 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 an outhouse in the parking area for public use.