Wednesday November 3rd, 2021
9:00 AM to noon
Birding with Rich Cimino 

Registration for the Corte Madera trip will be open starting on October 25 at 8:00 AM. Limit of 15 for this trip. There will not be a waiting list. No drop ins, please. All participants must be fully vaccinated. Please register via TicketBud HERE

Purchased in 2016 by Marin Audubon, this important bayland property has undergone extensive restoration work in subsequent years thanks to the hard work of Marin Audubon Society board members, hired restoration specialists, and volunteers. The area is now a restored marsh that supports an important population of Ridgway’s Rails and other special status species and includes a newly created high tide refuge habitat where hired crews have planted 16,200 native upland plants. 

Regularly scheduled workdays are held here for those who might like to help with the continuing restoration work, but on this particular day, we will join Rich for a tour of the area with a focus on BIRDS! Recently Rich began visiting the area regularly and will share his discoveries with us. High tide is approximately 11 AM, species we may see are ducks, long- legged waders, shorebirds, rails, plovers, White-tailed kites, Osprey, American Pipits, Savannah Sparrows and Western Meadowlarks. 

No restrooms are available here. Bring binoculars, scopes, layers, water, and snacks, planning a 1.5 to 2 mile walk, light rain does not cancel the walk. 

DIRECTIONS: Corte Madera Ecological Reserve is located behind Trader Joe’s at the eastern end of Industrial Way in Corte Madera. Meet and park behind Trader Joe’s. 

Saturday November 6th, 2021
8:30 AM - 2 PM

Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin

Registration for this trip will be available starting on October 27 starting at 8AM. Limit of 15 for this trip. There will not be a waiting list. No drop-ins allowed, please. All participants must be fully vaccinated. Register via TicketBud HERE.

Join Jim and Bob on an easy birdy walk of 1.5mi around the Las Gallinas ponds where we are likely to see 10 species of ducks, 5 of herons, 5 of raptors, 5 of sparrows and some rails like Ridgeway’s, Sora, and Virginia with Gallinules, coots, Swans and Geese! Shall we try to identify the duck species by females? I wonder if the Merlin will be back. These oxidation ponds, where a large portion of Marin’s waste water is converted to useful nutrients and clean enough to return safely to the San Francisco Bay ecosystem, demonstrate how we can provide for wildlife and live in harmony with nature.

After lunch we are going to visit the Hamilton Wetlands, restored by the Army Corp of Engineers in the recent 5-10 years to the SF Bay ecosystem, which have become the winter home of some ten thousand birds. It is remarkable that thru the 2nd World War and the Cold War years the US Air Force stayed on alert and could launch jet fighter planes in minutes from an airport here to defend the Bay Area. We will try to find 10 species of shorebirds here while staying alert to many other possibilities.

Directions: From 101 north San Rafael take the Lucas Valley/Smith Ranch Road exit east. In about .5mi, immediately after crossing the RR tracks, left turn and follow the road another 0.5 miles to the Las Gallinas parking at the end.

To the Hamilton Wetlands return to 101 North, take the second exit, Nave Drive toward Hamilton. Stay on Nave, Dr.heading north, to Main Gate Drive and turn right. Go east to Hanger Avenue and park along the levy behind Hangar 7.

Saturday, November 13, 2021
8:30 AM to 12:30 PM

Birding with Teresa and Miles Tuffli

Registration for this trip will be open starting on November 4 at 8:00 AM. There is a limit of 15 for this trip. There will not be a waiting list. No drop-ins allowed. All participants must be fully vaccinated. Please register via TicketBud HERE.

Head up the Sonoma County coast to bird Willow Creek Road in Jenner. We’ll have the chance for multiple raptor species, including potential for Ferruginous Hawk, American Kestrel, and maybe even Bald Eagle. Many year-round passerines will be frequenting the willows, alders, and scrub. With a view of the Russian River, we’ll look for some waterbirds as well.

We’ll meet at the Russian House #1 restaurant and bird the road’s entrance on foot. We’ll then move all cars down the road to a large pullout. We’ll bird the willows, creek area, and river view on foot before consolidating cars and continuing down the road, stopping to bird various sections. For a peek at the area, check out Miles and Teresa’s recap of birding Willow Creek Road back in July.

No bathrooms. Heavy rain cancels. Bring binoculars, layers, sunscreen, water, lunch, or snacks. Please carpool if possible.

DIRECTIONS: Russian House #1 is at 9960 Hwy 1, Jenner, CA. It is 9 miles north of Bodega Bay (15–20 minutes), directly along Hwy 1, on the right just before the Russian River bridge.

Sunday, November 14, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

CLICK HERE to register for the field trip. Registration for this trip opens October 8 at 8AM. There will be a waiting list if this trip sells out, and you will be notified if space becomes available. 

San 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 ten islands, under two bridges, and up two creeks in four counties in search of migrating and resident waterfowl, shore-birds and marine mammals. This trip offers water bird and marine mammal viewing in stunning locations, many of which can only be seen by boat. In addition to the many ducks, loons, pelicans and gulls that come into the Bay for the winter, we can also expect to see resident cormorants, grebes, terns, and murres.

Dress in layers, and bring liquids and lunch. All participants must be fully vaccinated. Please bring a mask for any time spent inside the cabin.

The trip costs $120. Limited to 25 people. 

Registered participants will receive directions to the Berkeley Marina and other instructions prior to the trip. 

Wednesday, November 17, 2021
7:30 AM to noon
With William Legge and David Wiechers
Click HERE to register for the field trip

Mid-November is a surprisingly active time for migrants at this Marin Headlands location, as we search for scarcer late fall migrants including winter wildfowl, loons, grebes and passerine migrants. As always, the weather will determine the focus of our search on the day.  With this ‘hotspot’ producing some memorable Marin rarities in recent Novembers, including Tricolored Heron, Scaly-breasted Munia and Rusty Blackbird, almost anything is possible! We will begin the morning with a sea watch (most productive when onshore winds are blowing) and/or visible migration watch (most productive when offshore winds are blowing) at 7:30 AM. Those arriving later may join us at 8:30 AM for a circuit of the lagoon. 

Registration for this trip will be open starting on November 8 at 8:00 AM on the MAS website Field Trips page. There is a limit of 12 participants for this trip. There will not be a waiting list. No drop-ins, please. All participants must be fully vaccinated.

DIRECTIONS: Head south on Hwy 101 and take the last Sausalito exit just before the Golden Gate Bridge. At the exit stop sign, turn right and go under the freeway, then follow the road down to the left. Within 300 feet turn left at the sign to the Marin Headlands (This is the only available left turn before you begin the descent into Sausalito). You should see the tunnel with the five-minute light. Proceed through the tunnel on Bunker Road to the Rodeo Lagoon Parking Lot at the end and meet by the bridge over the channel to the beach. 

Saturday 12/04/21 from 8:30 to 2 PM - CLICK HERE to register for this field trip

Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin

Registration for this trip will be open starting on November 24 at 8:00 AM. There is a limit of 15 for this trip. There will not be a waiting list, and no drop-ins allowed. All participants must be fully vaccinated.

The Marin Audubon Society acquired and restored to tidal action the diked baylands 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 101 to Bahia, also saved from development by MAS, holds Oak Titmice, White-breasted nuthatch, Hutton’s Vireo at least 4 woodpecker specie and many sparrows in the winter. It is always interesting and we have had Golden Eagles soaring above.

The horseshoe pond at the south east 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 take a look at the nearby Rush Creek area from the Airport Road which parallels the 101 freeway north of Atherton. So join Bob and Jim if you would like enjoy a day of birding and see about 80 species on the day.

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.