Wednesday, April 23, 2025
7:30 AM to 12:00 PM ** Please note start times below
Birding with William Legge & David Wiechers
Register HERE for this Field Trip

Registration is required for this trip. Registration opens April 13 at 8 AM.

With spring migration underway, we’ll be looking out for migrant wildfowl, shorebirds, grebes, loons and 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. 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.

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 signal 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. 

Wednesday, April 30, 2025
8:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Birding with Liz Lewis
Register HERE for this Field Trip

Registration required. Registration opens on April 20 at 8AM

As we saunter along the Roy’s Redwood loop trail and the newly restored floodplains and meadows, spring migrant arrivals we will be looking (and listening) for are Warbling Vireo, Wilson’s Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Western Wood Pewee, Western Flycatcher and Ash-throated Flycatcher.

Besides listening and looking for migrants, we will also seek out the resident species who nest in Roy’s Redwoods: including Hairy Woodpecker, Pacific Wren, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Hutton’s Vireo and several raptors. The trail is generally flat with a gentle rise. Please remember to dress in layers and to bring water and snacks. There is a portable bathroom available at the trailhead.

Directions: Meet at Roy’s Redwoods Preserve trailhead, on Nicasio Valley Road, about 0.5 north of Sir Francis Drake Blvd. or about 3.5 miles south of Lucas Valley Rd. Parking is available along Nicasio Valley Road near the trailhead. 

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.

Saturday, June 14, 2025 8:15 AM to 10:30 AM Birding with Rich Cimino All participants are welcome to join this trip. Our trip to Marin Art and Garden Center offers an opportunity to experience its 11 acres of spectacular gardens, which support several different habitats, including two water features. We’ll listen for Black-headed Grosbeak, Hairy Woodpecker, Band-tailed Pigeon, both White-breasted and Pygmy Nuthatches, possible Orange Crown, Wilson and Black-throated Gray Warblers. Who knows, we may stumble on an exciting species visiting, like singing Purple Finch or Western Tanager. Trails are flat and easy to navigate. The location has bathrooms and parking. Meet at 8:15 AM in the Main Art and Garden Center parking lot located at 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. in Ross.

Birding in Marin, Season 10 Trip 7 Saturday, July 5, 2025 8:30 AM to mid-afternoon Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin REGISTER HERE Registration is required.  Registration opens Wednesday, June 25 at 8 AM. The rolling hills of central Marin are covered with pastures, forested ridges, ranches, and reservoirs. As we bird in and around Nicasio and its Oak tree-lined creek, we will have a chance to see a Golden Eagle as a pair has nested in the area in recent years. We also hope to find some flycatchers, woodpeckers and perhaps a Brown Creeper. After a break for lunch in Point Reyes Station we plan to look over the Giacomini wetlands, which has become part of Pt Reyes National Park and sits on the southern reach of Tomales Bay. Most of the wintering ducks will be gone but Cinnamon and Blue-winged Teal have nested there and the tidal wetlands fed by Olema Creek harbor an abundance of life so we should find some birds. Swallows, egrets and herons, including an American Bittern, are possible. DIRECTIONS: From highway 101 in northern San Rafael take Lucas Valley Road west, around 10 miles, then right turn onto Nicasio Valley road for 0.5 miles to park near the ball field at Nicasio Square.

Birding in Marin, Season 10 – Trip 8 Saturday, August 2, 2025 8:30 AM to mid-afternoon Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin REGISTER HERE Registration required for this trip. Registration opens on July 23 at 8 AM.  We will visit the great beach of Limantour with its miles of sand, its tidal estuary, the open expanse of Drakes Bay and the Pacific Ocean beyond. We will gather in the ample parking lot with restrooms nearby.  We’ll pack our lunches, shoulder our scopes and head out and up the beach. We can hike far enough to find Snowy Plovers to get our exercise and to cross over to the estuary side for our walk back. Gulls, terns, cormorants, loons, grebes, pelicans, murres, and guillemots will garner our attention. Shorebirds too, some already back from their breeding excursion to the Arctic, may gather along the estuary shores and shallows. Some ducks, hawks, and herons will show up too. DIRECTIONS: From CA 1 South, right (left from CA 1 North) onto Sir Francis Drake Blvd for 0.7 miles, left onto Bear Valley Road for 0.5, then right onto Limantour Road for 7. 5 miles to Limantour beach parking lot.

Saturday, August 23, 2025 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM Birding with Rusty Scalf All participants are welcome to join this trip. We will bird the coastal scrub, lagoons, and ocean. We hope to find migrant shorebirds and resident Snowy Plovers. Abbotts Lagoon has historically been good for Baird’s Sandpiper and we may get lucky. Meet at 9 am at the Abbotts Lagoon parking lot (bathrooms but no water). Bring scope, liquids, lunch. Plan on walking 4 miles round-trip; relatively flat but trail consists partially of sand. Prepare for wind. DIRECTIONS: From Point Reyes Station on Hwy 1 go just south of town, right turn onto Sir Francis Drake Blvd, follow that thru Inverness, up over Inverness ridge into the Point Reyes National Seashore, then go north on Pierce Point Road. The Abbotts Lagoon parking lot is on the left in about 3 miles. Carpool if you can.