Wednesday, September 7, 2022
7:30/8:30 AM to noon
Birding with With William Legge and David Wiechers
Register for this field trip HERE

Limit of 15 fully vaccinated participants for this trip. Registration opens on August 28 at 8AM 

Join William and David for this fall migration field trip at Rodeo Lagoon. This is their longtime “patch,” which never seems to disappoint birders with daily variations in species seen and unusual sightings. On this particular trip, our group will be targeting Parasitic Jaeger, migrating shorebirds, warblers, and other passerines. We will begin the morning with a Sea Watch at 7:30 AM. Those arriving later may join us at 8:30 AM for a circuit of the lagoon.

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 Rd to the Rodeo Lagoon Parking Lot at the end. Meet by the bridge over the channel to the beach or join MAS birders with scopes along the nearby beach area. 

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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!

Saturday, September 17, 2022
6:00 to 7:40 PM depending on the weather
With Rich Cimino
Register HERE for this field trip

Limit of 15 fully vaccinated participants for this trip. Registration opens September 7 at 8AM

Join other MAS members for an evening opportunity to witness Vaux’s Swifts during their fall migration through Marin, which occurs in September and October. Dan McNear of McNear Brick & Block has kindly allowed Marin Audubon to access this remarkable site where three decommissioned chimneys provide an important communal evening roosting place for the Vaux’s swifts.

Watching tens of thousands of Vaux’s swifts as they descend into the stacks just before night- fall is an unforgettable sight. At the peak of migration, as many as 19,000 swifts have been counted in one evening. However, keep in mind that the number of swifts varies greatly from night to night and can range from a few hundred to thousands. Like everything else in birding, there are no guarantees!

Sunset on the evening of our visit will be at 7:11 PM, so plan on arriving on time to be ready. If the weather on the day of our trip is particularly cool or windy, the swifts are likely to enter the stacks early, so plan accordingly. Bring scopes, binoculars, and, if desired, folding chairs for your seating comfort. It can be chilly at dusk. Please stay with our group and do not enter any of the private areas on the property. Use soft voices and be sure to respect the privacy of local residents.

DIRECTIONS: From Hwy 101 take the Central San Rafael exit. Head east on Third St./Point San Pedro Rd for about 3.5 miles. The brickyard will be on the right. The address is 1 McNear Brickyard Rd. Park as close to the San Pedro Road entrance as possible. Please do not drive to or park near the closed gate. 

Saturday 10/1/2022
8:30 AM to mid-afternoon
Register HERE for this field trip

Limit of 15 fully vaccinated participants for this trip. Registration opens September 21 at 8AM. 

This is the place to be for fall birding. Many migrants like hawks, jaegers, shorebirds and loons follow the coast south. Many songbirds, migrate at night and seem to have a compass bearing in mind, momma said to fly “15 degrees east of due south for 4 days.” Millions of recently fledged birds undertake a journey of 2-4000 miles without a google assistant and many without further parental guidance. Some get lost.

Imagine that you are a dyslexic Connecticut Warbler hatched in early June in the boreal forest of north central Canada. It is your second night flight, you are flying west instead of east or south, you crossed some mountains so that you are flying sort of high, morning is approaching so you descend thru the clouds and there is nothing but water. A fog shrouded coast was not in your flight plan. You reverse directions, trying to avoid the gulls and jaegers pursuing you, when you see trees miles away on a point sticking above the fog. Relief, a place to land, to rest, and to find something to eat. These vagrant warblers and other eastern songbirds are the reasons that the tree islands of the Point Reyes peninsula are so popular with birders

We intend to visit the nearby Fish Docks after The Light house then work our way back to Drake’s Beach for lunch and much more birding.

Directions: Meet at 8:30 at the Lighthouse parking area. The Lighthouse parking area is at the west end of S F Drake. Going north thru Inverness follow Drake to the Lighthouse. Allow 30 min from Inverness or 1.5 hour from San Rafael.

Wednesday, October 5, 2022
7:30 AM to noon **Please note 7:30 AM is the correct start time, not 8 AM
Birding with William Legge and David Wiechers
Register HERE for this field trip

Limit of 15 fully vaccinated participants for this trip. Registration opens on our TicketBud sight on September 25 at 8AM.

With large numbers of birds moving through the area this time of year, it’s sure to be an interesting outing with unusual sightings a definite possibility. We’ll start with a 30-40 minute visible migration and sea watch from Rodeo Beach hoping for Parasitic Jaegers as well as other passing goodies before undertaking an extended circuit of Rodeo Lagoon in the search for scarce migrants including early winter wildfowl, shorebirds and fall passerines. More than 60 species should be possible at this time of year. The morning will begin with a sea watch at 7:30 AM.

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. 

Thursday, October 6, 2022
8:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Birding with Sande and Bob Chilvers 

All fully vaccinated participants are welcome to join this trip. No registration required.

Join old friends and meet new ones as we resume our regularly scheduled walks on the first Thursday of the month at Las Gallinas. Special thanks to Bob and Sande Chilvers
for volunteering once again to lead our monthly walks in search of waterfowl, waders, songbirds, raptors, and shorebirds. With fall migration underway, we are likely to spot some 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. You don’t even have to arrive on time because we spend the first 30-60 minutes studying the birds around the first pond, and our group is easy to find. 

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 or you can use the bathrooms at nearby McInnis Park. 

Saturday, October 22, 2022
9 AM to noon
Birding with Rich Cimino and Janet Bodle
Register HERE for this field trip

There is a limit of 15 participants for this trip. There will not be a waiting list. No drop-ins, please. Registration opens on October 12 at 8 AM.

It’s always an exciting time to birdwatch at Olompali State Historic Park! October can bring fall surprises. This year, with the fires in the northern part of the state, Olompali Park may become home to species typically not seen in the park. Beginning and experienced birders are invited to join leaders Rich Cimino and Janet Bodle to bird the park. We will walk the old ranch road to the park’s reservoir. We hope to see a wide variety of species that thrive in the park’s oak savanna and open grasslands. The field trip will start at 9 AM meeting in the front of the visitor center.

DIRECTIONS: Exit Hwy 101 at Atherton Ave/ San Marin Dr in Novato. Follow the signs to Olompali State Historic Park. A right turn onto the Old Redwood Hwy frontage road will take you to the park. There is an $8 cash only parking fee. Recently, the park gates have been opening by 8:30 AM. 

Thursday, November 3, 2022
8:30 AM to noon
Birding with Sande and Bob Chilvers 

All fully vaccinated participants are welcome to join this trip. No registration required. 

Join old friends and meet new ones as we resume our regularly scheduled walks on the first Thursday of the month at Las Gallinas. Special thanks to Bob and Sande Chilvers for volunteering once again to lead our monthly walks in search of waterfowl, waders, songbirds, raptors, and shorebirds. With fall migration underway, we are likely to spot some 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. You don’t even have to arrive on time because we spend the first 30-60 minutes studying the birds around the first pond, and our group is easy to find. 

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 or you can use the bathrooms at nearby McInnis Park. 

Saturday, November 5, 2022
8:30 AM to mid afternoon (3PM)
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin
Register HERE for this Field Trip

Registration will be open starting on October 27 at 8 AM. There is a limit of 15 participants for this trip. There will not be a waiting list. No drop-ins, please. 

Join Jim and Bob on an easy, birdy walk of 1.5 miles around the Las Gallinas ponds where we are likely to see 10 species of ducks, five of herons, five of raptors, five of sparrows and some rails like Ridgway’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 0.5 miles, immediately after crossing the RR tracks, left turn and follow the road another 0.5 mile 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 Dr and turn right. Go east to Hanger Ave and park along the levee behind Hangar 7.

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!

Wednesday, November 9, 2022
7:30 AM to noon **Please note this is the correct time. TicketBud only allows an 8AM start time, but please meet at 7:30 AM
Birding with William Legge and David Wiechers
Register HERE for this Field Trip

Registration opens October 31 at 8AM. Limit of 15 fully vaccinated participants for this trip. There will not be a waiting list. No drop-ins, please. 

Early-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. This “hotspot” has produced some memorable Marin rarities in recent Novembers, including Tricolored Heron, Scaly-breasted Munia and Rusty Blackbird. We will begin the morning with a sea watch and/or visible migration watch at 7:30 AM. Those arriving later may join us at 8:15 AM for a circuit of the lagoon.

DIRECTIONS: Head south on Hwy 101, taking the last Sausalito exit just before the Golden Gate Bridge. At the exit stop sign, turn right. Go under the freeway, following the road 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 Rd to the Rodeo Lagoon Parking Lot. Meet by the bridge over the channel to the beach. 

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!

Saturday, 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 trip

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 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.

Birding 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 trip

Registration 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!

Sunday, December 4, 2022
9:00 AM to noon
Birding with Bryan Flaig
Register HERE for this field trip

Registration 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!

Saturday, December 10, 2022
9:00 AM to noon
Birding with Bryan Flaig
Register HERE for this field trip

Registration 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!

Thursday, January 5, 2022
8:30 to 11:30 AM
Birding with Sande and Bob Chilvers 

All 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. 

Birding 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 trip

Registration 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!

Tuesday, January 24, 2023
10 AM to 2 PM
Birding with Daniel Edelstein
Register HERE for this field trip

Registration 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.

Thursday, February 2, 2023
8:30 to 11:30 AM
Birding with Sande and Bob Chilvers 

All 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. 

Season 8, Trip 2
Saturday, February 4, 2023
8:30 AM to mid afternoon
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin 

Register HERE for this field trip

Registration opens Wednesday, January 25 at 8 AM. Trip limit is 15 fully vaccinated participants. No drop-ins, please. 

We are going to explore the bay from the Sausalito waterfront to the Golden Gate and Richardson’s Bay around to Strawberry Point and on to Blacky’s pasture in Tiburon. Many ducks, loons and grebes winter on the bay waters and we may compare looks at similar species like Eared and Horned or Clark’s and Western Grebes, of Red-throated, Pacific and Common Loons or Greater and Lesser Scaup. We are likely to find some shorebirds too, perhaps a Spotted Sandpiper or a rather rare Wandering Tattler.

Herring runs happen around this time of year and if we are lucky they will still be numerous. Herring deposit large numbers of eggs on eelgrass, which water birds, especially gulls, love to feast on. Although the roe, are fancied by some diners and there is a purse seining fleet hungry for profit, the Department of Fish and Wildlife is trying to maintain a sustainable catch. Last year near this time I think that 10 species of gulls were located. So brush up on your gull IDs and join Bob and I along the shore.

DIRECTIONS: Meet at the east end of Harbor Drive. Handicap Accessible. We will park where the birding is close, near level and smooth. Thanks to enlightened development planning, Harbor Drive and the rather posh Strawberry spit have fine public shoreline paths.

Birding with David Wimpfheimer
Sunday, February 5th, 2023
Boat departs at 9 AM. Plan to arrive early!
Register HERE for this field trip. Please see below for important registration information.

The trip costs $135. Limited to 25 people. Registration for this trip opens January 8th at 8AM. Tickets may be cancelled until February 2 at 12 noon. Cancellations will be refunded MINUS the TicketBud service charges.

If tickets aren’t available, you may sign up for the waitlist by clicking the "Contact Organizer" prompt on Ticketbud and leaving your name and phone number. 

This very popular trip is being held the first weekend in Feb on Sunday Feb 5. We’ll depart from the Antioch Marina at 9AM and enter the San Joaquin River, keeping an eye out for overwintering birds and any marine (or other) animals that happen to show up. As we head east, we enter a number of the smaller sloughs and waterways with views out over the flooded agricultural fields that provide a refuge for flocks that nest in the north but winter here.

Along with the flocks of snow geese, white fronted geese and Tundra swans, numerous ducks, shorebirds, and raptors are usually spotted. Well known birder and naturalist David Wimpfheimer will provide commentary and Ronn Patterson (captain and naturalist) will fill in bits about the history of the delta as we transit this altered but still viable ecosystem.

Coffee, tea, hot chocolate is provided, bring lunch and snacks. Bad weather can cancel as with any winter trip. Light rain will not cancel.

Ticket holders will receive directions to the Antioch Marina, where the trip begins and ends, and other instructions, approximately one week prior to the trip. 

Inclement weather will reschedule the trip to Sunday, February 19.

Thursday, March 2, 2023
8:30 to 11:30 AM
Birding with Sande and Bob Chilvers

All 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.